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Subtitle:

The destructive pattern of adding excessive features in pursuit of market success

Core Idea:

Developers often fall into the trap of continually adding features to chase market trends, resulting in confused, incoherent games that lack the focused vision needed for genuine player connection.

Key Principles:

1. Trend Accumulation:
   • Features are added to match multiple popular games without cohesive integration
2. Focus Dilution:
   • Each additional feature diminishes the clarity of the core gameplay experience
3. Development Sprawl:
   • Resource allocation across too many features results in inadequate polish for all

Why It Matters:

• Development Efficiency:
  • Understanding feature bloat helps teams focus resources on core experiences
• Player Connection:
  • Streamlined experiences create stronger emotional engagement than feature lists
• Market Positioning:
  • Clear, focused games are easier to market and explain to potential players

How to Implement:

1. Core Experience Definition:
   • Clearly articulate the essential experience and emotional response your game aims to deliver
2. Feature Filtering:
   • Evaluate each potential feature against its contribution to the core experience
3. Deliberate Omission:
   • Actively decide what your game will NOT do to maintain focus and identity

Example:

• Scenario:
  • The hypothetical developer adding racing, stealth, horror, and battle royale elements to chase trends
• Application:
  • Each feature receives inadequate development resources and lacks coherent integration
• Result:
  • Players experience a confused product without clear identity or polished execution

Connections:

• Related Concepts:
  • Trend Chasing Pitfalls: How following market trends leads to poor decisions
  • Manufactured Success Fallacy: The mistaken belief that success can be engineered
  • Scope Creep
• Broader Concepts:
  • Focused Value Proposition: The importance of clear product identity
  • Paradox of Choice: How excessive options diminish user satisfaction

References:

1. Primary Source:
   • Failed games that attempted to incorporate multiple popular features without cohesion
2. Additional Resources:
   • Game design literature on elegance and simplicity in systems

Tags:

#gamedesign #productdevelopment #featurecreep #designfocus #developmentpitfalls

Connections:

Sources:

• From: Game Wisdom - The Get Rich Guide to Game Development gamewisdom Critical Thought gamedesign