Introduction
The world of gaming is constantly evolving, with new genres emerging every year. As a game developer, it’s important to stay up-to-date on the latest trends and techniques in order to create successful games that resonate with your target audience.
Conducting Market Research
Before you start brainstorming ideas for a new game genre, it’s important to conduct thorough market research to understand your target audience and what they’re looking for in a game. This can involve analyzing the competition, tracking trends in the gaming industry, and gathering feedback from potential players through surveys or focus groups.
One effective way to gather insights about the gaming market is to use tools like Google Trends, which allows you to see how popular certain keywords or phrases are over time. By identifying keywords related to your proposed game genre, you can get a sense of what people are searching for and what types of games are currently popular.
Another useful tool for market research is the Steam Discussions forum, where players often discuss new and upcoming games in great detail. By reading through these discussions, you can gain valuable insights into what features and mechanics players want to see in a game, as well as any pain points or frustrations they’ve had with previous games in the same genre.
Identifying Gaps in the Market
Once you have a good understanding of your target audience and what they’re looking for in a game, it’s time to start thinking about how you can fill gaps in the market. This might involve identifying underserved or niche markets, or finding ways to innovate within an existing genre.
One effective way to identify gaps in the market is to use tools like Google Keyword Planner, which allows you to see how many people are searching for specific keywords and phrases related to your proposed game genre. By focusing on long-tail keywords that have low competition but high search volume, you can create a game that meets a specific need or desire of your target audience.
Another useful tool for identifying gaps in the market is the Steam Workshop, where players often create mods and custom maps for existing games. By analyzing these mods and custom maps, you can get a sense of what features and mechanics players would like to see in a new game, as well as any pain points or frustrations they’ve had with previous games in the same genre.
Using Creativity to Develop Innovative Concepts
With a good understanding of your target audience and an idea of what gaps exist in the market, it’s time to start brainstorming ideas for a new game genre. One of the most important things to keep in mind during this process is to use creativity to develop innovative concepts that stand out from the competition.
One effective way to stimulate your creativity is to take inspiration from other fields or industries. For example, you might draw inspiration from science fiction, fantasy, or literature, or from real-world events and phenomena. By combining elements from different fields or industries, you can create a game that’s unique and compelling.
Another useful tool for developing innovative concepts is to use brainstorming techniques like mind mapping or SCAMPER. These techniques allow you to generate a large number of ideas quickly, which can be helpful when trying to develop a new game genre from scratch.
