Make Your Own Game: 7 Proven Steps to Success

Embarking on the journey to create your own game may seem daunting at first glance, but with a structured approach and a solid plan, success is indeed within your reach. This comprehensive guide breaks down the entire process into manageable, actionable steps—offering a clear and concise path from the initial spark of an idea to a polished, finished product. Whether you're a solo developer forging your own path or leading a small, dedicated team, these proven strategies will undoubtedly help you navigate the inherent complexities of game creation and, ultimately, bring your unique vision to life.

Key Takeaways

• Understand precisely who you are making the game for by identifying and deeply understanding your target audience.
• Create a detailed and comprehensive plan that clearly outlines both your business and your core development goals.
• Develop a basic, functional version of your game—a prototype—to efficiently test your core ideas and assumptions.
• Get feedback from players early and often throughout the development process to refine your game, ensuring it resonates with your audience.
• Determine precisely how your game will generate revenue to ensure its long-term financial sustainability and viability.

1. Identify Your Target Market

Before you even begin to think about the intricacies of coding or the nuances of design, it’s absolutely critical to understand precisely who you're making this game for. Trying to appeal to everyone often means you end up appealing to no one—a pitfall to avoid. Pinpointing your ideal player is, without question, the first and most important step in this entire process. Carefully consider age groups, specific interests, what types of games they already enjoy playing, and—perhaps most importantly—what they might be missing in the current gaming market. Are you primarily aiming for casual mobile gamers who are looking for quick bursts of entertainment during their commute, or are you targeting hardcore PC players who willingly spend countless hours immersed in complex, intricately designed worlds? A deep understanding of this key demographic will fundamentally shape every subsequent decision you make, from core gameplay mechanics to marketing strategies.

To help focus your thinking, consider these important questions:

• What is the typical age range of your target players?
• What platforms do they typically use for gaming (e.g., PC, console, mobile)?
• What other games do they enjoy playing, and, critically, why do they enjoy them?
• What are their primary pain points or frustrations with existing games in your chosen genre?
• What kind of budget do they typically allocate for purchasing games?

Knowing your audience extends far beyond simple demographics; it's about cultivating a deep understanding of their underlying motivations, the amount of free time they have available, and the kinds of engaging and rewarding experiences they actively seek. This invaluable insight will empower you to build a game that truly connects with them on a meaningful level.

For example, if your primary target is younger players on mobile devices, your game might necessitate simpler and more intuitive controls, brighter and more visually appealing graphics, and shorter, more easily digestible play sessions. Conversely, if you're aiming for a dedicated PC gaming audience, you might want to focus on crafting deeper narratives, implementing complex strategic elements, and developing robust and engaging multiplayer features. Getting this foundational element right from the very start can save you significant time, resources, and potential headaches further down the development pipeline.

2. Craft A Business Plan

Think of your business plan as your game's definitive blueprint—the roadmap that guides every key decision. It’s far more than just a document to showcase to potential investors; rather, it's your indispensable guide for building and strategically growing your fledgling game studio. A well-thought-out and meticulously crafted plan helps you clearly visualize where you’re heading and precisely how you intend to get there. It essentially forces you to thoughtfully consider all the critical, moving parts involved in game development, ranging from the core concept of your game itself to the strategies you'll employ to generate revenue from it.

This comprehensive plan should clearly and concisely outline your game's overarching concept, your studio's core mission, and your long-term vision for the future. It’s truly the bedrock upon which everything else will be built. Without it, you’re essentially attempting to construct a building without any architectural plans—blindly hoping to stumble upon success, which is rarely a viable strategy.

Here’s what typically and effectively goes into a robust game development business plan:

• Executive Summary: A brief yet compelling overview of your entire plan. Think of it as the concise elevator pitch for both your game and your studio.
• Company Description: Detailed information about your studio, including its legal structure, core values, and overall goals.
• Market Analysis: In-depth research on your target audience, prevailing market trends, and competitor games currently vying for attention.
• Organization and Management: Who is at the helm, steering the ship? Clearly outline your team structure and highlight key personnel.
• Game Description: A comprehensive and detailed look at your game, including its genre, unique features, and target platforms.
• Marketing and Sales Strategy: How will you effectively reach your target players and successfully sell your game to them?
• Financial Projections: This crucial section includes startup costs, projected revenue forecasts, and anticipated funding requirements.
• Funding Request (if applicable): How much capital do you actually need, and—perhaps more importantly—how do you specifically plan to utilize it?

A business plan shouldn't be viewed as a static document, permanently set in stone. Rather, it's a living, breathing document that should be consistently reviewed and updated as your game evolves and the market landscape inevitably shifts. Be prepared to dynamically adapt your strategy based on new information and feedback as it becomes available.

Consider breaking down your financial projections into these key areas for greater clarity:

Category	Estimated Cost	Notes
Development Software	$XXXX	Licenses for game engines and essential art tools
Hardware	$XXXX	High-performance PCs and dedicated testing devices
Marketing & PR	$XXXX	Advertising campaigns and compelling press kits
Legal & Admin	$XXXX	Company registration fees and legally binding contracts
Salaries/Contractors	$XXXX	Competitive team compensation packages
Total Startup Cost	$XXXX	The sum of all estimated startup expenses

This structured and highly organized approach will empower you to gain a crystal-clear understanding of the financial commitment required to bring your vision to life, and also proactively identify any potential funding needs early in the process.

3. Build A Minimum Viable Product

Once you've cultivated a solid and nuanced understanding of your target market and have meticulously crafted a clear and actionable business plan, the next logical and essential step is to create what's known as a Minimum Viable Product, or MVP. Think of an MVP not as a fully finished, highly polished game that's ready for widespread release, but rather as the most basic and functional version of your game that still effectively delivers core value to your target players. The primary goal here is to get something functionally operational into the hands of real users as swiftly as possible to test your core assumptions and gather invaluable, real-world feedback. This strategic approach helps you proactively avoid investing significant time and precious resources into features that players might not actually want or truly need. It’s fundamentally about continuous learning and iterative improvement—not about striving for unattainable perfection at this crucial stage. Ultimately, you want to effectively prove your core concept with the least amount of wasted effort.

Here’s a breakdown of how to effectively approach building your MVP:

• Identify Core Features: Determine the absolute essential features that definitively define your game's unique and engaging experience. What is the absolute minimum players need to interact with to fully understand and genuinely enjoy your game's core concept?
• Develop the Core Loop: Focus your efforts on building the primary gameplay mechanics that will drive the overall experience. This is the cycle of actions that players will repeat most frequently—so ensure this loop is both engaging and highly functional.
• Keep it Simple: Resist the overwhelming urge to add too many bells and whistles at this early stage. Instead, consciously stick to the bare essentials. A clean, focused, and highly streamlined experience is significantly more effective for validating your core concept than a feature-rich but ultimately buggy one.
• Prepare for Feedback: Proactively build in mechanisms or create a detailed plan for precisely how you will effectively collect user input. This could involve implementing in-game surveys, creating dedicated forums, or conducting direct outreach to targeted players.

The real key to a truly successful MVP is to laser-focus on solving a specific problem or fulfilling a particular, unmet need for your target audience. It’s fundamentally a powerful tool for continuous learning—not a final, polished product. By strategically releasing an MVP, you can effectively validate your game's core concept and make informed decisions about future development efforts, potentially saving yourself a great deal of wasted effort and frustration. This early validation is truly a critical step in the game development process, proactively helping you steer clear of common pitfalls.

Remember, your MVP is simply a starting point—the solid foundation upon which you will strategically build and iteratively refine your game based on authentic player experiences. This iterative process is absolutely vital for creating a game that genuinely connects with its target audience on a meaningful level. For more insights on getting your initial product out there, consider delving into early stage development strategies.

4. Validate Your Idea

Before you invest too much valuable time and hard-earned money into building your game, it's exceptionally smart to proactively check if people actually want to play it in the first place. This crucial step is fundamentally about getting real, unfiltered opinions from potential players—think of it as a well-planned test run for your core concept. You want to rigorously assess whether your game concept truly resonates with the target audience you're aiming for.

The primary goal here is to gather tangible evidence that strongly supports your game's potential for success in the marketplace.

How do you effectively accomplish this? Well, there are several proven ways:

• Talk to people: Actively reach out to members of your target audience. Ask them pointed questions about their gaming habits, what aspects they particularly enjoy in games, and what they currently feel is missing from the market. Simple, focused conversations can reveal a surprising amount of useful information.
• Create a simple prototype or demo: You certainly don’t need a fully fleshed-out game at this stage. A basic playable version—even one with placeholder art—can effectively showcase your core gameplay loop and elicit valuable feedback. Let people try it out and tell you what they honestly think.
• Use surveys and landing pages: Set up a simple webpage that effectively describes your game concept and incorporates a clear and easy-to-use sign-up form. You can also create targeted surveys to ask specific questions about your game's key features or its overall theme.

Here’s a quick look at what you might consider tracking during this crucial phase:

Metric	Target Audience Feedback	Notes
Interest Level	High	Players expressed genuine excitement for the core concept.
Core Mechanic Appeal	Moderate	Some confusion noted, requiring potential simplification.
Willingness to Play	Yes	Many players eagerly signed up for future beta testing.

Don't be afraid of negative feedback during this validation phase—it’s often significantly more valuable than effusive praise because it directly points out precisely where you need to make strategic changes. Actively use this invaluable information to proactively improve your game before it's too late in the development cycle.

5. Define Revenue Streams

Figuring out precisely how your game will actually generate revenue is, without question, a major step in the overall development process. It’s certainly not just about creating something fun and engaging; it’s fundamentally about building a sustainable and viable business. You need to thoughtfully consider what players are truly willing to pay for and how you can effectively provide that perceived value. This definitely isn't a one-size-fits-all situation; different games inherently work best with different monetization models.

Here are some of the most common and effective ways games generate income:

• Premium Purchase: Players purchase the game outright, paying a single, upfront fee. This is straightforward, much like buying a book or renting a movie. It typically works best for games that offer a strong, complete, and self-contained experience that players inherently expect to own outright.
• Free-to-Play with In-App Purchases (IAPs): The game is offered completely free to download and play, but players have the option to purchase optional items, virtual currency, or enhanced features from within the game itself. These IAPs might include cosmetic upgrades, accelerated progression, or access to exclusive bonus content. This model demands careful balancing to ensure the game remains enjoyable and engaging for players who choose not to pay.
• Subscription Model: Players pay a recurring fee (either monthly or yearly) for ongoing access to the game or its evolving content. This model is commonly used for online multiplayer games or those that consistently release fresh, new content on a regular basis.
• Advertising: Strategically displaying advertisements within the game itself. This can be achieved through banner ads, interstitial ads (full-screen ads displayed between levels), or rewarded video ads (where players voluntarily watch an ad in exchange for a valuable in-game bonus). This model is frequently utilized in free mobile games.
• DLC/Expansions: Selling downloadable content packs, which may include new levels, characters, or expansive story elements, after the initial game release. This approach effectively keeps players actively engaged and provides them with exciting new experiences to keep them coming back for more.

Choosing the right revenue stream, or a strategically combined combination of several, depends heavily on your game's specific genre, the characteristics of your target audience, and the overall player experience you ultimately want to create. For example, a complex strategy game might perform exceptionally well with a premium price point and optional DLC expansions, while a casual mobile game might thrive on a free-to-play model supported by unobtrusive ads and strategically implemented IAPs.

It’s exceptionally important to carefully consider how your chosen revenue model aligns with the inherent expectations of your target players. Forcibly implementing monetization strategies where they simply don't fit can quickly alienate your audience and damage your game's reputation. Take the time to thoughtfully consider what feels natural and intuitive for the type of game you're developing and how players typically interact with similar titles in the marketplace.

6. Plan Your Finances

Thinking strategically about the financial aspects of game development is a truly essential part of the overall process. You need to meticulously figure out how much it will realistically cost to develop your game and precisely how you'll secure those necessary funds. This goes far beyond just the big-ticket items like paying developers; it also encompasses smaller, yet still significant, costs such as software licenses, strategic marketing initiatives, and even basic office supplies if you're working with a team.

A clear and well-defined financial plan acts as your indispensable roadmap, guiding your critical decisions and helping you proactively avoid unexpected budget shortfalls. It's generally wise to systematically break down your expenses into clearly defined categories—this approach helps you readily see where your money is actually going and where you might potentially be able to strategically cut costs.

Here’s a basic breakdown of the key elements you should consider when planning your game's finances:

• Development Costs: This encompasses all salaries for programmers, artists, designers, and any other personnel who are directly involved in the game's creation. Don't forget to factor in the cost of essential software licenses and any specialized hardware that may be required.
• Marketing and Sales: Effectively getting your game noticed by its target audience is absolutely key to its overall success. This includes advertising campaigns, public relations efforts, creation of compelling trailers, and attendance at relevant industry events.
• Operational Costs: If you have a dedicated office space, remember to factor in rent, utilities, and internet access. Even if you're primarily working from home, there are still operational costs inherently associated with running a business.
• Contingency Fund: It's always a prudent idea to set aside a designated portion of your budget to cover any unexpected issues or unforeseen challenges that may arise during development—things rarely go exactly as initially planned in the often unpredictable world of game development.

It can be exceptionally helpful to create a simple budget table to effectively track these key expense items:

Expense Category	Estimated Cost	Actual Cost	Notes
Development Salaries	$50,000		Based on 3 developers working for 6 months
Software Licenses	$2,000		Licenses for the game engine and essential art tools
Marketing	$10,000		Online advertising and social media promotion
Office/Utilities	$3,000		If applicable for your specific situation
Contingency (10%)	$6,500		For unforeseen expenses and unexpected challenges
Total Estimated	$71,500

Understanding your financial needs upfront will help you clearly determine how much external funding you'll require, and from what sources you might realistically be able to obtain it. It also forces you to maintain a realistic perspective regarding the overall scope of your project and its inherent financial demands.

7. Research Competitors

Before you officially launch your game into the market, it's critically important to know precisely who else is actively competing for the attention of your target players. Understanding your competitors effectively means carefully analyzing what they offer, how they strategically market it, and what their current players are actually saying about their games. This isn't about simply copying their strategies, but rather about identifying key gaps and emerging opportunities that you can potentially exploit. What genuinely makes your game different or more appealing? What specific elements can you potentially do better than your competitors?

Here's a breakdown of what to actively look for during your competitive research:

• Identify both direct and indirect competitors: Direct competitors are those who offer similar games targeted at the same specific audience. Indirect competitors, on the other hand, might offer different types of entertainment that still effectively compete for your target audience's limited time and disposable income.
• Analyze their core game features and fundamental mechanics: What are the essential gameplay loops that drive player engagement? What specific elements make their games particularly compelling? Are there any unique selling points that you can potentially learn from and adapt to your own game?
• Examine their pricing and monetization strategies: How do they effectively generate revenue from their games? Are they utilizing a premium purchase model, a free-to-play approach with in-app purchases, or a recurring subscription model? This analysis can greatly inform your own monetization strategies and pricing decisions.
• Study their marketing and community engagement efforts: How do they effectively reach their target players? What social media platforms do they actively utilize? How do they meaningfully interact with their existing player base to foster loyalty and encourage engagement?

Carefully analyzing what others have already done—both successfully and unsuccessfully—provides you with a valuable blueprint for your own development efforts. It effectively helps you proactively avoid common mistakes and strategically identify areas where you can genuinely stand out from the crowded marketplace. Think of it as effectively learning from the collective experiences of others before you invest your own precious resources.

For example, if you're actively developing a puzzle game, you'll certainly want to thoroughly investigate what other puzzle games are currently popular with players, what specific features players consistently praise, and where they generally find those games to be lacking. This type of comprehensive market research can be incredibly helpful in effectively positioning your own game within the competitive landscape. You might, for instance, discover that many popular puzzle games lack a compelling narrative, or that players are actively seeking more engaging cooperative multiplayer modes. This represents an opportunity for you to build your own unique angle and differentiate your game from the competition. Understanding the intricacies of the current market landscape is absolutely key to making well-informed decisions about your game's core design and marketing strategy. It's also a valuable exercise to study how technology salespeople effectively help clients understand complex software solutions, as this can offer invaluable insights into how to persuasively present your game's unique benefits to potential players.

Ultimately, knowing your competition empowers you to clearly define your game's unique value proposition. It effectively guides your development process and focuses your marketing efforts, thereby dramatically increasing your chances of achieving sustainable success in an increasingly crowded and competitive marketplace.

8. Set Realistic Goals

Setting realistic and achievable goals is truly a cornerstone of any successful game development journey. Without clearly defined and attainable goals, you run the very real risk of experiencing burnout, succumbing to scope creep, and ultimately creating a project that never actually sees the light of day. It’s fundamentally about creating a strategic roadmap that’s both ambitious and realistically achievable, ensuring steady progress and fostering a genuine sense of accomplishment along the way.

Think of your overall game vision as your ultimate final destination. Realistic goals, then, are the clearly marked and easily navigable milestones that effectively guide you there. They break down the monumental task of game creation into manageable and actionable steps. This deliberate approach helps maintain forward momentum and effectively prevents the overwhelming sense of dread that can often accompany such a massive and complex project. For instance, instead of setting an overly ambitious and unrealistic goal to "finish the entire game" in just three months, a far more realistic and achievable goal might be to "completely implement the core combat mechanics" within that specific timeframe. This allows for highly focused effort and tangible, demonstrable progress.

Here’s a breakdown of how to effectively approach setting these crucial goals:

• Define Measurable Objectives: Each goal should have a clear, quantifiable, and easily measurable outcome. What does definitive success look like for this specific task? For example, "Implement player movement with 95% accuracy" is far more effective and actionable than a vague goal such as "Improve player movement."
• Break Down Large Tasks: Deconstruct major development phases into smaller, more manageable, and actionable tasks. This inherently makes the overall project seem significantly less daunting and provides more frequent opportunities to experience small victories along the way.
• Estimate Time and Resources: Be brutally honest about how long specific tasks will realistically take to complete and what resources (such as personnel, specialized software, and dedicated hardware) are actually needed. This proactive approach prevents overcommitment and greatly assists in the overall project planning process.
• Prioritize and Sequence: Not all tasks are created equal in terms of importance or urgency. Determine which specific goals are most critically important for the current stage of development and then logically order them accordingly. This ensures that all foundational elements are securely in place before building upon them.

It’s also critically important to acknowledge that the development process is very rarely linear—unexpected challenges will inevitably arise, and you’ll need to adapt strategically. This is where flexibility truly comes into play. Regularly review your established goals and actively adjust them as needed based on new information or previously unforeseen circumstances. This iterative process is absolutely key to effectively staying on track and avoiding potential derailment.

The real key is to create a strategic plan that effectively allows for both steady progress and rapid adaptation when necessary. By consistently setting achievable milestones, you build confidence and maintain motivation within your team, effectively turning a potentially overwhelming endeavor into a manageable series of smaller victories. This highly structured approach is absolutely vital for keeping your entire project moving steadily forward.

Consider the inherent complexity involved in modern game animation—achieving truly lifelike character movement requires meticulous planning and exceptionally precise execution. Setting clearly defined goals around specific animation features, such as those commonly seen in cutting-edge sports games, helps manage this inherent complexity effectively. Remember, consistent progress—even in seemingly small increments—is far more valuable than sporadic bursts of intense activity followed by extended periods of stagnation. This methodical approach will effectively guide your game development process from initial concept to successful completion.

9. Gather Feedback

Once you have a working version of your game—even if it's a very basic and rudimentary one—it's absolutely time to get it into the hands of your potential players for valuable feedback. This is where the process of gathering feedback becomes genuinely crucial. You're definitely not simply looking for people to passively say that they like it; rather, you want honest and unfiltered opinions on what truly works well, what might not work so well, and what specific aspects could be significantly improved. Think of it as an effective way to rigorously test your core assumptions about what players actually want from your game.

Start by carefully identifying a representative group of people who closely fit the characteristics of your defined target audience. This can be effectively achieved through participation in online communities, dedicated forums, or even by engaging friends and family members who routinely play similar types of games. When you present your game for feedback, be exceptionally clear and upfront about what type of specific feedback you're actively seeking. Are you primarily focused on refining the gameplay mechanics, improving the user interface, enhancing the story, or something else entirely?

Here are some highly effective ways to proactively collect that invaluable feedback:

• Organize Playtesting Sessions: Conduct structured playtesting sessions where players can try your game for a predetermined amount of time. Specifically provide them with defined tasks or scenarios to actively test.
• Distribute Surveys and Questionnaires: After players have had a chance to thoroughly try out the game, strategically send out detailed surveys to gather their feedback. Use a carefully designed mix of rating scales and open-ended questions to effectively gather both quantitative and qualitative data.
• Conduct Direct Interviews: For even more in-depth insights, directly engage with players to discuss their experiences. Ask focused follow-up questions to gain a deeper understanding of their reasoning behind the feedback they provide.
• Utilize Analytics and Telemetry: If your game features online components, actively track player behavior during gameplay. Analyze where players tend to get stuck, which specific features they utilize most frequently, and how long they typically engage with the game.

Don't be afraid of criticism; instead, actively embrace it as a valuable gift that can significantly help you improve your game. Consistently use the information you gather during the feedback process to make well-informed decisions about your game's ongoing development. This might effectively mean tweaking the game's controls, adjusting its overall difficulty, or even completely rethinking certain features entirely. Remember, the ultimate goal is to build a highly engaging game that players will genuinely enjoy and will eagerly want to continue playing long into the future.

10. Secure Funding

Securing adequate funding is undeniably a critical step for effectively bringing your game to life and ensuring its long-term success. Without sufficient financial resources, even the most brilliant and innovative game concept can ultimately falter. It's fundamentally important to thoroughly understand the diverse avenues available for securing funding and strategically choose the specific ones that best suit both your project's unique needs and your long-term vision for its future.

Several primary methods exist for effectively funding a game development project:

• Bootstrapping: Primarily using your own personal savings or revenue generated from initial, early sales. While this method offers complete control over your project, it can also significantly limit the scale of your initial launch.
• Angel Investors & Venture Capital: Actively seeking investment from high-net-worth individuals or established venture capital firms who provide capital in exchange for an equity stake in your company. These types of investors often bring invaluable industry connections and a wealth of relevant expertise to the table.
• Crowdfunding: Leveraging popular crowdfunding platforms such as Kickstarter or Indiegogo to raise the necessary funds directly from your potential player base. This also serves as an excellent means of validating market interest in your game's core concept.
• Grants and Competitions: Actively seeking grants or prize money offered by various government programs or industry-specific organizations that specifically support innovative projects. For instance, the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program effectively supports small businesses in bringing their groundbreaking ideas to market through a well-defined and structured process [5ef8].

When approaching potential investors, a meticulously prepared business plan and a compelling pitch deck are absolutely non-negotiable requirements. You'll need to clearly and concisely articulate your game's unique selling proposition, thoroughly describe your target audience, comprehensively analyze the overall market, and provide realistic financial projections. Effectively demonstrating a working prototype or a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) can significantly strengthen your case and show potential investors that you've already actively begun to validate your core concept and build something tangible.

Understanding the intricacies of the financial landscape and preparing thoroughly are both essential for successfully acquiring the necessary capital to fund your game development project. This ultimately requires diligence, clear and persuasive communication, and a solid grasp of your project's overall potential.

Remember to consistently maintain meticulous financial records throughout the entire development process. This level of organization not only significantly aids in securing initial funding but also greatly assists in effectively managing your project's budget once development is actively underway. Thoroughly exploring various funding options and carefully understanding the inherent pros and cons of each will empower you to make well-informed decisions that positively impact your game's overall future.

Your Game Plan Starts Now

So, you've methodically walked through each of the essential steps, from clearly defining your vision to proactively ensuring you're taking care of yourself along the winding road. It's undoubtedly a lot of information to absorb, I know. But remember, this entire process isn't about becoming someone entirely different overnight—rather, it’s about making small, consistent, and manageable changes that gradually add up over time. Think of each step as a valuable tool in your ever-expanding toolbox. You certainly don't need to use them all simultaneously, but simply knowing they're readily available provides you with invaluable options and flexibility. Ultimately, the most important thing is to simply start somewhere. Pick one specific task—anything at all—and actively commit to doing it today. You've absolutely got this!

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know who to make my game for?

To effectively start making your own engaging game, you first need to definitively figure out precisely who you're intending to make it for. Thoughtfully consider what kinds of games they typically enjoy and what specific elements they particularly appreciate in those games. This will fundamentally help you create a game that people will actually want to eagerly play.

Why is a business plan important for making a game?

A well-defined business plan effectively serves as a strategic roadmap for your innovative game idea. It inherently helps you thoughtfully consider how you'll generate revenue, clearly identify your target players, and methodically outline the specific steps you'll need to take to successfully finish and launch your game. Therefore, it's absolutely crucial to have a robust business plan in place before you even begin the development process.

What is a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) and why should I make one?

A Minimum Viable Product (MVP) is essentially a basic version of your game that includes just enough core features to be effectively usable by early adopters and potential customers. Creating an MVP is a genuinely smart way to thoroughly test your core game idea without investing an excessive amount of valuable time or precious financial resources. You can then proactively gather valuable feedback from these early users and strategically make improvements to your game based on their input.

How can I get feedback on my game idea?

Effectively gathering feedback entails proactively asking individuals who might be genuinely interested in playing your game what they honestly think of it. This might involve soliciting feedback from friends, family members, or even actively engaging with relevant online communities. Their unfiltered opinions can provide invaluable insights, helping you identify potential problems and ultimately make your game significantly better before its official release.

What are different ways my game can make money?

You need to thoughtfully consider precisely how your game will effectively generate revenue. This could involve directly selling the game, offering enticing extra items for purchase within the game itself, or strategically displaying advertisements to players. Having multiple, diverse revenue streams can significantly increase your game's overall chances of achieving sustainable success.

Why is it important to look at other games that are already made?

It's exceptionally important to thoroughly understand what other games are currently available in the market and actively competing for your target audience's attention. Take a close look at what specifically makes those games popular and identify areas where they could potentially be improved. This level of strategic analysis will greatly assist you in understanding the dynamics of the market and proactively finding innovative ways to make your game truly stand out from the competition.