![]() ![]() ![]() When I ask these indie devs what they think about a hardcore gamer, their composite description is something like this: (by the way what hardcore gamer would want to wear a mask like that because it would probably block their ability to assess whether your game runs at 60FPS)Īnd hardcore gamers wear shirts that go hard like this Good for them! Yes I want these people to love the games I make.īy targeting “casuals,” indie devs think they can broaden their appeal away from the platonic “hardcore” gamer. The people in this picture are “casually” consuming a game. These people seem nice! In fact, I want to hang out with them!Ĭhris Zukowski speaking here… I personally identify as them! I don’t think of myself as a hardcore gamer despite my full-time job is in the game’s industry. They want their games to appeal to a crowd that would probably be more happy spending their Saturday evening at a golden-sun-dappled rooftop party among folks clad in well accessorized outfits holding solo cups (why are there so many in that picture?). Indie Devs who say they make “casual” games do so to appeal to people who aren’t 100% consumed by games and who aren’t self-identified gamers. This picture comes from the Nintendo Switch announcement commercial. In my conversations with Indie devs I always try to suss out who exactly they picture when they say they are trying to appeal to a “casual audience.” The composite of their responses is something like this picture: But first let me define casual vs hardcore ![]() In today’s blog post I want to explain why. I think trying to target a “casual” audience is a mistake for small indie game developers. It turns out my hunch was correct: 42.8% of indie games have the casual tag. I was afraid it was just some weird recency bias infecting my brain so I consulted my oracle: Video Game Insights. “We are making a casual strategy game.” “We are making a souls-like but for a casual audience.” I talk to a lot of indie game developers through my game marketing discord, I consult, I review funding pitch documents, I do lots of Q&As, and one weird thing that I see a lot of indies do is say they are making a “casual” game. ![]()
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