Why Your Game Isn't "For Everyone": The Power of Targeted Game Design

Creating a game that appeals to everyone sounds like the perfect strategy. After all, more potential players should mean more success, right? Unfortunately, this approach often leads to unfocused design, confused marketing, and ultimately, games that don't fully satisfy anyone.
Let's explore why narrowing your focus to a specific player type can actually increase your chances of success, and how to identify your ideal player persona to guide your game development journey.

The myth of "games for everyone"

When you're passionate about your game idea, it's tempting to believe that your game has something for everyone. At the end, isn't it what an accessible and inclusive game should do? Well yes... but not literally.
While having an "anyone can pick up and enjoy this" promise might seem like a good market fit choice, the reality is that this mindset (while optimistic) can create significant problems.

When trying to please everyone you could end up with mechanics that don't fully satisfy all the players. The main risk with this approach is implementing everything and finding yourself with a Frankenstein of gameplay. Good interactive products prioritize features because they cannot just serve everyone.

If you are a solo developer or a small team, there is also a risk of limited development resources get spread too thin across too many features rather than polishing core experiences. . This error will cannibalise your project's development budget leaving nothing for marketing and promotion.

And even if you maintained your development budget, without a specific audience in mind, it becomes nearly impossible to craft effective marketing messages. If you don't know who your players are, what are they looking for and where do they hang out, you risk wasting precious promotional budget.

Consider successful games like "Stardew Valley" (focused on relaxed farming and relationship building) or "Celeste" (challenging platforming with a meaningful story). These games didn't try to appeal to everyone. They deeply understood their target players and served them exceptionally well.

In this article we'll give you the first guiding principle on working smarter, not harder.

Finding your ideal player: key parameters to define

If you read reliable sources on business and product strategy, you're probably familiar with common advice from modern entrepreneurs: target a niche -underserved- market for higher chances of success.
This means that instead of aiming for universal appeal; it is more efficient to define your ideal player and hyper-focus on serving them to the best of your ability. Later as your team and resources increase, you'll be able to expand your features as your development capacities increase.

Start identifying your ideal target by identifying 4 topics:

1. Gaming style preference

Every player has preferred gameplay experiences. If you create a wholesome-styled game, you will not be able to satisfy a player that is looking for games with intense competitive rhythm.

Start by identifying which style in the following list your game is serving:

• Fast-paced and intense: For players who enjoy quick reflexes and high stakes.
• Strategic and thoughtful: For those who prefer planning and careful decision-making.
• Chaotic and silly: For players seeking laughs and unpredictable moments.
• Relaxed and wholesome: For those wanting low-stress, positive experiences.
• Narrative and immersive: For players who prioritize story and world-building.

For example, "Among Us" focuses on social deduction with a dash of chaotic fun. It doesn't try to also be a deep narrative experience or a skill-based action game.

2. Session length and context

Different players have different amounts of time available. Some months ago, we talked to players in the GDevelop community and we found that 2 styles of play can co-exist in the same person: a high-stakes gamer by night can also play relaxing casual games during the day while commuting or pausing between tasks.
This doesn't mean that you have to serve both styles of play, but that you have to understand their goals individually in order to serve them in those specific contexts:

• 5-minute sessions: Perfect for quick breaks, waiting in line, or task-switching.
• 10-15 minute sessions: Ideal for short breaks or bedtime wind-down.
• 20-30 minute sessions: Great for commuting or lunch breaks.
• 1-hour sessions: Suited for dedicated evening gameplay.
• Multiple-hour sessions: For weekend deep dives or special occasions.

This decision affects everything from save systems to level design. A game designed for 5-minute sessions needs different pacing than one meant for hour-long play.
A couple of years ago "Wordle" made a huge buzz because it perfectly targeted the 5-minute session player. With a single daily quick puzzle, players would end their session with a sense of accomplishment which motivates players to come back.

3. Player skill level

This one is tricky because we tend to model our interactive products based on our understanding of technology and levels of dexterity. To design for other people, you need to observe certain things depending on their interactive support maturity: if you're making a game to help seniors work on their memory, you might want to add labels to your buttons to help them understand your UI.
In contrast, if you're designing for kids you might want to pay special attention on were the buttons will take the young players. Internet safety and privacy is crucial when you're dealing with young audiences.

Be honest about the skill level your game is designed for, and keep that in mind to model the whole experience:

• Newcomers: Players new to gaming, interactive technologies, or your game mechanics.
• Casual players: Those familiar with games but not dedicated to mastering them.
• Mid-level enthusiasts: Regular gamers with decent skills.
• Advanced players: Those seeking challenge and mastery.
• Expert-level players: The most dedicated players looking for deep systems.

4. Platform and context considerations

Session length and context are closely related to platform choice. Thinking about where and how will your ideal player engage with your game, will also dictate your game's core interactions (click, double tap, swipe...).

• Mobile on-the-go: Quick access, touch controls, interruptible gameplay.
• Mobile at home: More focused attention but still touch-based.
• Desktop casual: Mouse/keyboard but not requiring full attention.
• Desktop immersive: Full attention, possibly longer sessions.
• Console living room: Controller-based, possibly shared with others.
• VR/AR: Fully immersive, dedicated play space.

"Florence" is an example of designing specifically for mobile players. It targets the players looking for an emotional, story-driven experience that works perfectly with touch controls in short sessions.

Creating your ideal player persona

Take the 4 parameters above and create a your specific player persona.
Use the following formula: "My game is designed for [player skill level] who enjoy [gaming style preference] in [play duration] sessions.
They typically play on [support] during [context and place] but [life context that could stop them from playing your game]."

For example:

"My game is designed for mid-level gaming enthusiasts who enjoy strategic, thoughtful gameplay in 20-30 minute sessions.
They typically play on desktop during lunch breaks or evening downtime and appreciate systems with depth but don't have time for extremely complex mechanics."

This level of specificity gives you a clear direction for every further decision. Write this persona description down on paper and keep it visible during development. It should become your guiding star when making choices about:

• Game mechanics
• Difficulty curves
• Tutorial design
• User interface
• Marketing approach

How player personas influence development decisions

Your player persona shouldn't stop at a theoretical exercise. Investigate, ask around and see where these kind of players are hanging out and enrich your player persona data. Your player persona card should actively guide your practical development decisions throughout your game's creation:

When you have a clear picture of who you're designing for, seemingly difficult choices become much simpler.

Let's see how different player personas might lead to different design choices:

• Onboarding and tutorials:
  A game designed for newcomers requires carefully paced instruction with immediate positive feedback, while a game for experienced strategy fans might offer minimal tutorials.
• Difficulty progression:
  Casual players with limited sessions need frequent wins and gentle progression to stay engaged. Meanwhile, a game targeting challenge-seekers would frustrate this audience by being too easy.
• Game mechanics:
  Mobile players grabbing quick sessions during commutes need intuitive controls and systems they can remember even after days away. Conversely, desktop players settling in for longer sessions often appreciate more complex, interconnected systems.
• Testing with players:
  Testing with the wrong audience can lead to misleading feedback. For example, if you're making a casual puzzle game for 10-minute sessions but test it with hardcore strategy gamers who play for hours, you'll likely receive feedback asking for more complex systems... which would actually harm your game's appeal to its intended audience.

Even your monetization approach should reflect your player persona. Understanding whether your players have more time than money (younger audiences) or more money than time (working adults) dramatically changes what they'll find acceptable.

Embrace Your Niche

Creating a game "for everyone" might seem like casting the widest possible net, but in reality, it often means catching too little. The most successful games start by deeply understanding and serving a specific type of player. Having a clear player persona helps you make the hardest decision in game development: what to cut.
When feature creep threatens or deadlines loom, asking "Does this serve our target player?" provides clarity that "Is this a cool feature?" simply will not.
This focus is what separates polished, cohesive games from bloated, confused ones.

By defining your ideal player persona and using it to guide your development decisions, you'll create a more focused, cohesive experience that truly resonates with your target audience. This focused approach not only leads to better games but also clearer marketing, more efficient development, and ultimately, greater chances of success.