Top 7 Questions About "Failing Loudly" Answered
Top 7 Questions About “Failing Loudly” Answered
Remember "Cosmic Crusaders"? A promising indie RPG with stunning pixel art and a unique turn-based combat system. It hit Kickstarter with a bang, generating initial buzz and excitement. But… it didn’t fund. The campaign sputtered, limping to a close far short of its goal.
That’s the reality of game development. Not every project is a smash hit. Sometimes, despite your best efforts, things just don’t work out as planned.
This is where the concept of “failing loudly” comes in.
Defining “Failing Loudly”
Failing loudly isn’t about broadcasting your every mistake to the world. It’s about embracing transparency and structured self-assessment at all stages of game development.
It’s about identifying setbacks – both public (like a failed Kickstarter) and internal (a scrapped mechanic, a delayed milestone) – and meticulously analyzing them for actionable insights.
Why is Failing Loudly Important in Game Dev?
Think of it as accelerated learning. By openly acknowledging and dissecting failures, you bypass the “stumbling in the dark” phase.
Failing loudly offers faster iteration cycles, improved team communication (if you have a team), and a more objective understanding of your game’s strengths and weaknesses. It transforms setbacks into valuable data points.
The 7 Key Questions to Ask After a Setback
So, your game didn’t launch as well as you hoped? Your Kickstarter flopped? Don’t despair. Ask yourself these seven critical questions:
What were our initial assumptions, and where did they prove incorrect? This applies to market research and your target audience. Did you overestimate demand for your specific genre blend? Did your ideal player persona not resonate with the actual market?
Example: You assumed players wanted a hardcore, punishing experience. Analytics show they quit after the first few difficult encounters.
How did our design choices impact player engagement (or lack thereof)? Examine your gameplay loops and core mechanics. Was the core gameplay loop repetitive? Were the controls unintuitive?
Example: You designed a complex crafting system. Playtesters ignored it, finding it too time-consuming.
What were the biggest bottlenecks in our development pipeline, and how can we address them? Consider your tools and team communication. Were you constantly fighting with your engine? Was communication breaking down between team members?
Example: Level design was significantly slower than anticipated due to inefficient tools and lack of shared assets.
How effective was our marketing and community engagement strategy? Analyze your messaging and platform choice. Did your trailers accurately represent the game? Were you targeting the right audience on social media?
Example: Your marketing focused on hardcore gamers, but the game’s aesthetic appealed more to a casual audience.
What are the core reasons our Kickstarter failed (if applicable)? Evaluate your reward tier design, funding goals, and pitch. Were your reward tiers attractive? Was your funding goal unrealistic? Did your pitch clearly communicate the game’s unique selling points?
Example: Reward tiers were overpriced and didn’t offer compelling incentives. Your pitch was too focused on technical features and not enough on the player experience.
What did players actually do, versus what we thought they’d do? Analyze your analytics and playtesting observations. Did players gravitate towards specific characters or strategies? Did they skip cutscenes?
Example: You expected players to explore every nook and cranny of the map. Analytics showed they beelined for the main objective.
How can we improve our progress tracking and documentation to avoid repeating these mistakes? This is about the importance of detailed notes. Did you keep a record of design decisions and their rationale? Can you easily trace the origins of a bug or design flaw?
Example: Design decisions were made on the fly and not documented, making it difficult to understand the reasoning behind certain choices.
How Journaling Supports Iterative Design
The key to unlocking the value of “failing loudly” lies in consistent journaling. A game dev journal provides a structured way to analyze failures, document hypotheses, and track the impact of design changes over time.
By consistently writing in a game development log, you can revisit past decisions, learn from previous iterations, and avoid repeating costly errors. It forces you to articulate your thought process, making it easier to identify biases and logical fallacies.
Instead of vague recollections, you have a clear record of what you tried, why you tried it, and what the results were.
Actionable Advice and Examples
Let’s say your analytics revealed that players were skipping your tutorial. Your journal might contain entries like:
- “Hypothesis: Tutorial is too long and boring.”
- “Experiment: Condense tutorial by 50%, focus on core mechanics.”
- “Result: Tutorial completion rate increased by 20%.”
This documented chain of thought allows you to not only improve the tutorial but also to identify potential problems with your design process (e.g., overestimating player patience).
Another example: If your Kickstarter failed due to poor reward tier design, your journal might include:
- “Analysis: Reward tiers are too expensive and offer little value.”
- “Experiment: Revise reward tiers to offer more tangible items at lower price points.”
- “Result: After relaunching with revised tiers, pledge rate increased by 30%.”
Without a journal, these insights are easily lost. With a journal, you’re building a valuable database of knowledge that can be applied to future projects.
Game development is a journey of continuous learning. Track your journey, embrace the stumbles, and use them as fuel for improvement. By “failing loudly” and diligently documenting your experiences, you can transform setbacks into stepping stones to success.
Ready to start turning your game development failures into fuel for future success? Check out our game development journal tool and start documenting your journey today! Start your game dev journal here