Games outpace every other type of app on the Apple App Store, constituting more than 20% of the nearly 2 million apps available. Beyond this, they are a key contributor to the global economy, they further innovation, and they are used as educational tools. In other words, they’re more than just entertainment.
Today, even businesses that have had little to do with the gaming market in the past are looking to break into the niche. It’s not just about producing fun games — it’s also about engaging users, attracting new consumers, and driving them to other products.
Yet, standing out in a sea of competitors is enormously difficult. How can you set your game apart? Start with these tips.
1. Be User-Focused
This is the #1 thing to keep in mind when developing any product. But when the app is strictly about maximizing engagement — as games are — it’s absolutely critical.
Before you set about building your app, develop a clear idea of who your target user is. It can be helpful to create personas about the types of people who will gravitate to your game. Additionally, you should perform market research into the wants, likes, and needs of your target audience, so you can build a product that responds to these interests and improve the user experience (UX).
In 2022, more than half of the US population were digital gamers, with the majority of video game players skewing younger in the 18-24 age group. That doesn’t mean your game has to appeal to Gen Z or Gen Z exclusively, but it’s an important statistic to keep in mind. Either way, make sure you know your user well.
2. Research Trends and Competition
In addition to pinpointing the interests and wants of your target users — that is, the would-be gamers — you’ll need to consider the conditions of the market itself. What ideas are in vogue at the moment? Which types of games have stood the test of time? What are your competitors up to?
You’ll want to research the ins and outs of the gaming industry to better understand the climate and the types of products that tend to succeed, as well as those that were doomed to failure to ensure yours won’t be one of them.
Some ways of performing market research are:
- Putting together a focus group to test out early versions or MVPs of your game
- Conduct surveys on what prospective users are looking for
- Attend gaming events to see what else is out there and network with other game developers
3. Differentiate Your Game
Now that you understand your competitors and your own audience, you’ll also have to identify ways to set your game apart from well-established products and newcomers alike. Even Sony continues to release new versions of its ever-popular PlayStation to stay relevant and timely.
As you probably know, the gaming market is very large and very crowded, so your vision for your app must offer something your competitors don’t — elements that gamers can’t find anywhere else or a familiar formula with a good twist.
Your game should do something better than your competitors, elevating the user experience or addressing pain points that exist in their products.
4. Have a Hook
Dynamic characters, a special sound, an appealing storyline, a piece of animation — these are all examples of hooks. A hook grabs the audience’s attention from the get-go, bringing them into the fold of your game, drawing them to it, and making them want to stay.
What’s your hook? Every game development team must devise or discover what their specific hook is, the thing that will attract players to the game. It could be a storyline involving a mystery the user must solve to win. Or perhaps the character has a hilarious personality that makes the gamer laugh out loud.
Once you’ve identified it, you must capitalize on it, using it to bring newcomers to the app and keep long-standing consumers engaged.
5. Keep It Simple — at First
When you’re just diving into game development for the first time, make your game straightforward, steering clear of elements that are too intricate. Otherwise, you risk deterring gamers with a confusing product. Remember that the point is to attract users and keep them there. Once you’ve been at it for a while and have established yourself as the producer of a great product, you can experiment with more intricate concepts.
This extends to UX design, too. Menus should be easily navigable, the interface should be intuitive, and the overall look and feel of your app should be simple and smooth. Adding too much clutter or complex elements will confuse and potentially overwhelm your users.
6. Have Different Elements of the Experience in Mind
Games are involved, perhaps more involved than most other types of apps. The experience isn’t static — it’s highly interactive. You must keep all the different elements of the experience in mind, being cognizant of, for example:
- Story
- Color scheme
- Sounds
- Your hook
- Characters
- Themes
- Animation
Each component contributes to your overall game. For example, the color scheme can set the tone and communicate the mood of your product, while the story hooks and engages your user.
These are just some of the many moving pieces for which you’ll need to account.
7. Assemble a Stellar Team
The backbone of any dynamic, engaging product is the team behind it. Gaming development requires skills beyond those of a standard software developer, although they will play a role in building the app. It also demands the talents of a product manager who will research trends and develop a roadmap for the product, a project manager to coordinate the workflow and keep everyone on track, and a marketing manager to promote the product.
The user experience (UX) designer plays a fundamental role in game development, too. While this professional is important for the success of many projects, games, in particular, require the expertise of someone who understands players and can optimize the appeal of the product. The UX designer adds engaging elements to bring your game to life, playing a pivotal role in the process.
8. Create a Plan
Plans are, of course, critical for successful product development. Gaming is an especially complex process, and it demands carefully thought-out procedures. To manage your plans, you can use a generic project management platform, or you can use one specifically designed for game development oversight.
One example of a game-specific project management tool is Codecks. Designed with game developers in mind, the platform has a trading card layout that essentially gamifies the development project and allows you to see the progress and status of the process at one glance.
9. Test It
Even the smallest, seemingly insignificant bug could derail your entire game. In order to minimize the prevalence of defects, you should thoroughly and rigorously test the game throughout the development cycle and prior to deployment. This is absolutely critical because games are interactive, dynamic products that require attention to detail.
Not only will quality assurance (QA) testers with a high level of expertise be able to identify bugs in your game, but they’ll also find ways to improve other aspects of the product, including usability, performance, functionality, user load accommodation, and many others.
Promoting Your Game
Your promotional strategy will vary depending on the product, your audience, and the nature of the company. However, these general tips can help get you started:
- Use a combination of word-of-mouth advertising and paid advertising through methods like Google Ads.
- Offer game demos for free to build a user base, create a community, and solidify your brand.
- Promote your game on social media, particularly platforms like TikTok and Instagram.
- Work with your marketing team or freelancers, as well as influencers, to create strategies for reaching more gamers.
Final Thoughts
From defining your target audience to testing your game thoroughly, there’s a lot that goes into creating a great game. And with so much competition in the gaming space, you must create a unique, engaging product to set your business apart. These tips will help you build a solid foundation for your game’s success.
