Target audience: My nephew
Lately I’m trying to decide what I want my next project to be.
I have been toying with many different directions, but this weekend I stumbled upon a very different one: toddlers games.
This idea is different since as you can see in my 2016’s goals list, which haven’t drastically changed since, it achieves very few of my goals.
So why am I interested in this idea at all?
Because I have a nephew.
I’m creating games for him anyway, and I love that, so why not give it a shot in the digital world?
I started working on a small project, and I enjoy it. I keep having his reactions in my mind while developing and it’s a strong force. A refreshing force, much better than developing a game for an unknown audience, or for myself.
So my current plan is to make a very simple yet fun game for him, and see from there:
- How will my nephew react
- Did he love what I did?
- Did the personalization of the product made the difference for him?
- Will he prefer this new game over his alternatives?
- For how long will he play it?
- How will I feel?
- Will it fulfill me?
- Will I stay pumped?
- Will I be ok with neglecting the goals as I had them?
- Will this project make me proud, will I show it?
Is this the challenge I want?
I remind myself that we are our actions. I want to make a deep personal game, and as long as I make simple fun games, I’m not sure I’m advancing in the right direction.
But perhaps it’s ok. Perhaps the deepness of my games can grow with my nephew.
In life, every choice we make, means much more choices we have to let go. But as long as it is a good choice, it’s ok.
Other thoughts:
- How difficult is the transition from games-for-my-nephew, to games-for-toddlers in general
- Perhaps there is value in personalization, perhaps that can be my niche
- What about monitization? I will have to research the field
- The game will be in Hebrew, since that is my nephew’s language. Which is good for marketing, since there aren’t many good toddler games in Hebrew, there is a need.
One of the few I found: תינוקות וקטנטנים, has a nice amount of content, but is not polished at all, and as this is one of the better examples out there, it shoes the state of the Hebrew market.
But it’s also bad, because the Israeli market is not big enough for profit. But I can use it to try and see, and translate as needed. and I have a main job anyway. - Will my friends in the indie community look down on toddler games? Will it be something people at game conventions care about?
This is in no way a final decision, far from it. But it is a project I’m starting now, and I will publish my progress here.
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nice one! I love to read it…
thanks for sharing…