MY GAME SUCKS?! WHY?!?

It's the thing we most fear from our playtesters...

The one thing that we don't want people to say and it's the most hurtful statement to your soul.

"I don't like this game, it sucks"

I, like most people on this forum, am creating a game. In my case I'm creating a card game. I've always wanted to create a card game of my own and it's now becoming a reality. It's been tested a TON of times (though I could always use more), I'm trusting the right people, I'm going through a publisher instead of a Kickstarter (see old blog entry on my thoughts on crowd funding), and I'm taking my time to make sure every detail is correct.

It was certainly a lot more than what I thought went into making a card game.

But when people say your game sucks, it's not an attack on you, it's a reality check. Several thoughts come to mind.

1) The game is just not meant for them. Face it, some people like certain games and yours wasn't in their preference. While I believe this to be true, you have to realize that the person that played your game took the time to WANT to learn it. That should be thanks enough. To be fair, if they want to play your game, they already know it's a work-in-progress.

2) The game is not fun. If a game is not fun for someone, it's not a bad thing. Because you're in a position to still change a game, you can make necessary changes before the game goes out into the wild. Once it's out there, it's done. Yes, you can write rules errata or "patch" the game, but in the end, you still have time to change it and first impressions are everything. I had an earlier game design that featured "dueling" magicians (like sleight of hand magicians). When I showed my game designer friend, he played it and simply said, "The mechanics are good, but game is not fun". Ow. But he was right. Without that, I wouldn't have created the game I have today.

3) You are not communicating the rules effectively. I found this out very fast. Games are an act of COMMUNICATION. You may have the best idea, you may have the best execution, but if you can't convey that to the audience, you fall flat. I had a 30+ year game industry veteran tell me how to write rules. I wrote, re-wrote, and re-wrote again. But I found that when I taught the game personally, people got it. When some people read my rules, they didn't get it. It was frustrating. In the end, it was me. I simply got the help I needed to edit my rules so that it better communicated my way of explaining it.

4) The game needs more work. Let's face it, making a game and making a movie are two completely separate things. One is pretty straightforward, the other is a test in trial and error. When a movie is made, it's one story. In a game, even when the story is linear, the path is created by the player and must be trailblazed by YOU. You must set the paths, you must direct the player, but give them a feeling they can move around. Stories are a one way, narrow hallway from point A to point B. Games are a forest that you must plant, grow, cut out, and wall-in knowing that players will often go off the beaten path. The point is that games take work...and games ALWAYS need work.

My game is finally seeing a release date (timetables are solidifying); my "other" job got me way too busy for a bit. However, i'm still excited. I tested the game after some minor changes yesterday and it was still fun (at least for me). Art changes are becoming smaller and smaller. Someone is helping me with the rules. I've got actual demo sessions setup for Gamex (a board game convention) next weekend. It's coming together.

Don't be frustrated when people tell you they don't like your game. Take it as a sign they don't want you to continue to go in the direction you're going and find a new route.

It's far better than falling off the cliff.