Why you should make a short game

Watch my latest video: • Why I make games after...
#indiegame #indiedev #gamedev #godot #unity #unrael #gaming #ashorthike #cozy #devlog #essay #videoessay #cute

[@poiinteractive]

Watch my latest video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aqaxdYufpLGBj7s

[@yourstarchan]

I was just shocked when I found out how much this little game about a bird earned

[@dbweb.creative]

it deserves every penny!

[@poiinteractive]

I know! But I think that just speaks of the quality.

[@foldupgames]

And that said estimated NET!!! For one game. For one guy.

[@Gwadzilla7]

Another good thing about taking up smaller projects is the fact that youll be gaining epxerience over time and broadening you horizons will help you see things from perspectives you never though to explore. Good luck with your game, good sir

[@poiinteractive]

Thank you for your support!

[@FFTVYoutube]

Great vid. I am actually doing this right now. Im someone that has spend hundreds of hours learning unreal and making little mechanics and experiences but ive never really finished anything because i always get hung up on small things, trying to make 1 animation perfect or something, then i never work on the project again... this time im making a game specifically for my 2 and 3 year old girls. Its small, reasonably easy to make, and i already know my target audience is not going to care if its 100% perfect. THIS TIME I WILL FINISH A PROJECT!

[@poiinteractive]

Right! There is such a chasm between making a cool feature vs actually finishing a game. Best of luck, hope you see success with it.

[@raphaeld9270]

Oh nice, what kind of game are you doing for your 2 girls? Mine are 3 weeks old and 16 months-old, also 2 girls. The only "video game" I've been able to make my oldest play, are those happyclicks DOT net "touch-tap-games". They are like powerpoint animation, but where any key or click advance the animation to the next step. Like small building popping up every click, and little cars driving down the road, etc. I might try some of that too, thanks for the idea :D

[@FFTVYoutube]

@raphaeld9270 it's just a whack a mole style game where little brightly coloured people pop up and wave their arms n make a noise, and you have to tap them to get a point and when you do it says the number out loud, and you have to get a certain amount of them to progress to next lvl. Just something fun that can hopefully help teach them at the same time

[@Mike14264]

A Short Hike is literally one of my favorite games of all time, and one of my comfort games in general. I just love popping back in for another playthrough every now and then.

[@poiinteractive]

Same here, I have it installed on pretty much all my devices. Just so I can pop in and out at random times haha.

[@LetsSmiley]

Thank you for formulating what I loved so much about "A short hike". Its that small refreshing experience that just sort of gets you going. It doesnt always have to be this grandiose epos. And if you would like any help creating some cozy music and/or cozy sound effects, let me know (:

[@poiinteractive]

Thanks, I'll reach out if the need arises!

[@novh4ck]

If you are making a short game just be aware of the Steam refund policy. Anything under two hours can be returned automatically and some people actually do it. It might not be a crushing factor but if I had to choose between making a 1.5 hour game and 2 hours game I would rather try to fit in a little bit more to get to those 2 hours.

[@poiinteractive]

Thanks for pointing that out, yes that is a concern. But historically if you price your game well and it is actually good, most people tend to respect that. There are always going to be those who will take advantage but well, such is life I guess.

[@Microemall]

this is a problem when playing some short games, as there will be filler and unfun repeated content just to get past the 2 hour refund mark

[@novh4ck]

@@Microemall Yeah. It sucks when devs add fillers after they figure out the game is short. It's better to not do that. However if I was designing a game from scratch I would be probably targeting 2 hours from the beginning.

[@poiinteractive]

@@novh4ck That's a good point. In honesty, my current 2-4 hour intended gameplay target is totally based on a hunch regarding what feels right for such games (and I wasn't even thinking of the refund policy). So my intention really isn't to pad it out, and only add things that have sufficient merit! Additionally, the A short hike's average time to complete is actually below 2 hours and seems like it still didn't suffer greatly from refunds.

[@svgPhoenix]

I played 'A Short Hike' soon after losing my mother and it absolutely destroyed me

[@poiinteractive]

Sorry to hear, hope you are doing better now.

[@Gorom101]

I have the same exact story as you. GDC -> Christmas break-> Fell in love ❤

[@poiinteractive]

Haha, talk about coincidences!

[@jallerlepine3596]

I had the same realization but with Siactro, the developper behind games like Toree 3D and Super Kiwi 64. They're cheap (around 1-2$) and short (1-2h) but you're getting fun little experiences in short bursts for cheaper than a coffee.

[@TheBigOnionInstitute]

I'm excited to see where your game goes! I really like how you did the background with the layers of trees in the distance. I can already tell it's going to be something special.

[@poiinteractive]

So happy to hear, I'm trying my best to make it the best game I can!

[@AlyrioNeto]

I know you are completely right, especially me being a part-time developer in my free time, but I just can't. ROFL. I wish you success in your game!

[@evolgenius1150]

They are. I love short games bc you can finish them. ❤ Short hike, fire watch, to the moon, outerwilds, AER memories of old ❤

[@sweatyeti]

Solid advice! I've certainly burned myself out of every project I've started because the complexity and scope felt overwhelming. Setting smaller goals is probably something I should focus on... I just have so many ideas though! Anyways, good luck with your project; I think you've got the right approach!

[@yourmajesty9025]

I need at least 6 months just to figure out which of my many ideas I want to pursue. And then another 6 months to understand what exactly the game based on that idea will be like. And this is despite the fact that I have 18 years of experience in creating games.

[@poiinteractive]

It's the worst when you spend a few months working on something and suddenly realize that the idea wasn't really that good to start with. I thought I would get better at assessing them with experience, but turns out, I haven't.

[@yourmajesty9025]

​@@poiinteractiveIf we are talking about inexperience, than I would suggest making a clone for the first game. Just to gain experience. And the main thing to remember is that the first game doesn't make money. For subsequent games I would try to make something more original. My experience says that you can get good gameplay out of any idea. But you have to rework and rework and rework until you come out with something that is interesting. Simply put, an interesting game is a matter of time. And make it look professional.

[@Mushnoob_]

A Short Hike was truly an eye opening experience for me, and since then in the same genre and vibe I've loved Lil Gator Game and Smushi Come Home, maybe you'll enjoy them as well!

[@poiinteractive]

I have played Lil Gator Game, it's super charming!

[@panjul-g9h]

good luck on your journey man, i'll be sure to check on your project!

[@boul3ez4]

that exactly what im planing to do ... open youtube and saw your video .. god give me sign

[@juneru2]

Totally agree, and I think it goes for any genre that more short games need to be made. I wanna make an action-platformer game that’s around 2 hours long, but have 5 playable characters to enhance replayability & variety.

[@poiinteractive]

@@juneru2 That sounds great. :D

[@henricmoreno5876]

Many PSX games are 2 to 6 hours long, it's also good to understand what types of games and mechanics you like to make, like what you are doing is a great way to do it until it ends

[@matthewventures]

Hello sir, I would like to highlight an important feature of a short hike. During the game. There is a point where you have to search for something, I think it is a shovel. Intentionally, the developer hid six versions of the shovel in different parts of the map. Whichever one you discover first is considered the true shovel and when you discover it, the other ones disappear. In this way, he has you discover the shovel, but no matter which way you go, you will find it very quickly. This is one of many tricks that make the game appear much shorter. Consider this for your game. Bless

[@poiinteractive]

@@matthewventures That's a really interesting game design bit, thanks for pointing it out!

[@matthewventures]

@@poiinteractive sure thing, by the way, this design pattern is called the quantum ogre

[@H0lyFr0ggy]

subbed - you inspired me also to try out making shorter games. I want to finally start this experience

[@PaahtimoGames]

Great video! Short Hike is also my favorite game as gamedev motivation and inspiration!

[@JoeFilms5420]

Great video! I agree with your sentiment, small and focused games are a great way for indie devs to get their feet off the ground and really flex their creative muscles in ways they might not get to in larger projects. I’ll be excited to see your game completed over the next year!

[@backyy07]

A short hike is one of my favourite games so Im exited to see what you come up with. If you ever need help with blender, Im happy to help out :)

[@Mat383]

I agree with you on the complex mechanics part, I thought I was the only one who had an issue with games like that! I totally respect your inspiration and ambitions for this project, as I'll be doing something similar when I get around to learning game dev in godot soon. I think I'll sub and stick around!

[@poiinteractive]

Right? I mean I'm sure the devs put a ton of thought into the design, and I'm sure some people do have the patience and time to invest into the game. But I just don't, late alone the time to get good at them. Best of luck on learning Godot! I'll be publishing some tutorials soon as well. I'm hoping that will help some people.

[@nellofontani]

In the past I loved long big games but after 30yo, having lot of freelance daily work, household chores and other things, complete a game like cyberpunk 2077 it's incredibly loooong. I still have a lot of love for gaming but I'm happy to prefer spend my money in short polished games that I can complete in less than 10-15 hours

[@poiinteractive]

Being 30 and responsible hurts.

[@Vanduo610]

No, it does not.​@@poiinteractive

[@DanDoesDev]

I couldn't agree more. For indie devs especially: always start small, and then build on it. Great video!

[@poiinteractive]

This man gets it!

[@Skeffles]

Great video and I like how you're taking inspiration for your game. Personally I don't think a short game is for me. I like working on longer projects since they're the types of games I'm attracted to.

[@poiinteractive]

One thing I didn't touch on is that definition of short games vary wildly from person to person. To me 2-3 hours is a short game, but some tend to feel that 10 hours is too short. I do definitely intend on working on games that are near the 10 hour region in the future.

[@wun_zee3599]

I've wanted to make games ever since I was a kid, and now that I've happened upon Thor's (from Pirate Software) anti-doomscroll videos and game-making inspirational videos I've had a much more newly renewed interest in making games. I've had the idea for a game in the works for years now but never knew how to execute it, but now I think I do know. It's gonna be a roguelike sandbox survival game set in a giant's terrarium that he trapped you in for trying to steal his treasure. I have several "ages" of progression planned out already, so it should be easier to implement mechanics in sets rather than aimlessly adding whatever feels right lol

[@poiinteractive]

Best of luck, and don't forget to scope out before you start. It's easy to get discouraged once you find out how much work even seemingly simple things are.

[@7Write4This9Heart7]

Ooh! That plot sounds great!

[@Nikki-rq2qg]

Best of luck with your game!

[@ThousandairesClub]

*if AAA developers spent more time making smaller games, the industry wouldn't be on life support right now* 👍

[@patrickwilliams5231]

Started looking up small devs with small games because of a video by pirate software. You're my first find. Good luck on your project!

[@poiinteractive]

Pirate Software is cool, love listening to him. Thanks!

[@kikijewell2967]

I needed to hear this. I've been playing Sky: CotL, but it's a grind game, and I realized I always feel "poor and left out." I love spending time with new friends in this amazing nontoxic community, but I don't like that engagement is based on the feeling of capitalistic income disparity. I just want a lovely relaxing game that I can give about an hour to every day to unwind. A short hike sounds up my alley. Goose Game was similar. And you're right: maybe these are the games I want to make. I hope your game is short, sweet, and successful - to make and to play!

[@artman40]

From the marketing perspective: If you're making a short game, it's actually not a good idea to announce it more than a few months before release. As a customer, I would not like to wait a few or more years in anticipation for a game that can be finished and 100% completed in just an hour or two.

[@poiinteractive]

Interesting point. Do you have any example in mind or is it more of a hunch?

[@artman40]

@@poiinteractive I remember a game called Storyteller. It took 15 years from the time from its announcement to its release. The game could be completed in just a few hours with not much replay value. It also didn't help that the game was so short that people felt the game didn't even explore its mechanics to its true potential. To be fair, it did receive some updates later. Guess here's a second piece of advice: If you make a game short, make sure it still feels complete rather than something that feels like it has much unused potential.

[@sylwesterosik]

You should play Sunrise GP - short and aestetic racing game.

[@samhblackmore]

Yep, definitely since having kids, I approach my time very differently. In high school, the bigger the game, the better. The prospect of playing Oblivion all summer would be super appealing. But now I'm lucky to have an hour or two a week to be alone and perhaps play a game. So, as you say, an hour into the game and I'm still in the tutorial, not time well spent! And yep I also come back a week later and I've forgotten the controls. It's just hard to get into anything substantial

[@poiinteractive]

@@samhblackmore don't have kids, but I totally see where you are coming from.

[@RootGames]

I published a short game yesterday but it didn't go as planned 🤣 At least, I finished it.

[@micahneveu4633]

What went wrong?

[@RootGames]

@@micahneveu4633 Sales numbers hah xD

[@poiinteractive]

Finishing is half the battle! Better luck on your next game.

[@VeeFerns]

I hate long games, if I really like a game I can force time into it, I don't want to have to put 100+ hours into a game, I can do that if and only if I want to

[@foldupgames]

I've been saying and hearing the same advice for devs, over and over. Focus on a shorter project with good quality that doesn't take you YEARS to work on. The player gets a really nice experience at a low cost and you get to work no more projects.

[@09diz]

O wish all the best for you and your project.

[@poiinteractive]

Appreciate this.

[@egretfx]

you are on point, we launching our debut game this week!

[@poiinteractive]

Just checked out your game. It looks pretty unique! Best of luck with it.

[@ashrafzaman2577]

couldn't agree more with you! very excited to see a new game from you, I will be eagerly waiting for it. :)

[@OandCoGames]

Well said.

[@gabrielpauna62]

Forgotten city is just 1 or 2 hours longer and a lot more engaging

[@poiinteractive]

@@gabrielpauna62 I absolutely loved Forgotten City. It's a very different kind of game though. Also the average playtime is around 6 hours for main story on PC. Short but almost not.

[@sigitang9398]

I just came to the same conclusion a few days ago. I finished my first prototype of a relativly "big" game last week, and... It was ok but made me realize the tasks needed to finish a full version or even a vertical slice. I know i tend to work on smtg really hard for a few weeks/months then leave it and feel ashamed, a sour taste in my mouth of another unfishined thing. Like you i came to the conclusion that i need to build small games, 6months to 1 year dev time game. Because it also forces you to learn skills you wont learn if you stick to big projects: making a demo, polishing to the max, debugging entirely, marketting a bit, making a steam page... All those skills i never learned because the only games i finished were during gamejams. Thanks for the video, feels great to have a bit of coginitive resonance to support my choice for the next years of my gamedev hobby !

[@poiinteractive]

I Feel that. It's so easy to fall out of love with developing big games once you realize the scope. There are certainly people who can stick to the same game for 5-6 years, all power to them. But it's hard.

[@Songfugel]

Very much a matter of taste, and ofc it is different for dev vs player. However, for a player, all the greatest games of all time are quite epic in scope like BG2 for example

[@poiinteractive]

Agreed, It's unlikely for a short game to be an all time fav of players. But they can still be of value.

[@Arakus99]

Have to disagree, three of my favourite games ever are very short (Edith Finch, Sayonara Wild Hearts and The Beginner’s Guide)

[@Vanduo610]

I am making a game that can be short and long. It is 2D RPG, pixel art. At first I am planing to release beta version (short game) and later full version of the game and keep updating it with new things because there is nothing you can not do in your fantasy rpg game!

[@bigposts6673]

I'm pretty confident when I say that I think the cozy game trend is at the very beginning of it's decline. The market is absolutely flooded with cozy farming simulators since Stardew Valley. The market is over saturated with cozy gigantic polygon having animals like A Short Hike. I think the cozy decline starts now until there is a new Animal Crossing released that has unseen, innovative, and exciting features. I feel like it's going to not only hard to stand out in the PSX market, but also be appealing to crowd of players who are going to be burnt out being cozy and farming and cutting down trees and looking at the exact same cutesy indie art style they've been seeing for 5 years.

[@poiinteractive]

Trends come and go. Though the market in general is terrible at the moment. I do agree with some of your assessments regarding saturation. But I feel being the trend setter is so much harder than making something familiar, and hoping people notice it.

[@7Write4This9Heart7]

I LOVEEEE short games! As I get older and have less time and energy (and I tend to burn out easily), I WANT short games! My sweet spot is 1-5 hours, 30 hours AT MOST! I just can't do and don't care for long games anymore. Please, no! X'D Same with writing fanfics! I LOVE writing oneshots, but I don't really have longfics in me anymore! I'm too old and tired, damn it! X'D

[@Raziaar]

Trust me, my gaming time isn't valuable. My work time is though.

[@mayzavan]

subbed, nice video helped to change some opinions thanks

[@JethroSas]

What that bird game looks the same with the Night Stone? Not sure but I think they look similar. Not sure who the pioneer is but I think that bird game is. 😅

[@poiinteractive]

I played the Night Stone demo a bit. it didn't feel that similar to A Short Hike at that time. But I can see what you are saying!

[@jbfelix_]

Agreed! Good luck, my friend.

[@poiinteractive]

Much appreciated!

[@spero360]

consumers want longer games since they want to mindlessly grind off in a mildly entertaining game, since there is this culture around BIG and VAST and LONG games. you could not pay me to finish AC Valhalla for example

[@mortengu1385]

Thanks, this is inspiring!!

[@mix4ns]

Heys! why are the graphics of the short hike not pixelized in your video? just wondering hehe :)

[@poiinteractive]

You can change the pixel size in the settings!

[@loijz1740]

I mainly do not play games, that take longer than 10 hrs. Exceptions...PUBG XD

[@strangeboltz]

Short games rock!

[@TomatOgorodow]

'Cause you can't any better

[@poiinteractive]

Yes, many of the times that is true. I won't generalize though.

[@CriadorDeLindosJogos]

Great Video!

[@chaosordeal294]

Hot take: long games are the best games.

[@poiinteractive]

Hot take: It's not a hot take when your take is the dominant view. That aside, yeah some people really don't like short games. And that's totally ok.

[@ilkinqafarov87]

[@Freddy78909]

So the developer made over 2 million dollars ... He'll probably never make another game. He's done. That's the only unfortunate thing

[@poiinteractive]

His website says he is still working on an untitled Paper RPG. So there is definitely hope! But yes, I'd love to play another of his games.

[@tik2243]

That's only true if he made the game only for money and not as a hobby / personal project + money

[@AaronBowley]

if he makes another good game the hype will guarantee he makes more plus he can sell at a higher price point , plus it would sell more copies of this game you just aren’t on the level sorry, that’s unfortunate for you

[@Freddy78909]

@@AaronBowley Don't get offended over nothing

[@PigeonyStudios]

too late 💀

[@poiinteractive]

Maybe? Again, maybe not.

[@PigeonyStudios]

@@poiinteractive I mean I made a multiplayer game on Unreal Engine 5 and my code is nightmarish took me over 1 year everyday 💀

[@bobojenkins5805]

because its easier and youre lazy. There I decoded it for you

[@poiinteractive]

There is that as well lol.

[@dclxviclan]

Cool bro❤❤❤

[@LOC-Ness]

no challenge or story? what's the point? sounds like wasted time to me

[@poiinteractive]

Just a 'Short' waste of time though...

[@LOC-Ness]

@@poiinteractive true

[@24masks]

I highly disagree with the thumbnail

[@poiinteractive]

I just feel that way. You can of course disagree!

[@surplusking2425]

Short game sucks. Minecraft Civilization Rollercoaster Tycoon Factorio those are the best games. Long games forever!

[@poiinteractive]

I feel like, It's is function of taste and how much time you have for gaming.