Designing a top performing game takes a considerable amount of time and effort. As technology advances Helen Fletcher takes a look at the processes involved in making games that stand out from the crowd and fill the cash box

Whether a game succeeds in a location or not depends on a number of things and a lot of responsibility lies with the operator to site it well.

However, life can be made a lot easier if the game content is first of all appealing and secondly keeps the regular players interested and wanting more - so what is the secret? Why do some games perform well time and time again while others fall flat on their face?

The quality of a game can make or break a machine and new technology continues to lead to new digital gaming design, especially in the coin-op amusement industry, and as Astro Corp’s Simon Herbert explains: "It becomes centred on the interaction of the player and the technology."

"At Astro Corp we will always strive to integrate any new technology which improves interaction," said Herbert. "But games design is not an end in itself and designers must constantly consider the player. At Astro Corp we believe that our ability to target player preferences is one of our greatest strengths.

"Good designers use ingenuity and ideas to engage with the player but the result will be unsuccessful if the ultimate design veers too far from basic player preferences."

Understanding these basic player preferences is essential when launching new games, as there can be significant differences between players around the world. In this industry it is quite common to see a game with good sales in one particular market fail in another," continued Herbert.

"We use market specific teams who become experts in their areas, understanding the players’ preferences and patterns of play which have a direct impact on game development."

So, knowing your players is one of the key elements when designing a successful game… but there has to be more to it. For some game design companies, branding or the use of a licence can provide inspiration for games and also work to draw new players in.

For SWP developer Games Media, based in the UK, using the Hasbro Monopoly brand has proved a great success, with Steve Murray, development director, telling InterGame: "This is a prime example where we have taken the basic board game concept and developed a whole suite of different AWP and SWP titles which incorporate different aspects of the original. The creative skills of the designer are of course essential for making this happen but equally it is something only the digital platform really allows.

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"Licensing certainly has a role to play in attracting new players where familiar brand names often convince them to try the machine in the first place. The brand gives the player a basic understanding of how that game will work and the type of features they can expect to find - perfect for someone not overly familiar with machine gaming."

Inspired Gaming’s software development director Matthew Ingram adds to this, telling InterGame: "Branding can make a massive difference between the popularity of games. This has been well documented and has been proven many times."

According to Murray, in Games Media’s core industry (pub retailing) it is important to have a good range of licensed content available because the machine is one of several parts of the venue’s customer offer competing for attention. "Pubs are not just about gaming - drinks brands, food, music and cue sports are all vying for a share of the consumer spend. Popular and recognisable brand names are therefore essential for cutting through the ‘noise’," he said.

However, both Ingram and Murray agree that there shouldn’t be an overreliance on licensed content as regular players like to experience something different that another machine can’t offer them and will actively seek out new titles to try.

"I do believe that brands can be over-used or more specifically used instead of quality game design," said Ingram. "If a game has a great brand but poor mechanics or stats, ultimately it will fail. The brand will help it in the early stages of its life when the key objective is to get players interested in the game, but if the game does not deliver a great experience to the player it will die.

"Where a brand can really work well is when applied to a great underlying game. In these instances, a brand can turn a great game into a market-defining game."

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Branding then, can have an important role in establishing a game and drawing customers to a machine, however as Murray explained it is also extremely important to have a clear idea about what you want to achieve when designing a game and then stick to it.

"Be creative but always within the capabilities of the hardware you are working with and equally with a close eye on the budget for the project. You also need to be aware of what the competition is doing."

Although branding can be useful, it is not necessary for a successful game and one manufacturer which has proved this time and time again, is Funworld of Austria.

According to Mario Dambauer, divisional director R&D, branding and licensing are not very important to the company. "We have more than 100 games on our terminals and 50 on our online gaming site meaning creating different brandings would cost a lot of money which the players would not like to pay for. Even for operators it is more important that the terminal or platform itself has its own branding and style as within the games themselves."

Funworld has a cross functional team including programmers, product managers, testers and marketing people, which make up its games board. This team searches for new game ideas, reviews already exciting games and analyses current market trends.

"One of the most important things is to keep a game as simple as possible and not complicate it too much," added Dambauer.

Good games then, really do come down to the raw talent of the designers and all you operators out there knowing your customers. Yes, licensed products are a good way to introduce new customers to the experience of gaming, but it is essential that operators choose the right games for their locations - know your audience, their preferences and keep ahead of the game by keeping up-to-date with popular culture and you might just get your hands on a game that is a winner for everyone.

 

First published January 2010