Why you should make a short game
Summary
TLDRThe speaker shares their renewed passion for game development, inspired by 'A Short Hike,' a game that respects player time with its concise, enjoyable gameplay. They critique the trend of prioritizing game length over quality, arguing for the value of shorter, focused experiences. The speaker announces their own project, a cozy adventure game aiming for a 2-4 hour playtime, emphasizing the importance of creating varied experiences that respect both developer and player time.
Takeaways
- ๐ฎ The speaker's favorite game is 'A Short Hike', released in 2019.
- ๐ Initially heard about the game at a GDC talk but didn't play it until the Christmas break of the previous year.
- ๐ ๏ธ The speaker has a habit of starting and abandoning game projects due to their large scope.
- ๐ก The solution the speaker found is to make short games, inspired by 'A Short Hike'.
- ๐ The games industry often values games by their length, which can lead to padding and unfocused gameplay.
- ๐ Longer games can be problematic due to slow starts, complex tutorials, and overstaying their welcome.
- ๐๏ธ 'A Short Hike' respects the player's time with a concise and enjoyable experience.
- ๐๏ธ The game's goal is straightforward: for the character Claire to reach the mountain top by collecting feathers.
- ๐๏ธ The game includes mini-games, quests, and exploration without taking too much time.
- ๐ฐ 'A Short Hike' has been financially successful, earning $2.2 million in net revenue since its launch.
- ๐ค The game was developed almost entirely by one person in just 6 months, showcasing the viability of smaller games.
- ๐ The speaker is inspired to create a cozy adventure game with a play length of 2 to 4 hours, aiming for completion within a year.
- ๐ง The speaker is using the GDAU engine for development and plans to share progress in the next video.
Q & A
What is the name of the game the speaker discusses in the video?
-The game discussed is 'A Short Hike'.
When was 'A Short Hike' released?
-'A Short Hike' was released in 2019.
What inspired the speaker to try 'A Short Hike'?
-The speaker was inspired to try 'A Short Hike' after hearing about it from a talk by the game's developer at GDC a couple of years back.
Why did the speaker find 'A Short Hike' so appealing?
-The speaker found 'A Short Hike' appealing because it respects the player's time, is not overly complex, and provides a relaxing and enjoyable experience.
What is the main goal of 'A Short Hike'?
-The main goal of 'A Short Hike' is for the character Claire, an anthropomorphic bird, to reach the top of a mountain by collecting feathers.
How long did it take the speaker to complete 'A Short Hike'?
-It took the speaker less than two hours to complete 'A Short Hike'.
What is the speaker's opinion on the trend of long games in the industry?
-The speaker believes that the trend of long games often leads to padding and unfocused gameplay, and that shorter games can be more enjoyable and respectful of the player's time.
What is the speaker's plan for their own game development?
-The speaker plans to create a cozy adventure game with an intended play length of around 2 to 4 hours, aiming to finish it within a year and have a demo ready for Steam NextFest.
What engine is the speaker using for their game development?
-The speaker is using the GDAU engine for their game development.
What is the estimated net revenue of 'A Short Hike' since its launch?
-According to Steam's marketing tool, 'A Short Hike' has made $2.2 million in net revenue since its launch in 2019.
What is the speaker's view on the importance of game length?
-The speaker believes that game length should not be the primary focus; instead, the quality and respect for the player's time are more important.
Outlines
๐๏ธ Rediscovering Passion with 'A Short Hike'
The speaker expresses their renewed enthusiasm for game development after playing 'A Short Hike', a game that respects the player's time. They discuss the industry's trend of valuing games by their length and the issues it brings, such as unfocused gameplay and long, tedious tutorials. The speaker found 'A Short Hike' refreshing due to its concise gameplay, which took only two hours to complete but was packed with enjoyable moments. The game's design, including its gliding mechanism and the collection of feathers to progress, is highlighted as a model for respecting the player's time without sacrificing quality or depth of experience.
๐ Embracing the Short Game Development Philosophy
The speaker announces their intention to develop a cozy adventure game with an intended play length of 2 to 4 hours, aiming to finish it within a year and have a demo ready for Steam Next Fest. They discuss their choice of the GDAU engine and their approach to game development, which is influenced by the success and quality of 'A Short Hike'. The speaker emphasizes the importance of creating diverse experiences while respecting both their own time and the player's, and they invite the audience to follow their development journey through future updates.
Mindmap
Keywords
๐กShort Hike
๐กGame Development
๐กScope Creep
๐กReplayability
๐กOpen World
๐กTutorials
๐กGliding Mechanism
๐กCozy Adventure Game
๐กSteam Next Fest
๐กGDAU Engine
๐กNet Revenue
Highlights
Introduction to the game 'A Short Hike' released in 2019.
The speaker's initial encounter with 'A Short Hike' through a GDC talk and subsequent interest.
Personal struggle with starting and abandoning game development projects due to scope realization.
The realization that making short games could be a solution to the problem of project abandonment.
Critique of the gaming industry's trend to value games by their length and the issues it creates.
The challenge of making long games interesting without padding or unfocused content.
The limitations of creating replayable games and the genres that benefit from this approach.
The problem with large open-world games and their tendency to include uninteresting side quests.
Concerns about the time investment required by lengthy games and the impact on starting new games.
The appeal of 'A Short Hike' due to its short playtime and the enjoyment derived from it.
The game's design philosophy of respecting the player's time through its mechanics and objectives.
Description of the game's core gameplay mechanics, including collecting feathers and gliding.
The presence of quirky characters, mini-games, and hidden coins that enhance the game's appeal.
The game's ability to provide a sense of freedom without overwhelming the player.
The business success of 'A Short Hike' and its revenue since launch, highlighting the market for smaller games.
The speaker's personal desire to create games that respect both the developer's and player's time.
Announcement of the speaker's new project: a cozy adventure game with a short intended playtime.
The speaker's goal to complete the new game within a year and have a demo ready for Steam Next Fest.
Details about the development engine being used and the speaker's plans to share progress in future videos.
Transcripts
hello everyone today I'd like to take a
bit of your time to talk about one of my
most favorite games in recent times the
game is a short hike released in 2019 I
first heard about this charming little
game a couple of years back I think it
was from a talk by the games developer
at GDC I like the look of the game but I
didn't end up trying it out back then
fast forward to the Christmas break of
last year I finally decided to give it a
go and since then I can't stop thinking
about it it is the game that has
rekindled my enthusiasm for game
development for a couple of years now I
have picked up this bad habit of
starting new projects and eventually
abandoning them usually this happens
when I start to realize how large the
scope of the game I have in mind really
is that then makes me wonder if the idea
is really so good that I should pour so
much of my time into it but recently I
feel like I have found a solution to the
problem I think the solution is to make
short gains there's this longstanding
Trend in the games industry of valuing a
game by its length the idea is that
customers want longer games because
longer games provide a better bank for
the buck and so developers try to make
their games long as those are the games
that the customers buy but as with
anything in life there has to be some
trade-offs and so sparing some
exceptions longer games often mean the
game is padded and unfocused one way to
get around the issue is by making a game
nearly infinitely replayable but that
only works for certain genres like
sports games procedurally generated
games and well Tetris with action
adventure games this is much harder to
do so more often than not a large open
world is introduced to counter that the
world is often filled with pointless
uninteresting side quests with little
variety additionally many of the open
World Games take ages to get started
waste a lot of time making you run from
point A to B and more often than not
overstay their welcome maybe it's my
diminishing attention span or just the
nature of the attention economy itself
but I just have too many other things I
could be doing in The Limited number of
hours I get every day instead of going
through another 5 minute long opening
cut scene it's gotten to a point where
often find myself discouraged from
starting new games what if I've played
for an hour and I'm still in the
tutorial and what if the game playay
systems are so complex that the next
time I open the game I'd have forgotten
what I've learned in the tutorials in
fact the reason I finally tried a short
hike was well it is short unsurprisingly
it took me less than two hours to get to
the end of the game and I was taking it
pretty slow but most importantly I
thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the 2
hours there's one overing theme that I
think encapsulates the design vision of
this game a short hike respects your
time the goal of the game is for Claire
an anthropomorphic bird to reach this
one mountain top the whole game revolves
around you collecting enough feathers to
attain this goal each collected feather
gives you additional Climb Time and Wing
flaps so with every new feather you gain
the ability to climb just a bit higher
this not only makes previously
undiscovered locations accessible but
also gives you entry to locations you
could previously see but were not able
to get to because maybe they were just
too high to reach on top of everything
is my favorite bit of gameplay the
gliding mechanism it's just
relaxing the game never gets too hard it
doesn't try to create a deep storyline
there are quirky and funny characters to
chat with all around the island some of
whom will give you quest to complete you
can play mini games as a fun
distractions there are coins hidden
around every corner making it rewarding
just to explore and due to the small
island environment it takes place in
none of it takes too much of your time
you always have something you to do
without a lot of downtime yes the game
play is not super deep but that's not
the goal of the game it gives you the
same sense of Freedom large open World
Games try to provide without
overwhelming you and even before you
start to grow tired of the somewhat
simple gameplay it ends leaving a sweet
taste in the mouth in other words the
game being short is not its shortcoming
is the defining feature of the game from
the business perspective a short hike
definitely proves that yes there is a
market for smaller games if they made a
high bar quality according to the steam
marketing tool at games.com the game has
made $2.2 million in net revenue since
its launch in 2019 these are great
numbers for a game made in just 6 months
and developed almost entirely by one
person the reason I feel so strongly
about this game is because I have
realized that this is just the type of
game I want to play and make I don't
want to just copy it of course but I
want my game to have a similar feel in
one way or another being a solo
developer I don't want to spend 5 years
of my life working on a single game
hoping it comes out great when I reach
the other side time is short and I want
to create as many different types of
experien as I can while respecting both
my and the player
time and that brings me to the
announcement I am making a cozy
Adventure game with an intended play
length of around 2 to 4 hours my goal is
to get it finished within a year and
have a demo ready for steam nextfest
early next year not everything about the
game is finalized these are still early
days
I'm using the gdau engine as I've
mentioned in my last video though I'm
new to the engine I am beginning to get
a hang of it in the next video I'll go
over some of the systems that I have
worked on and where I see the game going
from there so like And subscribe until
next time bye-bye
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