Normally, in a series, one chapter is a continuation of the previous one, and by putting all the chapters together, we can create a complete story that doesn't make sense if it's not with all the chapters.
However, there are series in which the chapters are independent of each other, some are related by characters, event area, etc., but in other series, there is no relationship between chapters.
In the context of video game development, one bet we can make, especially when we are starting out, is not to think of a game that has all the details we would like our game to have, whether it be technology, graphics, design, history, etc.
Facing all these challenges from the beginning can be overwhelming, and lead to frustration because we don't see progress in our development.
Therefore, we propose thinking in chapters and not in entire seasons. In this simile, the chapters would be each of the characteristics that we would like our final game to have, and the entire season would be our finished supergame.
Our take? We can try breaking our idea down into smaller ideas that we can develop as stand-alone games, and then group them all together. This way we can test feature by feature in different, smaller games to see if they work. This way we also get satisfaction from making and finishing projects.
What this boils down to:
- Small, Fast Projects: Making stand-alone chapters, rather than entire seasons, can be more effective and less risky to develop smaller games and release them more frequently. This allows you to test ideas quickly and get feedback from players without investing too much time and resources into a single project.
- Fast Iteration: Creating smaller games allows you to iterate and improve more quickly. You can learn from each release and apply those learnings to future games, honing your process and technique.
- Reduced Risk: Smaller games generally require less investment of time and money, which reduces financial risk if the game is not successful.
- Maintaining Interest: Releasing multiple small games can keep players interested longer than one big release that takes years to develop. Plus, it can help you build a fan base faster.
- Diversity of Experience: By creating multiple small games, you can explore different genres and game mechanics, rather than betting everything on one concept.
Sometimes it can be difficult to think of how to break your game into smaller games, but whether you're trying out graphics, movement, fighting engine, racing engine, and so on, if you think about the game you want to make, you can easily figure out how to break it down into smaller sections, and apply each of them to a simpler, faster game to develop. Once you have them all made, it will be much easier to see how to improve them and how to put them all together into your final game.
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