2+ Hours of Game Dev Tycoon

Over 2 Hours with Game Dev Tycoon

Game Dev Tycoon Title Screen, TanGent is my company name.

A Game About Game Development... In a Sense.

 After reading about the interesting situation that Greenheart Games went through when releasing Game Dev Tycoon, I was intrigued. They released the game for sale on their site and on torrent sites around the same time, the torrent version slightly altered so that mid-game the players company would fail due to piracy for some nice irony. (http://www.greenheartgames.com/)

Since I am studying Game Development in school, I decided to buy the game and see what it was like. My hopes were low and my expectations were that it would be depressing. In the beginning of the game, you start out as a game developer in the early game era developing in your garage.

As the game goes on, you move out of your garage and establish a business location in a commercial building. This is done once you successfully create one hit game. While I am sure there is a formula for successful games, I have yet to figure it out with 3 or fewer people. It seems that you have to expand and keep squeaking by until later in order to figure out the hit games formula, perhaps I am mistaken though. There are few hints though. Trends and sequels seem to be the few guiding factors.

I obviously did not do so well with this #

The game lets you create your own games and balance game elements to try and make a great mixture that will sell well. You have to chose the audience, platform, game type, and style. Games are rated as you create them by a Technology score and Design score. Little bubbles/circles rise from above the developers heads and accumulate in a count at the top of the screen, as do bugs in the game and research points.

Each employee can also train to get better at design, technology, research, and speed. This takes some time, I am not sure how early on you are supposed to utilize this training since weeks go by very fase and every month you obviously lose money for operating costs. If you get too far in debt your company can get a loan or declare bankruptcy.

Below the sales on the right is the monthly costs/income

Despite spending so much time playing Game Dev Tycoon, I am not sure what I think of it. It is a little mind numbing. While I do enjoy it, it seems like it would be a better mobile/passive game since it is mostly waiting and making limited choices. The amount of player agency feels limited, there is no where to go and the timeline is very linear since it follows the gaming industry of the past. The control I have over the outcome of how a developed game does when I make it and release it. This may be to simulate the real market but taking control away from players is a risky choice.

I would need to spend more time with the game and play the end game section to know how it plays out, I am curious to see what happens after the current generation systems!