How can you design game mechanics that align with your marketing strategy?

* Know your target audience. * Know what is expected of your game. * Keep marketing guys at bay. Don't let them overmarket your game. That would result is unrealistic expectations of the game. * Learn what your target audience likes in similar games, learn what they don't like.

Instead of just age and gender, take into account your players' dominant personality traits, preferred learning styles, and gaming motivations. Understand your players' intrinsic motivators, such as the desire for mastery and achievement. Incorporate pre-launch events, challenges, and social media interactions that utilize your game mechanics to generate excitement and incentivize early engagement. This creates anticipation and cultivates a dedicated player base even before the game's release. Remember, your game is a dynamic entity, and so should be your approach to design and marketing.

* Core loop should be nice and clean * Meaning don't leave the player confused and to make them think hard what should I do next? * Present challenges show the path (or several paths) let the player do what must be done and succeed. Or fail. If they fail it should be clear to them why they failed and learn from their mistakes.

For players who love strategic thinking, create a core loop that emphasizes the consequences of every action. This loop is designed for a subscription model, providing continuous updates and deep strategic gameplay to keep players engaged. For players who enjoy creativity and self-expression, develop a core loop that revolves around personalization and worldbuilding. This loop is well-suited for in-app purchases of cosmetic options and expansion packs, catering to individual preferences and fostering a sense of ownership.

* Game loop should be 90% familiar to the player and 10% something new and novel. * If you are feeling wild, go for 80% 20% * that 10% (or 20% you crazy) should be something new, something the players can't find in other games.

For players who thrive on community interaction, construct a core loop that focuses on collaborative challenges and shared goals. This loop thrives on limited-time events and social features, encouraging player interaction and driving engagement through the fear of missing out. For players seeking action and competition, design a core loop that emphasizes skill development and competitive gameplay. This loop benefits from competitive seasons, battle passes, and cosmetic rewards, motivating players to improve their skills and climb the ranks. For players who crave novelty and surprises, construct a core loop centered around procedurally generated content and dynamic storytelling. This loop is best suited for a premium model.

* Player feedback is good, But consider the people who like a feature usually don't talk about it much. But if it annoyed some people expect them to be very vocal about it. * Player feedback is golden but unreliable. It depends on the current mood of a player. I've witnessed in the internal testing that a player complain about 2 handed swords swing speeds being too slow, and next week too fast from the same person (I haven't changed it!) * Gathered data doesn't lie. Gather data. Use the data to iterate.

One would argue the marketing strategy can also adjust to fit great mechanics within your game. You can find when developing games that mechanics you expect that won't be as impactful or even planned to have in at all can really shine. Work with marketing and showcase what you feel fans will enjoy in the finished game.