Complexity and Simplicity in Games (part 2)

Understanding your target audience is crucial to the success of a game. If you are designing a tabletop tactical war-game, then a certain amount of complexity is assumed--the hardcore crowd that makes up most of that community will be less interested if your game feels as simple as rock-paper-scissors. If you’re designing a family card game to be played by kids and adults together, then keeping your rules simple enough to fit on a single page is ideal. Consider also the age group you’re targeting and the time they might have to play your game; if your game is designed to be played by 3-6 adults, keep in mind that while they sometimes have the attention span for involved rules, they have limited time and are unlikely to be able to gather together frequently for more than a few hours—most adults have jobs and/or kids, which can seriously restrict time available for gaming. If you’re targeting teens, they will have much more time for your game and some might thrive on the complexity, but they tend to quickly move on to something new unless the game is frequently supported with new content. Casual or hardcore gamers are found among both teens and adults, so do some research on your game’s genre and the demographics of that genre’s supporters.