Your game's GENRE matters (more than you think)

No genre tierlist this time, but I'm spilling the beans on how we decide what's a good genre for indie devs, and what isn't. Now nothing is stopping you from making S-tier games (and your own genre tierlists).
Join our Discord: / discord
Notion GDD template: marnixwyns.notion.site/One-pa...
Get me to coach your game & gamedev career: calendly.com/bitemegames/game...
Thank you to our Patrons:
Lincoln
flippypixel
Spencer Evans
Madodev
Matthew M.
Jorge Crisostomo
josh Belt
Ricky Jeremiah Ikadev
Wiechciu
Julian Boardman
RadiozRadioz
Tanya Decarie
Eliane Schwindenhammer
Uzabi
Ryan Sylvia
Jokster
Kay Rudge
Markus Fink
Bas Eastwood
Mustafa Al-Hassani
Dobrx
Kyling X
Alexander Presthus
Mattias Lundell
Jesse Segun-Oside
Lucas H Silva
Jacob Rutter
Bart Mamzer
Lolicide
Kyle Gilliam
Jonathan E.S.P.
Dj S
Team 5 Steps
Kaine Usher
Game Dev With Michael
Joachim Pileborg
GagePerryGames
Channy H.
Do you want even more content regarding making your own studio and getting an in-depth look at how we run BiteMe Games? Check out our Patreon:
/ bitemegames
Timestamps:
00:00 We like game genres
00:39 7 parts of a genre
07:00 What about passion
07:52 Calculate your genre
08:41 Genres for learning
09:49 No plan survives contact
10:52 Closing
---
Get Forge Industry now on Steam: store.steampowered.com/app/21...
In need of some Unity Assets? Use our affiliate link to support us, it's free, and we get a small kickback: prf.hn/l/wzGa15G
Want to reach out to us? Send us an email at [e-mail]

[@mandisaw]

Good advice for both learning game-dev & commercial-dev. Even if you're doing it for fun, most folks get more out of finishing projects than maintaining a "folder of shame" 😅 You see the same in craft circles - folks try to start learning knitting with an Icelandic sweater, or a massive cabled blanket. A Mario-like 2d platformer is the game-dev equivalent of "start with a scarf" 👍

[@marcomoutinho7611]

Greate video! Never seen this topic with this approach, that is actually really smart and more realistic

[@dafff08]

when it comes to genres i would say its important to find a good balance between what you enjoy playing, making, whats in demand and how difficult it is to realize. as much as i would love making a fallout style game, for a solo dev this is nearly impossible to realize given how many moving parts there are. literally. the market is there considering how bad the last couple of fallout games were and how many people want a good sequel. just look at sim city. it was a quite bad game. then colossal order swooped in with city skylines and took all the glory for itself. but this can also backfire. trying to compete with a strong going ip can leave your game in the shadows if its a more niche genre. a good example would be darksouls and ashen. ashen wasnt a bad game, but compared to the strong ds3 game it just could attract enough lasting fans.

[@ultimaxkom8728]

At first, it always comes down to the self, path, and goal. Hobby or work. PC, console, web, and or mobile. Solo or studio. AAA profit to only sufficient. Western or eastern. etc ...

[@Atticus_Moore]

I hear you, BUT I'm going to make a 3D open world RPG alone anyway. It's going to be a pain in the ass I'm sure.

[@DidierFuentes]

I like to see how everyone's been changing their mind on working on something you're passionate about. As someone who recently started working on my first game, the only thing that's really getting me through the hard days is the feeling of being able to play something I like and I built. I don't think I would be able to do this for a genre I don't like.

[@zejugames5045]

I think there's a lot more that could be added about genre mashups (like how Hades mashedup action RPGs with roguelikes, soft deck builders and visual novels) and also streamlined genres (like how Thronefall streamlined the city-builder /strategy genre).

[@a6gitti]

appreciate your content. honest, constructive, guiding 👍

[@CastleClique]

I recently discovered this channel and I love it!!! It's so refreshing to listen to people who talk about the reality of being an indie dev. Versus people like Thomas Brush, who are lying to their audiences and only care about selling courses.

[@markguyton2868]

Well, as someone who has put rubber to road and crashed immediately, I learned that I don't comprehend code... which is not good since I need that to actually make games. Also proves 8 years of college study and practice on a singular topic don't mean much if you can't do it out of class environments.

[@EijixxD]

Hey, I was wondering, where do you find those images you guys use in the thumbnails?

[@NicoGamedev]

They are AI generated

[@Pewsplosions]

Ah... the folder of shame. **glances through with a tear in eye**

[@SenkaZver]

IMO it's a triangle. Passion, successability, and achievability. At the start, it's a balance of the three and few will hit all three. Achievability is the most important for experience grind so you have to balance or sacrifice passion or achievability to help you finish the game (and like it) and the ability to make money which can help you make better games you're more passionate about.

[@ultimaxkom8728]

I prefer 3 separate bars with date tags instead of a triangle.

[@Kolbiathan]

Hey this isn't how Marnix lives frugally 😡

[@PharaohsGameStudio]

yeah, i want that video

[@ultimaxkom8728]

surviving only by garlic video when?

[@clubtonberry]

Although it has a bit of a stigma around it, using something like RPG Maker is also a good learning tool for beginners and is a basic turn-based combat system. No, you don't necessarily learn how to code and it's essentially a pre-built game you just modify, but it definitely gives you ideas on the basics of design, story and baby's first foray into things such as 'if' statements, switches, formulating cutscenes and other game mechanics. If you're completely new to game dev it's definitely a good learning tool and the genre is super basic stuff, that can be modified with the use of javascript plugins.

[@agronacilius4584]

So I have an idea about this open world RPG game Im gonna make :D

[@DestinedDotCom]

you have a heaps high subscribe percentage!

[@Gorgutzdaboss]

I like tycoons and I'm making a tycoon I want to play. The passion of making the game is what is getting me out of bed.

[@humman007]

Action RPG in 3D open world still isn't worst game for solo gamedev beginner, Holly Grail will always be MMO RPG

[@francescobrunocia3110]

I’m a generalist, I’m trying to do a racing game but alone it takes more time that the one I have, anyone that wants to help?, I’m a Unity developer looking for dev buddy open to share equally the glory

[@celsladroma8048]

i think the best GENRE are not that complicated one but it the must be the simplest genre.. if you having the complicated game like AAA game then it should to work hard the storyteller to make it simple to understand.. and that's why copywriter are paid so much than the game developer itself because they convert complicated one to simple one...

[@DevNevinYoutube]

Consider not quitting your job and make games as a bonus income. You need to make a huge amount of money for games to be worth it after the tax man comes and most games age like milk. You also don't get any benefits like 401k match and health insurance which is normally more expensive if you get it on your own.

[@Lacotemale]

I didn't research genres. I just started to make the game I wanted to make. Which happens to be online multiplayer RPG. 🤣

[@NatureBeholds]

I will say first publish and finish two game with other genres or maybe just single player instead of making it now. The two games have to be a commercial game not a side project

[@Lacotemale]

@@NatureBeholds Oh I'm near the end now. So I'm gonna just publish this one. Took almost 4 years part time dev so far.

[@NatureBeholds]

@@Lacotemale 💀💀

[@NatureBeholds]

@@Lacotemale also reply by sending link to your game

[@scotmcpherson]

Ok so I completely disagree, but with a caveat; a developer should do some practice projects to learn concepts and scoping, but there is no reason why they shouldn’t pick whatever genre makes them passionate. I have tons of practice projects, but my first real game project was an MMORPG. Why was this ok? I understood the scope of what I was getting into ahead of time, and I understood I may be spending many frustrated weeks trying to solve a single problem. Bottom line, just understand what you are getting yourself into.

[@scotmcpherson]

By the way, that all being said…I also steer new devs away from big games like that, but….if I don’t scare them away, then by all means give it a try.

[@dafff08]

when it comes to learning it doesnt hurt to dabble in to different genres just to get a feel for it. however some project are just not feasible for a solo dev. theres a reason why stardew valley is a sprite based game, rather full 3d. 3d worlds bring a whole new host of challenges and requirements with them, like voice acting, animating/mocap etc etc. as much i would love creating a fallout style game, its just not possible without a team. and even with a team the bar is still quite high.

[@ultimaxkom8728]

This _complete disagree(ment)_ feels like coping. Remember, what works for you may not work for most. Differentiate _general_ advice from the personal, and don't infect people.

[@scotmcpherson]

@@dafff08 while I understand what you are saying and why. I don’t agree. It’s a big scope for sure, but if you can stay halfway organized and remain motivated. You can do it.

[@ultimaxkom8728]

@@scotmcpherson That's simply poisonous for a beginner. It heavily hinges on the word _"motivation"._

[@treestudiosuniverse]

hey man i have only 1 heart , how many time u goona win that , amazing information , thank you :)

[@paluxyl.8682]

I have watch or listen to over 100 videos about game development, some are helpful others not so much. It always depends on the person, but I would say to make a good 2d plattformer is much harder than a mediocre but awesome looking 3d open world rpg. The reseons why I think so are : - Just take the Unreal engine and make a world with the landscape tool that is 10 x 10 kilometers (or miles) put a nice character in it and of course some music = you got a nice looking open world game ... now you just need to put some quests (go from A to B , from B to C ... and so on) and some enemies in it = you got a nice looking simple 3d open world rpg. Even a beginner with a small budget (under 500 Euro/Dollar) should be able to make a game like that in few months (or just few weeks) and if the artstyle appeals to the audience it's possible to earn a little profit. - It takes much more to make a good 2d plattformer that stands out, you need to draw all the art, design good levels, you need many game mechanics like moving walls or spinning plattforms, Boss battles needs extra mechanics, ... not sure how much time an absolute beginner with a small budget (under 500 Euro/Dollar) would need to make a decent 2d plattform game that is at least on the level like a good Super Nintendo or a Sega Genesis game. I got no idea about to success of 2d games, but I would suggest to make 2d plattformers with sexy Anime characters. Btw, not many people know that it costs $100 to put a game on Steam, that means your game needs to be for you worth it or good enough to pay this fee. I was shocked to read at the comments that some people from poor countries need to work a whole month just to earn $100, I think that's sad and Steam should have an extra fee option for people from very poor african or asian countries. I think it's sad ... but I don't know a single game from Africa that was made by black people. 😭

[@nicknew907]

BiteMe Games, I think a lot of your advice is really sound and I enjoy the channel, but sometimes I hear you mention topics like short development cycles that I disagree with. This leads me to my question, what credentials does BiteMe Games have? This is a serious, non inflammatory question btw, zero toxicity or hate towards your team. From a google search (so I'm sure it's inaccurate) it says your studio has ~$7500 from revenue of game sales. Your studio has one game released with ~23 mixed reviews on steam. You certain have more experience than me, a rookie solo game dev, but after seeing those statistics sometimes I feel like the blind being led by the blind. Is there something accrediting your opinions on marketing, sales, and development strategy other than releasing forge industry that I'm not aware of? How do you know that things that work for your studio that you learned from the release of your first game apply to other studios or indie devs? I really am not meaning to sound inflammatory, it's a hard question that I'm very curious about, thank you in advance.

[@ryuusaisai]

You answered it yourself though with "Is there something accrediting your opinions". Keyword here being opinions, it's their vision they've been sharing and they're taking us along for the ride with how they are approaching it. Their videos don't come across as "this is the only way" or "how to become the next stardew valley". You can take their knowledge and experience and see if you can apply it to yourself, or if you don't want to that's fine too.