A Simple Marketing Technique Learned From Roguelikes That You Can Use To Get Attention -- No Matter Your Genre

So if you're a small indie game dev, and you're NOT making a roguelike (or roguelite), then here's a simple reason why more and more players want roguelikes. Then after learning this reason, you'll get a step-by-step guide on how to use the same technique to find players -- no matter your genre.

Ok, here's what to do...

Why Rogulikes Sell So Many Games -- And What To Do About It If Your Game Is In A Different Genre

For the longest time, to get variety and replayability in a game meant you would have to play a 100+ hour game. Of course there were games that were shorter that had replayability. But for the most part, longer games offered players variety and more replayability.

For example, marketing terms like "open world", "4x", "procedurally generated", "choice and consequence", "branching paths" -- all these terms promise the same thing: variety and replayability.

But slowly players got tired of putting in so many hours, going through multiple playthroughs, just to get that variety and replayability.

And marketing terms like "open world" and "procedurally generated" no longer were appealing to certain gamers.

So slowly this problem of working so hard just to get replayability began nagging on players... and this problem started to surface to the consciousness of millions of gamers.

So then here come roguelikes to solve a HUGE problem in gaming. Rouglikes allow players that variety, curiosity, and replayability ...but FASTER, easier, and in a shorter time.

No longer do players have to slog through hours of a game, and play through it multiple times to be constantly surprised and see new stuff in a game.

Of course, there are still a lot of gamers who don't mind these long games. And of course there were always games that let players experience variety in a short time.

But here's why all of a sudden the marketing term "roguelike" (or "roguelite") is selling a lot of video games...

It Takes A While For Marketing Terms To Work And Grab Attention

In a market, awareness takes a long time to develop. For example, marketing terms like "open-world", "choice and consequence", "procedurally generated" -- these terms tell the player right away what to expect in a game.

But before these terms meant anything, it took these terms years to bubble up close to the surface of millions of players' consciousness. In other words, it took millions of players to adapt these terms, talk about them, and define them. It took years for these terms to clearly tell the player what they mean.

For example, there have been free-roaming, open-world games since the 70s and 80s. But it wasn't until Grand Theft Auto in 2001 that the term really meant something. And even still, it took another decade to really solidify the term. So now when I say "open-world" you know exactly what I mean.

And that's why the term "roguelike" is so popular all of a sudden. This term took a loooong time to solidify and make clear exactly what the player will get. And when the player sees this term, they know that they'll be getting surprises and replayability in a short time with less effort.

Again, this term took years to surface to the top of millions of player's consciousness. But once a term hits the surface of awareness, and now players clearly understand what they get, then BOOM, there's a mass desire to play games that use that term.

And of course, as more games flood the roguelike market, new problems and frustrations will arise. And the term "roguelike" will start feeling old and stale to gamers. And when that happens, gamers will start looking for new, fresh games that solve their new problem.

Ok, now let's take what you just learned so you can use it to your advantage to grab attention. And let's use these insights to help you find players even if you're NOT making a roguelike.

How To Use This Lesson To Help You Get Attention

Remember, the reason why players love roguelikes is because that term promises them replayability, surprises, and curiosity in short bursts.

But how does this translate to your game? Does this mean you gotta make a game that offers replayability in a shorter time?

No.

The idea here is to use the fundamental principle you just learned and implement it to your own game. So let's use that fundamental principle to help your game get more attention -- even if it's not a roguelike.

Here's how...

Step 1: What Core Desire Is Your Game Fulfilling?

There are many different desires that certain games fulfill.

For example, roguelikes fulfill the desire for replayability and surprises in one sitting. Players don't have to spend weeks or months playing a game to fulfill that desire for replayability.

But your game fulfills a different desire. So your first job is to figure this out. And it might seem difficult at first, but it's actually very easy.

For example, think about your car. What's the basic, fundamental desire that your car fulfills? Well, it basically allows you to get from one place to another quickly.

Ok, now let's use that same principle to your game: what's the basic desire your game fulfills?

To help you answer this, here's three examples:

What's the basic desire that a top-down shooter game fulfills? Well, because of this top-down perspective, it allows the gamer to see the entire map and know what's going on. Some people desire shooting games where they get to observe not just what's in front of them, but they want to see the ENTIRE field or map.

Or, what's the basic desire that puzzle games fulfill? Well, puzzle games let the player turn chaos into order. It allows them to try to solve problems without too much risk and with trial and error. It allows them to feel good after working on a problem and finally getting that "aha" moment.

What does a narrative game do? It lets the gamer experience a story. It allows them to be fully immersed in the story, as if they are writing the story as well because they are controlling the main character in a way.

Now look at your game. What's the very basic thing your game does? If you're still stuck, then think of the main action verb the player gets to do in your game. Shoot? Stealth? Read? Solve? Hunt? Survive?

Ok, next...

Step 2: In What Way Is Your Game Fulfilling That Core Desire?

Now that you have the core desire your game is fulfilling, let's figure out HOW the player is fulfilling that need.

So again, look at your car. It basically takes you place to place. But HOW does it do that? Well, it can take you there as fast as possible, or as safely as possible, or as fuel efficient as possible.

Same with a top-down shooter. How does the game let the player know what's going on in the map? Well, in a game like Hotline Miami, because the game is fast-paced, the player has to assess the map quickly and think fast and make decisions fast. But in a game like Door Kickers, because it's a slow-paced game, the player takes a more tactical, thoughtful approach to assess the map, and decide what to do.

Or with a puzzle game. Does the player solve a puzzle using the "lock and key" method, where there is only one way to do it (like for instance The Witness or Cocoon). Or does the player solve the puzzle using different tools and there is no one way to solve the puzzle (for example Mosa Lina).

So look at your core desire your game is fulfilling. Then answer HOW your game fulfills that desire.

To help you answer this, take your action verb you came up in Step 1, and then explain HOW in what way a player accomplishes that action. For instance, an action verb could be "survive". But how do they survive? What actions does the player have to take in order to survive?

Step 3: In What NEW Way Is Your Game Fullfing That Desire?

The key to getting attention isn't to copy what is working for other games and do that. And it's not taking what other games are doing and innovating on it.

The key is to figure out how your game is fulfilling a player's desire in a NEW way. That's how you get attention. The goal is so that a player lands on your Steam page or sees a post on Reddit, and says...

"Oh cool... I haven't seen that before!".

If you can get a player to feel that when they see your game, then they're more likely to wishlist it or check out more to see if they'd want to buy it.

And this is where I'm going to challenge you. This won't be easy. And it'll take a few days to figure this out.

So look at Step 2. And now I want you to figure out how your game is fulfilling that core desire in a NEW way that most games aren't in your genre.

And you might think that your game isn't that unique. But again, I challenge you. The more you think this over, and give it time -- maybe go for a few walks... or in the shower --- the answer will pop in your head.

Let me give you an example. Say I was making a top-down tactical shooter like Door Kickers. Well, my core desire I'm fulfilling is it allows the player to see the entire map. And how I'm letting them fulfill that desire is through slow-paced, thoughtful, tactical gameplay.

But if I just stop there, then I'm not going to get that "oh cool, I never seen that before" feeling. I'm just doing what other games have done. And people get bored playing "copy-cat games". They always want new and fresh ways to fulfill their desires.

So, I need to add something new, and fresh. Maybe make it a "one shot / one kill" combat gameplay. Or instead of a military theme, I'd use a high fantasy theme.

The idea here is to make sure you're not just copying what other games are doing.

And I know that there is something unique about your game. And that's your challenge: figure out how your game is fulfilling a desire in a NEW way.

I say this because that's what roguelikes are doing. They are fulfilling a player's need for replayability, constant surprises in a NEW way. And that new way is that they don't have to slog through 100-hour campaigns to get replayability. They can get that replayability faster, easier, and with less boredom.

So this is why this step is VERY important. I want you to uncover a problem your genre or market has. And to do that, you need to figure out how your game lets a player fulfill their core desire in a new and fresh way.

And I know it's not easy. It will take a few days for you to figure this out. But spend some time brainstorming. Then take a break. And try again. After some work, you will come up with how your game fulfills a player's desire in a new way.

But we're not done yet...

Step 4: Create A "Core Message" (i.e An Elevator Pitch) Using Your Game's Uniqueness

The goal of these steps is for you to discover your game's unique hook, and why it's different from other games.

And once you do, you then need to communicate your uniqueness in a way that clearly tells the player how your game is new and fresh.

To do that, you need to create an "elevator pitch" or what I call a "Core Message". This is a short sentence that tells the player what desire you're fulfilling and how you're doing it in a new, fresh way.

So for example, millions of people love the game of poker. But Balatro took that mass desire, and added a fresh, new way to fulfill that desire. And their elevator pitch / core message simply says...

The poker roguelike.

This simple core message is attention-grabbing because a player can easily imagine what a poker roguelike could mean. They don't even have to play the game to understand what they'll be doing in the game.

It's the same with your game. By looking at your game's core desire it fulfills, and then figuring out HOW your game fulfills those desires in NEW ways, then you can begin to craft a simple, clear, marketing message that will cut through the noise.

Again, you want to create a short, clear message that will make the person go, "oh cool, haven't seen that before".

To help you work on this, answer these two questions:

What does your game do? (You worked on this in Step 1 and 2)

In what NEW way does your game deliver what it does? (You worked on this in Step 3)

For example, let's say I'm making a top-down shooter.

If I say...

A Top-Down Tactical Shooter

...it's not going to get attention.

But if I say...

A High Fantasy Top-Down Tactical Shooter Where You Get One Shot One Kill

...that will get attention because it delivers something NEW.

Step 5: Every Marketing Message You Create Needs To Revolve Around Your Core Message

Now that you've come up with your core message in Step 4, you then need to craft a marketing message that amplifies your pitch.

So for example, read Balatro's Steam page. It basically takes their simple "elevator pitch", i.e. The poker roguelike. And then it unpacks it with more detail. It talks about poker mechanics. It talks about roguelike mechanics. It talks about how adding roguelike mechanics into a poker game makes this game more fun and replayable.

But again, all the marketing copy on that Steam page directly lines back up with their simple core message:

The poker roguelike.

This works because your core message grabs attention. It's what stops the player, and makes them curious about your game. And if somebody is curious about something, they want to search for a payoff.

It's like the player will say to themselves:

"Oh, I'm curious. You got my attention. But ok, now show me more... show me why this is cool and not boring."

So that's why I say every content you make about your game, always have your core message in the back of your mind... and always line it back up to that core message.

For example, say I'm making a top-down, high fantasy, one shot / one kill, tactical shooter. And I've updated the sound design. So I post this update on my Steam Community Hub. But instead of just talking about boring technical stuff... I would talk about how my new cool gun reload sound effects adds more crunch and immersion to the one shot / one kill mechanic. And I show the before and after.

Again, always have your core message (your elevator pitch) in mind whenever you're creating any content about your game -- and always line it back up to that core message.

Why?

Because your core message is what differentiates your game from other games... it's what will help you get attention. If you don't clearly communicate your core message any chance you get, then getting attention will be hard because you'll sound just like all the other hundreds or thousands of games -- and the player won't see any difference.

Still Stuck? Contact Me With Help

I know this stuff isn't easy. I'm throwing a lot at you for you to do. So if you're stuck, feel free to email me. Tell me you've read this article or watched this video. And tell me exactly where you're stuck. I'll try to help the best I can. My email is: dariusz at mainquestmarketing dot com.

Thanks for reading. I hope you got at least one idea to help you find players for your indie game. Good luck with game dev, and talk to you soon!

Hey Dev, What's Your Goal?

Launching soon, need wishlists? Click: Get Wishlists

Game sales low after launch? Click: Get Game Sales

Dariusz Konrad
My Entrepreneurial Story
Work: Game devs I've helped so far