Was machst du, wenn du Feedback zum Spieldesign bekommst, ohne in die Defensive zu gehen?

Always listen what people are saying. Do not think about the intent. Focus on the idea. If you are wrong or your idea can be improved, think about the tabletop game Burning Wheel; you only advance when you fail. If everything is going perfect that means you are not improving.

When receiving feedback on game design activities it should be a rule of thumb to make sure you share your ideas with someone or group of individuals your trust. This is important because you will always receive the best feedback this way. In a business setting try to seek out the individuals that are interested in the success of the project and will provide genuine honest feedback whether good or bad. This is usually a good idea especially in a group effort or business setting but you will want to try keep an eye out for biased feedback and take it with a grain of salt. An example of I agree but

Objectivity and impartiality are some of the greatest assets a person can have. I love the first Dead Island. But you'll never see me claim it's a great game. It's mediocre at best, and many might say I'm still being too generous. You're human. That means biases and pride and making mistakes. Humans typically aren't at their best when emotionally off-balance. By remaining objective, even when someone is criticizing your work, it gives you the ability to fully analyze the situation and see it from multiple angles. And see you may be wrong. Too much pride prevents growth. If you want to earn your pride, be objective, learn from your mistakes and people's criticism, and grow as much as you can. That's something to be proud about.

Instead of viewing feedback as a reflection of personal failure, it is essential to embrace a growth mindset and see it as an opportunity for improvement. To show empathy and understanding towards the feedback provider, active listening techniques like paraphrasing and asking clarifying questions should be utilized. Additionally, it is important to foster a culture of constructive criticism within your team or community, where open and honest dialogue is encouraged without fear of judgment or reprisal.

To handle feedback in game design without getting defensive, follow these steps: Prepare Mentally: Remind yourself that feedback aims to improve your work, not to criticize you. Listen Actively: Fully engage, ask questions for clarity, and avoid interruptions. Separate Self from Work: Understand feedback is about the project, not a personal attack. Take Notes: Document feedback to process it objectively and show you value it. Respond Calmly: Thank contributors and consider their points, even if you disagree. Reflect on Feedback: Assess which parts you agree with for potential discussion or revision. Discuss Respectfully: Clearly articulate your views if you disagree, providing reasons.

When players provide feedback they are reflecting their feelings and wishes; what they want to feel with the experience. It is your job to get in their shoes and understand their point of view while maintaining judgment for what's best in the project's future.

By approaching feedback sessions with empathy and a willingness to understand the motivations of the provider, you can recognize that their input is aimed at improving the game rather than criticizing your skills or vision. Embracing a collaborative mindset allows you to leverage diverse perspectives and enhance the overall quality of the game.

In process of game design, we do inevitably create a personal connection it. It isn't just a game, it is the hundreds of hours of work and a reflection of who we are as creators. But when someone gives us feedback, it's easy to get defensive and wonder who knows better - the person offering feedback or the one who's spent countless hours creating it? The truth is, we can get so close to our work that we lose sight of what's most important. That's where feedback comes in - it's a reality check that helps us refocus on our goals and what we're trying to achieve. Receiving honest feedback, is a rare and precious gift. By embracing it, we can build a deeper and more authentic working relationship - and create a better game in the process.

“People are there to help you, not to challenge you.” Even a person with bad intent tends to have valid opinions. So, take everything that is said into consideration, and search for the truth in what they say. Think of it this way. If they are frustrated you your work, then ask yourself “Why?”. You can simply find the truth by following their feedback, even if it’s not actually the reason for their frustration. Example: They complain about a mechanic in a game or level, yet while following their steps, you find a lot of other things that might be ruining the user experience. And, the issue they claim to be the cause might be in fact be the cause of the other mistakes.

Engaging in a dialogue by asking questions is a key strategy for handling feedback in game design effectively. Use active listening to understand feedback details and gain valuable insights. Seek clarification on which game aspects the feedback refers to and what improvements are recommended. This shows your dedication to addressing feedback and promotes a more collaborative relationship with the feedback provider. Encouraging open communication and respect creates a positive environment where both parties feel heard and valued.

If in doubt, always ask clarifying questions, most people don’t mean what you think they mean. Most people lack the ability to articulate their thoughts, much less their speech. DON’T THINK POORLY OF THEM! • Programmers, as a subject, have a thought pattern formed around writing code and may sound like cavemen. Example: “If the ‘Unga’ is = to ‘Bungha then the ‘Hunga’ is also a ‘Unga’.” • Artist are always trapped in their own imagination, and it’s hard to pull them out. • Testers are frustrated by their lot in life and tend to be the most vocal when a defect appears. • Designers are the result of combining all previous roles in one. Example: “What do you mean by ‘the player’s experience lacks spirit in the face of their challenges?’ ”.

If a player dislikes something, there's surely something wrong with your game, but they are also mostly wrong about what it is. Get deeper into the conversation and try to find a logical explanation for this negative experience, they may not give you the raw answer, but the leads to find it.

It is important to use critical thinking and strategic decision-making to evaluate the relevance and validity of the feedback in relation to your game's goals and target audience. Consider how each piece of feedback aligns with your vision for the game and the intended player experience. Understand that not all feedback will be actionable or applicable, and that is completely normal. Trust your instincts and expertise as a game designer to determine which suggestions will truly enhance the game and which may not align with your creative vision. This thoughtful and deliberate approach allows you to make informed decisions that prioritize the integrity and quality of your game while remaining open to valuable insights from others.

When testing games, a lot of feedback is retrieved. Take your time to analyze the big picture and see what fits and what not, maybe a single solution fixes multiple problems or maybe it creates more. Feedback is only a piece of a larger machine.

Feed back is a very important part of an artists journey, don’t just get frustrated with the feedback you get on the project, just take a moment to analyze the criticism and find a way to integrate the comments you got into the project with a little touch of yours. Sometimes people are blinded by the project they work on because of the hundreds of hours looking at the same shape.

If you receive feedback from multiple sources, start by searching for patterns. The truth is found in the commonality of things, where multiple roads intersect. So, if there is a bump in your design, then there is where you shall find it. Just follow the frustrated people complaining about their aching feet.

The "5-why" technique can be really useful while analyzing the feedback. It helps you to get into hidden layers of sense. If the user says, "I want to add something", it's more often means you need to do something else to fix the problem, than literally do what you are requested for. You need to understand the real user struggle laying behind his demand, find the reason why it happens, and the way to protect your player from that negative experience - and not damage other player's experience or game metrics at the same time.

Taking care of your game is taking care of your player base. It is ok to slowly try stuff, do wrong, and revert, software is extremely iterative and so games.

Approaching feedback with a mindset of curiosity and humility can help prevent defensiveness. Instead of viewing feedback as a criticism of your abilities or ideas, see it as valuable information that can lead to improvement. Ask clarifying questions to gain a deeper understanding of the feedback giver's perspective and explore how their insights can contribute to the overall vision of the game. By embracing feedback as a collaborative process aimed at refining your design rather than a personal judgment, you can maintain an open and receptive attitude that fosters constructive dialogue and continuous improvement in your game design journey.

Whenever I receive feedback which is offensive to my game design, I always try to embrace it gracefully and make iterations accordingly. One as a game designer may think of their work as a perfect design but we are human. Being human makes us vulnerable to mistakes which may offend us sometimes but if we take the critics positively it may help us in iterations which can make our game design perfect

Take your time with the information you gathered, and “Avoid falling in love with a single solution or you might end up neglecting your other offspring.” I remember this one from an Agile course I went to. Also, think twice before applying your solution, don’t try to force a quick fix.

It could be tempting to consider that because you put everything in your job and Design idea, that you are your work... therefore, when your work is not good, you are not good. Stop being good, do not want to be good. You are giving a stick to everyone to beat you with. Try to be better instead. Understand that nobody has a clue on what makes a great game, we are all asuming. Your job is to take those asumption and bring them to a playable version. It has not to work and the sooner, the better. Your job is to solve problem and making meaningful choices throughout the production... weirdly it is exactly what you are expecting from your player to deal with. Be less of a Designer and more of a player, when you have to deal with feedback

Developing resilience is crucial for handling feedback in game design effectively. Embrace feedback as a chance to learn and grow, knowing that constructive criticism can enhance your skills and game design abilities. Maintain a growth mindset, seeing challenges as temporary hurdles that can be overcome with perseverance. As you build resilience, you'll discover that feedback becomes a positive aspect of your creative process. Looking at successful game designers like Shigeru Miyamoto and Hideo Kojima, who used feedback to improve their work, highlights the importance of resilience in game design.

Good summary! The Resilience part of this is often a really challenging aspect. It can be difficult to keep hearing feedback that is counter to your own expectations, and indeed to parse what parts of that feedback are actionable, and what is just reactive. Sometimes it takes time for players to adjust, especially when things have changed, and you need to be patient and avoid kneejerk reactions. In my experience, with focus, flexibility and resilience the crucible of feedback always forges stronger ideas in the end!

Many people nowadays have attachment issues. And by that, I mean people are often so attached to things. When people criticize that attachment, the attaché feels personally insulted and responds accordingly. Those responses are often unprofessional, have poor optics, prevent discourse, and, most importantly, your growth. Even if people criticize you directly, that doesn't mean it is personal, or you should take it as such. If you're a Writer, and the story you wrote in Video Game XYZ is crap, then yes, people are going to say you wrote a bad story. No one hits a home run at every at-bat. Take it on the chin, try to see it from your critics' perspective, what you could do to fix the problem (s), learn from it, and grow as a professional.

Try to gather the feedback from many sources, then classify it. Maybe some users give you various feedback, pointing at the same issue from different angles. Collect feedback points, make a hypothesis for each point - what was the cause. If one says "it's big", another says "it's furry", and one more says "it likes honey", then your conclusion can be it's a bear.