Game Devs, Let's Players, and the Future of Gaming

I have a theory: big game companies are a little scared to experiment with new ideas because they don’t know if they are guaranteed to work. It’s becoming more and more expensive to make games every day, so understandably, taking a gamble on an idea that sounds good and might work is frightening. What if the idea fails? Then the game won’t make any money and the company might just go bankrupt. This mostly applies to mainstream titles, but can apply to indie games as well.

However, I have noticed something. These unusual games that I have never heard of that are experimental, very short, and free to play. Most of these games come from GameJolt and I see several lets players such as Markiplier play them. They either enjoy the game or they hate it. But they all have one thing in common: they have one main mechanic and they focus the game all around that. These games can be seen as little experiments and tests being freely given by game developers who may or may not be affiliated with a studio or company. The great thing about these kinds of games is that they are not too difficult to make provided one has basic knowledge of utilizing an engine, coding, planning out an idea, and creating simple art assets.

Now picture this: a lead game designer working for a company that is struggling with ideas and they see one of these games being played by a lets player. The game displays a strange and new mechanic they have never seen before. Now they get the idea in their head to pitch this to their company, but to make it bigger and more fleshed out. They also come into contact with the creators of the game and ask for their assistance. Next thing you know the creators have a contract with the company, the lead designer has an idea that they have seen work, the company works hard to make it bigger and better, and the game is released to the public. The gaming community reacts positively to the game and it becomes critically acclaimed as one of the most entertaining games of recent years.

This is not a guaranteed scenario, but it is ideal. You have this idea you want to try, but you don’t have the skill level or co-workers or even time to make it the perfect game you want. All you have is enough to make one level that displays one mechanic and the players absolutely love it. Then a lets player picks it up and gives their feedback which gives it free publicity and gets even more players interested. That then draws the attention of someone with the power and resources to make that original idea a reality.

What I’m saying is if you have an idea you want to try, don’t fret if you can’t make it the great masterpiece you want it to be. Just make it big enough to draw attention. As for the developers of larger companies, look at these games and what they do. They might just give you an excellent idea that is practically guaranteed to work.