In order to create a successful game, you must design for your audience! Designing for your audience is an important part of the Play-Centric approach because it ensures your audience’s interests and needs are met. This will reduce the amount of feedback and revision loops you will have to go through.

Understanding Your Audience

The first step to designing for your audience is understanding who they are and what their interests are. Before you even begin creating your game, ask yourself the following questions about your audience:

• How old are they?
• Are they experienced or novice gamers?
• What motivates them to play games?

Describe Your Audience!

First, determine who will be the audience for your game.

Then, in your Game Development Journal write out a detailed description that includes age, skill level, and what types of video games they play (or what types of video games you think they play or would play based on their age and skill level). Remember to refer to this description often throughout the game development process so that your game is both engaging and appropriate for your audience.

Creating User Friendly Design

Once you actually begin developing your game, make sure you keep user friendliness at the forefront of your design. The instructions and goals of your game should be clear so that players understand exactly how to play the game. This will give them a sense of purpose and motivation to complete it.

The actual game play and layout of the game should be fairly straightforward and intuitive to prevent any confusion on the part of players. This will be especially helpful for players who are not experienced gamers. Make sure to check out the audio and visual considerations pages to learn more about how you can make your game more user friendly.

Testing Your Game

Another way to keep your audience in mind as you’re developing your game is by including them in the game development process. This can be done by playtesting the game with actual players and gathering their feedback. Make sure to do this throughout the game development process so that you can address player concerns and take their suggestions into consideration.