Game Design Fundamentals Lesson 4 of 4

Scope and prototyping

Finish small. Prove the fun before you polish.

The most common reason games never ship is scope: the idea is bigger than the time available. A finished small game teaches you more than an unfinished big one. Cut your idea to its core loop plus one interesting twist, and build that.

  1. Prototype the core loop with rough placeholder assets — prove the fun first
  2. Playtest early; watch someone else play without your help
  3. Cut anything that does not make the core loop better
  4. Only invest in custom art and audio once the game is proven fun
Tip Use ready-made assets to prototype so you spend your time on design, not on drawing a character you might cut. Swap in custom or curated art once the fun is proven.
Quick check

The most common reason games never ship is:

▶ Prototype with ready assets Prove the fun with placeholder-quality assets before polishing.
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