How to Build a Game (part 2/5)

Now that you’ve decided on what type of game you want to make, it’s a good idea to ask yourself what it is you like and dislike about this type of genre. The list of likes might be elements you want to include in your game, or even expand upon. The dislikes could be a little more difficult to address, however, because they might be tenets of that genre—traditions that every game designer before you has more or less followed. If you dislike a game element enough to try and change it, be prepared to spend a lot of time trying out new things, challenging paradigms, and doing lots and lots of beta testing. Because it’s very unlikely that any innovation you developed will nicely snap into place—it will cause problems, at least at first. The problems your innovation generates might be so significant that they could destroy your enthusiasm for continuing. Or, you might like your innovation but, because it’s so different, might be too “outside of the box” for other gamers who prefer a more traditional approach. Often, people fall back to traditional design because it’s tried and true—it’s been tested, it works, and it’s easy to move forward with your game design if you stay inside the lines. Is that what you want, and is it necessarily a bad thing?