The Three Rules

Play your game. Play other games. Watch people play.

That's it. Everything important I've learned has come from doing these three things...and almost every mistake I've made has come from not doing the same.

Play your game - One of the best indicators of game dev on track is a team's playtest cadence. If they can't play the game because it's too early, they should be playing the competition. If they won't play the game because it's broken/the build failed, fixing those issues is more important than making more stuff. If they don't care enough to play it once it's out, then you've made something short-lived, especially in the live game space. Playtesting enforces basic rigor across the team, teaches devs how to solve underlying issues vs. react to feedback, and tests your dedication to the mission.

On The Ville, Zynga's entry into the life sim on Facebook, the team at large didn't play the game. In fact, a good portion of the team weren't gamers but instead came from finance or big tech. This led to many other things being more important than the player experience and turned the team from entertainers into maintainers. The game, as always happens, turned out as a reflection of the team - technically capable, virally systemized, and not a lot of fun.

Play other games - This one seems easy, especially since every dev is a gamer at heart. But, it's interesting how often folks only play their favorites, avoid games they despise, or fail to keep curious (especially with mobile vs. core). On EverQuest II, for example, the company leadership didn't want to play World of Warcraft ahead of the launch of both games, citing Everquest as the king and best example. At the same time, the WoW team was playing in top-end EQ guilds, learning what worked and what didn't, and making connections with the most invested players. As anyone who played the WoW beta can attest, it was clear which devs had played.

Watch People Play - Formal focus testing is a great tool, but there's nothing better for the product than having devs squirm as players struggle to play what everyone internally thoughts was a great experience. Developer denial is real, especially amongst top creatives (as I can attest). To build a vision, you have to believe wholeheartedly in it so you can get others to do the same. But, this can easily turn into blind stubbornness...until you see players failing over and over.

As Scott Hartsman said after EverQuest II's launch, 'EQII fixed the issues the devs had with Everquest. WoW fixed the players' problems instead.'

These three rules are really just signs of a culture of play. All of the processes, design docs, speeches, and legacy won't result in a fun game without it. You'll just be making software.

Play.