How can you use game genres to create engaging social experiences?

Game genres are not just categories of games, but also frameworks for creating engaging social experiences. By understanding the core elements and expectations of different genres, you can design games that foster meaningful interactions, collaboration, and competition among players. In this article, you will learn how to use game genres to create social experiences that suit your goals and audience.

1 What are game genres?

Game genres are classifications of games based on their gameplay, mechanics, themes, and aesthetics. They help players identify what kind of experience they can expect from a game, and what skills and strategies they need to succeed. Some common game genres are action, adventure, puzzle, role-playing, simulation, strategy, and sports. Each genre has its own conventions, tropes, and subgenres that create a shared language and culture among players and developers.

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Georgios Christou, PhD

Software Development Consultant and Professor of Computer Science | Writing About Mentoring, Communication Skills and Coding Habits | Helping Software Developers and Tech Leads Level UP!
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Remember that any game can be used to create social experiences. Even discussing about the game that is of interest to two or more players, creates a common topic that allows them to share a social experience! Also, the social experience does not need to be integrated into the game itself. Look at, for example, all of the players using discord to discuss, coordinate, and play together, even though a game may have a perfectly reasonable chat interface.

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2 Why are game genres important for social experiences?

Game genres are important for social experiences because they shape how players interact with the game and with each other. Different genres offer different opportunities and challenges for social engagement, such as communication, cooperation, competition, creativity, and expression. For example, a cooperative puzzle game might require players to work together to solve problems and share hints, while a competitive strategy game might encourage players to bluff, negotiate, and sabotage their opponents. By choosing a genre that matches your intended social experience, you can create a game that appeals to your target audience and motivates them to play and connect.

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3 How to choose a game genre for your social experience?

When selecting a game genre for your social experience, you should consider your design goals, the preferences of your audience, the platform and technology you're using, and your market potential. Ask yourself what the main purpose of your social experience is; is it to create a fun, casual, or immersive experience? Additionally, consider who your target audience is and what their gaming preferences are. Furthermore, think about how the platform and technology you're using affects the accessibility, usability, and interactivity of your game. Lastly, contemplate how competitive your genre is and how innovative your game is. All of these questions can help you determine the best game genre for you.

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4 How to innovate within a game genre?

Innovating within a game genre can help you stand out from the crowd, attract new players, and satisfy existing players. But it also comes with risks, such as confusing or alienating your audience. To innovate successfully, start by researching your genre: study its history, evolution, and trends; identify its core elements and expectations; analyze its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats; and learn from the best practices and mistakes of other games. Then experiment with different combinations of gameplay, mechanics, themes, and aesthetics. Test your ideas with your target audience to get feedback. Finally, communicate your genre clearly: use a catchy title and description, a captivating trailer, and highlight the unique features of your game. Show how it fits into the genre while still being different.

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Alasdair Stuart

Lore and narrative design for games, award-nominated pop culture analysis, award-winning voice actor, versatile copywriter
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One of the core principles of Dustland Runner was this question: What happens after the world ends? That single question galvanized our whole narrative and grounded it in an established genre, the post-apocalypse world of stories like The Walking Dead or Fury Road. But by asking what happens next, we both established and honoured that base and built from it. It's like the improvisational comedy technique of always replying to a suggestion with 'And?' You can build experiences players and team members recognize in these genres. But once you ask what happens next you can't help but break new ground for everyone.

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5 How to evaluate your game genre and social experience?

Evaluating your game genre and social experience is essential for measuring the effectiveness and impact of your game design choices on your audience and goals. This will help you improve your game, increase audience satisfaction, and reach desired outcomes. To do this, observe your audience while playing and note their behaviors, emotions, expressions, and comments. Ask them about their opinions and experiences with your game, using open-ended and closed-ended questions. Additionally, conduct usability tests, playtests, and beta tests with various scenarios, tasks, and metrics to evaluate the functionality, usability, and enjoyability of your game. Collect quantitative and qualitative data such as completion rates, error rates, time spent, retention rates, engagement rates, satisfaction scores, and feedback comments.

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6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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Yuri Flagrare 🔥

Game Developer 🎮 | Storyteller 📚 | Creative Technologist 🪔 | Software Engineer 💻
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Some game genres have a high affinity with customization and self-expression capabilities. Games such as The Sims, Minecraft or even Mario Maker have a high degree of ways in which players can build their own stories and creations. One thing I learned is that everyone not only loves art, but expressing it somehow. Creation is part of human nature. Although your game might not be a simulator or a sandbox, there are many ways to empower players' self expression (such as in character customization). There might be some level of self-expression that your game design would allow if you wanted to Providing a native and fun way to share their creations is essential. For example the game Poly Brigde allows players to generate GIFs and share them.

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Georgios Christou, PhD

Software Development Consultant and Professor of Computer Science | Writing About Mentoring, Communication Skills and Coding Habits | Helping Software Developers and Tech Leads Level UP!
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Social experiences can be incorporated in any video game genre. And, as I have mentioned earlier, they do not necessarily have to be built into the game itself. Any game can incorporate chat, messaging, and even collaborative or adversarial features. For example, one can create a version of solitare where people compete on timed games! Just remember that video games can build bridges for social interaction, and as such, they can become more than "just a game"!

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How can you use game genres to create engaging social experiences?

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1 What are game genres?

2 Why are game genres important for social experiences?

3 How to choose a game genre for your social experience?

4 How to innovate within a game genre?

5 How to evaluate your game genre and social experience?

6 Here’s what else to consider

Game Design

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How can you use game genres to create engaging social experiences?

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 What are game genres?

2 Why are game genres important for social experiences?

3 How to choose a game genre for your social experience?

4 How to innovate within a game genre?

5 How to evaluate your game genre and social experience?

6 Here’s what else to consider

Game Design

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