I am intrigued by the way that younger players from outside the core “AAA” gaming bubble seem to respond super well to games that are… social, lofi, watchable, and “janky”.
Lethal Company, Palworld, everything in Roblox, Five Nights at Freddy’s, even Minecraft.
The “janky” part is the most interesting bit to me. Why is this appealing, why does it work well for this audience in particular?
I think it’s something about the way that rough, unpolished systems interacting with each other creates surprise and humor but also player expression.
I also think that unpolished, systemic gameplay sets a mindset. It signals to players that this is gonna be a goofy and wild ride. It frames bugs and roughness as part of the experience instead of an interruption of it.
Highly watchable stuff.
The fact that players who aren’t Gamers™ are MORE accepting of lofi stuff is an inversion of the common wisdom from a decade or so ago, which was that higher production value=broader appeal.
Less “game literate” markets were seen as less willing to accept rough edges.
My last observation is that lower budget games are made with smaller teams, and smaller teams have an inherent huge advantage for creative alignment and expression. We’re seeing a less hindered, more authentic expression of the creator when we play something made by fewer people.
And the kind of games that are made with low barriers of entry are more accessible to younger folks making games. MILLENIALS are only barely reaching the point of having creative power in AAA studios; the Gen Z-led games are in spaces like Roblox and low-$ indie.
I’m an outsider looking in; I have a very small window into the world of what kids and teens are playing, and I struggle to enjoy a lot of these games (ie, Roblox games) personally. I’d love to read deeper analysis from game designers who are more in touch with that audience.
But even from where I stand I think there are probably interesting lessons to take away from all this about what audiences are or are not willing to accept, and about how “low production value” can not only be ok, but an asset.
And I don’t think these are particularly new dynamics! I spent seven million hours playing the jankiest possible use-map-settings custom maps in Starcraft when I was a teen.
Every time I try to put myself in the headspace of the kids playing Roblox I just try to remember that.