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Lesson 1: Game Concept & Market Research

Before you invest months (or years) in your first indie game, you need a clear concept and a reality check from the market. This lesson walks you through defining your game idea, identifying your audience, and researching what already works so you can set a direction and success criteria you can actually measure.

What You'll Learn

By the end of this lesson you will be able to:

  • Articulate your game concept in a short, clear pitch
  • Define your target audience and where they spend time
  • Set success metrics that match your goals (learning, revenue, portfolio)
  • Research similar games and see what sells or gets attention
  • Write a one-page concept document you can share with others

Why This Matters

A vague idea like "a cool RPG" is hard to scope, market, or finish. A focused concept like "a 2–4 hour narrative RPG with turn-based combat for PC and Switch, inspired by older JRPGs" gives you a frame for every decision: features, art style, platforms, and marketing. Market research keeps you from building in a vacuum and helps you spot real demand and competition.

Step 1: Write Your Core Concept in One Sentence

Start with one sentence that answers: What is the game, and who is it for?

Formula: "[Genre] game where [unique hook] for [platform], targeting [audience]."

Examples:

  • "A 2D roguelike where you play a chef cooking under time pressure, for PC and Switch, targeting fans of short-session games."
  • "A narrative adventure where choices reshape the story, for PC, targeting players who like story-heavy games (e.g. Disco Elysium, Night in the Woods)."

Pro Tip: If you cannot fit the hook into one sentence, you may have two ideas. Pick one for this project and save the other for later.

Common mistake: Describing only the story or only the mechanics. Your one-liner should mention both the type of game and what makes it different.

Step 2: Define Your Target Audience

Who will actually play and (if you plan to sell) pay for this game?

Questions to answer:

  • Who are they? (e.g. "indie RPG fans on Steam", "mobile puzzle players", "people who like cozy games")
  • What do they already play? List 3–5 games your audience overlaps with.
  • Where do they hang out? (Steam, Discord, Reddit, Twitter/X, TikTok, specific forums)
  • What do they care about? (price, length, story, difficulty, multiplayer, mods)

Write 2–3 short paragraphs: "My target player is… They typically play… They care most about…"

Pro Tip: "Everyone" is not an audience. Narrowing to "people who loved Hades and Slay the Spire" is more useful than "action and strategy fans."

Step 3: Set Success Criteria

What does "success" mean for this project?

Examples by goal:

  • Learning: "Ship a playable build on Itch.io and get 50 plays and 5 written feedback comments."
  • Portfolio: "Finish a 30–60 minute vertical slice that I can show in job or publisher applications."
  • Revenue: "Earn $X in the first 6 months" or "Cover my direct costs (assets, tools, store fees)."
  • Community: "Build a Discord or mailing list of 200 people before launch."

Pick 1–3 criteria and write them down. You will use them later to decide scope and where to spend time (e.g. polish vs. more content vs. marketing).

Common mistake: Choosing only revenue as a goal for a first game. Adding a learning or portfolio goal makes the project easier to finish and evaluate.

Step 4: Research Similar Games

Spend 30–60 minutes researching games that are close to what you want to make.

Do the following:

  1. List 5–10 comparable games (same genre, similar scope, or similar hook). Use Steam, Itch.io, or storefronts for your target platform.
  2. Note for each: release date, price, rough review count or "popularity", and one thing they do well.
  3. Read reviews for 2–3 of them. What do players praise or complain about? What do they compare them to?
  4. Check visibility: How did you find them? (Steam discovery, wishlists, social, bundles.) That tells you how similar games reach players.

Pro Tip: Include at least one small or mid-tier indie hit, not only AAA. Their scope and marketing are closer to what you can do.

Common mistake: Only looking at games you love. Also look at games that tried something similar and underperformed; you can learn from their missteps.

Step 5: Write a One-Page Concept Document

Bring everything into a single document you can share (e.g. with a collaborator, mentor, or community).

Suggested sections:

  1. Working title – Name of the project (can change later).
  2. One-sentence pitch – The sentence you wrote in Step 1.
  3. Target audience – Short summary from Step 2.
  4. Core loop – What the player does minute-to-minute (e.g. "Explore room, fight, get loot, upgrade, repeat").
  5. Unique hook – What makes it different from the games you listed in research.
  6. Success criteria – The 1–3 goals from Step 3.
  7. Comparable games – 3–5 titles from Step 4 and one line each on why they are relevant.

Keep it to one page. If it gets long, cut details and keep only what someone needs to understand and evaluate the idea.

Mini-Task: Create Your Concept Document

  1. Draft your one-sentence pitch (Step 1).
  2. Write your target audience summary (Step 2).
  3. Set 1–3 success criteria (Step 3).
  4. List 5 comparable games with price and one strength each (Step 4).
  5. Assemble the one-page concept document (Step 5).

Save it as a Google Doc, Notion page, or markdown file. You will reuse it in the next lesson when you define your business model and revenue strategy.

CTA: Share your one-sentence pitch (or a short summary) in a community or with a friend and ask: "Does this sound like a game you would try?" Use the feedback to tighten the pitch.

Troubleshooting

"My idea is too big"
Narrow scope: one platform, shorter playtime, fewer systems. You can always expand in a sequel or post-launch.

"I don't know who the audience is"
Start with "People who liked [Game A] and [Game B]." Then find where those players talk (reviews, Discord, Reddit) and read what they say.

"There are too many similar games"
That can mean a healthy market. Focus on your unique hook and a specific niche (e.g. "roguelike for people who want strong narrative").

Recap and Next Steps

You now have:

  • A one-sentence game concept
  • A defined target audience
  • Clear success criteria
  • Research on comparable games
  • A one-page concept document

In Lesson 2: Business Model & Revenue Strategy you will decide how your game will make money (premium, free-to-play, DLC, etc.) and how that shapes your design and timeline.

For more on planning and scope, see our guide on building a game development business and help articles on publishing. Bookmark this lesson and share it with other devs who are still at the "idea" stage.