TheAlkaizer
Game Designer
Working in games I had that discussion many times before a game hit the market. "What is success for this product?"
The only real answer is that it depends.
Some creators will seek to work full time on tabletop products. In that case, breaking even, being able to give themselves a salary, have some margin of profit to expand operations are all measures of success.
Some creators will do it out of creative and social motivation. They want to make a game or a product and have people play it. In that case, not having the game make a ton of money but having a dedicated fan base might be a definition of success.
Some creators are very focused on some impacts: more inclusion, better representation, less violence. Then having testimonies of players affected by your products, or players telling you how refreshing it is to have such a product can be a measure of success.
And of course, most creators have several motivations so it all blends it.
For example, the project I'm currently closing after six years of development led to a discussion where we know that financial success is unlikely, but we established that if the reviews were good, that the game ended up being studied and names in universities (it's a social impact game) and that the communities we worked with (eastern Canada natives) felt that we had done a good job representing elements of their culture; then the game will be a success.
The only real answer is that it depends.
Some creators will seek to work full time on tabletop products. In that case, breaking even, being able to give themselves a salary, have some margin of profit to expand operations are all measures of success.
Some creators will do it out of creative and social motivation. They want to make a game or a product and have people play it. In that case, not having the game make a ton of money but having a dedicated fan base might be a definition of success.
Some creators are very focused on some impacts: more inclusion, better representation, less violence. Then having testimonies of players affected by your products, or players telling you how refreshing it is to have such a product can be a measure of success.
And of course, most creators have several motivations so it all blends it.
For example, the project I'm currently closing after six years of development led to a discussion where we know that financial success is unlikely, but we established that if the reviews were good, that the game ended up being studied and names in universities (it's a social impact game) and that the communities we worked with (eastern Canada natives) felt that we had done a good job representing elements of their culture; then the game will be a success.
