Game developers struggle to define game genre
10 posts across 5 communities in the last 30 days; 40% from r/IndieDev.
“I have an idea for a game, but for the life of me, I can't decide between genres. It's inspired by LitRPG and time loop stories, with skill levels, stats, crafting, etc. Now, I'm thinking about these genres: Browser-based incremental. This fits the grind mindset of LitRPGs and…”
“Original post: The Top Comment Under My Post Said They Don't Understand What Genre Is My Game. How Do I Fix This? Steam page: The Milgram Experiment If you read the comments and feedback I did get a lot of constructive criticism. So I did a full make over of my Steam page. I…”
“These genres feel inherently contradictory. I'm back into 3D modeling and cracking open my Unity guide book, and as I do so, I find myself kind of stumped with this idea. Not with the premise or story. That's actually kind of fleshed out. My issue with conceptualization is the…”
Developers find it challenging to clearly communicate the genre of their games, leading to confusion among potential players. This often stems from unclear descriptions and screenshots on platforms like Steam.
SOURCES (26)
“Hey everyone, I'd like to ask for advice and opinion: In overall, from such a game would you expect it to be more complex and challenging or easy and relaxing? I'm struggling for a few weeks already to decide how should it be. I'm quite…”
“The prompt is much longer than this. Create the following game DEAD HOST: THE INFECTION Genre: Open-World Zombie Survival Simulator / Action Horror / Infection Strategy Perspective: Third-person and first-person gameplay Core Concept: Eat. Infect. Possess. Survive. Evolve. MASTER GAME GENERATION PROMPT Create a fully playable, immersive, realistic 3D zombie apocalypse simulation game called DEAD HOST: THE INFECTION. Unlike traditional zombie survival games where players fight the undead, the pla”
“I never released a game, but I am a dev. So I was looking around for beginner stuff. The obvious genres are incrementals and survivors like. I looked around for way too long, to just throw all this away, so im just posting it. What I did was pull all the posts with steam links from r/incremental_games and r/survivorslikes and just check the review count and added a revenue estimate via reviewCount * 30 * price. This was somewhat close to what the steam revenue calculator gives me for some sample”
“I have an idea for a game, but for the life of me, I can't decide between genres. It's inspired by LitRPG and time loop stories, with skill levels, stats, crafting, etc. Now, I'm thinking about these genres: Browser-based incremental. This fits the grind mindset of LitRPGs and will probably be the easiest to develop, and the playerbase for the genre is quite large. Turn-based roguelikes (think Tales of Maj'Eyal, Elona,Tangledeep). This will be harder to implement and will require”
“What exactly classifies something as a cozy game? Is it the aesthetic? The game that doesn't really have stress? Or combination of those? Reason I'm saying that is I'm trying to figure out if my game would qualify as a cozy game. I have customization I have a clean aesthetic reminiscent of stardew valley the gameplay is a loop with no timers and no real consequence for dying in fact it's expected and simply part of the upgrade loop.To me at least it's kind of therapeutic and”
“Hi, so I am getting closer to finishing my first game on steam and i have been thinking about what is my next game’s genre, ofc i will not work until i finish the current game but I would like to start planning it to be more “marketable” than my current game. submitted by /u/AimedX30 [link] [comments]”
“We made a cartoon styled city builder but with Insects instead. I always thought there should be a game with insects colonies as factions so over the course of 4 or more years I finally created one! Im planning to launch next month and would love for you guys to try it out!! You can play as Ants, Termites, Bees, Wasp! Consider Wishlisting! https://store.steampowered.com/app/3231600/Insect_Empires/ submitted by /u/Dr-Chem-Cocktail [link] [comments]”
“As the title says. For example, you publish a platform game and people follow you for that, and then you do something like a shooting game. Do you think we should be concerned that fans who came for one genre will leave, or is that overthinking? Thanks for all answers. submitted by /u/Calm_Ad6730 [link] [comments]”
“A few days ago I was casually thinking about game genres when an interesting thought came across my mind. We all mostly consider Horror to be a genre right? There are cozy games, horror games, simulation games, rogue-likes, metroidvanias, deck builders, etc. But here's the thing. Suppose you combine deck-building with simulator. Say it's a magician simulator where you have to build your spell deck to amaze the audience. I would argue this game has equal proportions deck building and simu”
“How do you decide how much economic depth is 'too much' for a crafting sim? submitted by /u/Efficient-Gap8497 [link] [comments]”
“Hi everyone, I'm running an open beta playtest for Agromatic. It's the full version of current build, not have a demo restriction. Looking for any feedback: balance, progression, QOL, bugs, how you feel, and anything. Agromatic is kind of colony sim and factory automation with no belt, focus on economic growth by producing valuable goods, you place building, hire workers, decide what to produce. The main puzzle is layout efficiency and supply chains. Steam page: https://store.steampowere”
“Firstly, I am not scope creeping. I want to make a simple GTA like game. You are in a city, you do missions, can drive around, can fight / shoot etc. Nothing crazy A few indie devs have done games like that. The game loop would be simple. Each feature will be pretty simple. For example, a car just drives you around, but it's not like you can modify it, use the radio etc That is my idea anyways. To make a mini GTA like game. Something a solo indie dev can do So now my 3 questions to you all w”
“Hey guys! What RTS games out there have really good cover mechanics? I build my initial game up from the foundation of good cover mechanics in mind and I've personally not seen any other RTS game pulling it off successfully. I'm not trying to show off but genuinely asking so that I can learn from them. I've played Men of war, and Company of heroes a lot but it feels very outdated now. submitted by /u/RBGames777 [link] [comments]”
“Developing a tiny colony game https://reddit.com/link/1w4r16k/video/dzwfcvtoczmh1/player submitted by /u/Ill_Eye_1499 [link] [comments]”
“I'd like to create a simple JRPG. The plot is very important in this genre, but until now I haven't really tried to sit down and think about the plot. submitted by /u/timp1k [link] [comments]”
“Original post: The Top Comment Under My Post Said They Don't Understand What Genre Is My Game. How Do I Fix This? Steam page: The Milgram Experiment If you read the comments and feedback I did get a lot of constructive criticism. So I did a full make over of my Steam page. I changed the long and short description, the screenshots and the gifs. What do you think about it now, did I managed to address all the comments? Are my gameplay and idea clear? submitted by /u/Captain0010 [li”
“In my humble opinion whenever I post my game, people make comparisons with other pixel-art games with farming in them or themed around farming. I don't want to make a little chore simulator where you run around watering, planting, harvesting each tile by hand. I want you to analyze soil compositions and pick appropriate plants for PH & nitrogen levels . I want you look at market rates and make financial commitments your farm needs to deliver on. I want you to do selective breeding to gro”
“These genres feel inherently contradictory. I'm back into 3D modeling and cracking open my Unity guide book, and as I do so, I find myself kind of stumped with this idea. Not with the premise or story. That's actually kind of fleshed out. My issue with conceptualization is the game mechanics. I had a rough basis when I've been drafting out a few concepts over the last week. A few ideas for how it works; You begin with a modular airship/factory that can be upgraded as the game goes on”
“Guys we need to prepare for our next release! What game genre do you think will be king next year? Should we stick to what we love or follow the trends? Or will it be yet another horror game? submitted by /u/Exact-Pop-3459 [link] [comments]”
“What the title says. I am pretty new to game development, I've made 5 games in unity, and I always face the same struggle: I normally think first of a mechanic or gameplay aspect, and then I can't or take too long to find a way to represent it outside of the "colored boxes" state. I can do some basic pixel art, and I don't have problems with things like, let's say, power up icons like a lightning bolt or a portal. But in every other aspect my games tend to be very bland”
“I am creating a shooter RPG with a sci fi theme based in realism. Learn to manage different weapons with realistic bullet drop and recoil Interact and work with NPCs who have interesting stories and teach you about the deep lore of the universe Build your character and collect items to adjust your playstyle Currently the core features of the game are ready, and a good lore base has been established. I am looking for level designers, sound artists, 3d modelers, and writers to help bring this proj”
“I've been solo developing a colony sim for a few months now and have the absolute basics done. What are some things you look for in a good colony sim game? What are some things you hate? I cannot figure out where to go from here, so I'm looking for some inspiration. submitted by /u/The14thDimension [link] [comments]”
“The comment in question: "checked out the steam page. looked mostly like a showcase of level assets, not sure what genre the game is or how it plays from the screenshots and description. maybe consider making that more clear?" Okay, my Steam page is at the bottom but before you click it, I want to explain my game. So the comment was the most upvoted, which means a lot of people agree with it. I'm making a sci-fi game based on The Milgram Experiment, the real one explores obedience”