Frustrated by boring preschool games, Elon Lee and his four-year-old daughter designed their own using craft supplies. This collaborative process led to 12 prototypes, four of which became successful retail products. It highlights the power of co-creating directly with the target audience, even young children, to build something they'll love.
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Referencing Christopher Alexander, the discussion highlights "unself-conscious" design, where creators build and adapt a product while using it. This direct feedback loop creates a more functional and soulful product than one designed by specialized "architects" who are disconnected from the end-user's experience.
The company's core philosophy is not to create entertaining games, but to create "games that make the people you're playing with entertaining." This principle guides their design to focus on facilitating interaction and connection, treating the game as a catalyst for a social experience rather than the experience itself.
The company's second and third games failed commercially, forcing a tough analysis. They realized Exploding Kittens worked because it was simple, fast, and intensely social. The flops were too complex or lacked interaction. This painful experience helped them codify the formula for their next hit, "Throw Throw Burrito."
The game's original name was the generic "Bomb Squad." Co-creator Matt Inman argued that being scared of a bomb is obvious, but being scared of "cute, adorable, fuzzy little kittens" is absurd and memorable. This simple, clever rebranding was a critical ingredient for the game's massive success.
When their Kickstarter momentum slowed, the team ignored monetary goals. Instead, they created "achievements"—absurd, collaborative tasks for the community. This transformed the campaign into a game, re-engaging the audience and driving growth by prioritizing community over cash.
Founder Janice Omadeke credits her entrepreneurial drive to a childhood game her father created. At dinner, he would ask his children to identify a problem they saw that day and design a business to solve it, including target market and go-to-market strategy, effectively gamifying problem-solving.
The team initially saw the large digital game board as the main feature. They later realized the unique, tangible game pieces were the most compelling differentiator from tablets or consoles and pivoted the entire marketing strategy to feature them front and center.
When designing for kids, the founder learned not to take feature requests literally. A child asking for a bike basket to hold rocks isn't just asking for a rock holder; they're expressing a deeper need for a versatile container for their adventures. The key in user research is to infer the underlying problem from their specific examples.
Club Penguin's founders lived by a simple rule: 'If it doesn't matter to an eight-year-old, it doesn't matter.' This filter forced them to reject prestigious but irrelevant opportunities like speaking at certain conferences, keeping them focused on their true customers: kids and their parents.
At the end of every design retreat, game designers must pitch their creations to the marketing team. If marketers can't envision a clear path to sell the product, they have the power to kill it immediately. This process ensures that every game developed is inherently marketable and commercially viable from day one.