If you reach out to me with your games I WILL be able to tell you (before release, earlier the better) #gamedev -around where it will land -its friction points -its magic moments -what problems you will be worrying about from "community feedback" -if you should push harder or get it out the door

Demos #gamedevs are GREAT with a big if IF your game is good. Its the same with everything If you try a sample and you dont care for it are you likely to eat from there ? If its good, its often a no brainer they will pick it up. The "too generous" of a demo thing is often fake.

A lot of games don’t fail because of budget, marketing, or luck. They fail because the fundamentals and planning quietly break player trust in the first 10 minutes. The scary part? Most teams never realize that’s what happened.

A game is offering $$$ for people to get views on videos I get it, teams want visibility But the sad part is we pour money into advertising while avoiding the work that would make visibility actually matter That product work is cheaper And it’s the part that changes outcomes 👇

The Changing part 2 🧶 Im BEGGING to get to a place where: Devs ask questions early Ego isn’t the blocker Skills and fundamentals are the foundation Marketing becomes an amplifier, not a crutch Teams realize that most problems ARE solvable with the right conversations 1-

This WILL happen SOON (Thread 🧶) For #gamedevs SOON someone way louder then me will start the conversation that games outcome is determined by skills and fundamentals. Success in game development is built on skill and fundamentals, not wishlists, not algorithms, not luck 1-

Hey #gamedev Tomorrow we are doing a #TheGameDoctor Design Talk on SYNERGY Ill be getting interviewed by Mr Joshua Kritz PHD at Queen Mary University of London Who is trying to discovery the true essence of SYNERGY in gaming WONT want to miss it

There’s this deep fear in #gamedev that “outsiders” only show up to tell you what to do That fear didn’t come from nowhere — years of Early Access trained devs to brace for a flood of feedback from players who demand things but rarely understand design or vision 1/3

Chances are #gamedev | You dont know how to punish players, you dont know how to create "harder" mechanics The hard truths from someone that digests the whole market FOR YOU #TheGameDoctor Reduce the noise, plug into powerful conversation 👇 www.youtube.com/shorts/vq6I0...

I've been #solodev ing for years now... Watching my hair develop on its own, collecting feedback, watching tutorials, checking analytics and cutting it all myself ✂️ and the results? ... Lets just say patches have been frequent and uneven edges you could call a aesthetic choice

One of the WEAKEST metrics we have for judging games and design is "ConCuRreNt PlaYeR CoUnT" Measuring games by player count is like measuring a meal by how quickly its eaten and not by how well its made Get plugged into real conversations #thegamedoctor #gamedesign

Hey #gamedev Today we did a free lesson on Curiosities and POWERFUL "difficulty" for your projects The most important thing is you guys are learning the right fundamentals so the market isnt "unpredictable" MOST OF IT IS NOT TRUE! Taste of today's Game Doctor space

I've been #solodev ing for years now... Watching my hair develop on its own, collecting feedback, watching tutorials, checking analytics and cutting it all myself ✂️ and the results? ... Lets just say patches have been frequent and uneven edges you could call a aesthetic choice

The most dangerous conversations Designers can wrap themselves in is trying to talk design with consumers A lot of it will resolve to "Well I like it" or "well people like it" What I want you to hear is "Well im comfortable with it" #TheGameDoctor #indiedev www.youtube.com/shorts/p0HgT...

Today we get to help the growth of a bunch of cool devs from the Swiss Game Hub Bootcamp! #indiedev #gamedev Start time- 10 min (link in bio)

Check it out #gamedev #indiegames Invited by Blobfish (Brotato) and partner Philomena (Stray Fawn Studios) for some Game Doctor action for a BUNCH of upcoming devs 🤓

Check it out #gamedev #indiegames Invited by Blobfish (Brotato) and partner Phiomena (Stray Fawn Studios) for some Game Doctor action for a BUNCH of upcoming devs 😀

Starting my Hollow Knight play through today! Ill be sharing commentary from a design coach’s perspective - Insights and observations - enjoying good conversation along the way! Should be a fun ride 🐛

Today for the Morning Sip we break down "KNIGHTICA IS REVIEW BOMBED" + "The Algorithms just hate me" We will talk about a systemic problem in the video game industry and shed light how to help it with simple solutions Should be a fun one #indiedev #gamedevs Link 👇

All PRE-Reviews this week 10 min with KNIGHTICA → we saw why it’ll go around mixed. 6 min with KILL THE BRICKMAN → found the friction points and what was holding it back. This is the power of The Game Doctor work. Get it early… or deal with it at launch. #TheGameDoctor

STICKIN it to the Stickman! www.youtube.com/shorts/qcnBy...

A GLOWING review from MERGE MAESTRO DEV! What a beautiful way to wake up... and yes my friend, why ARENT devs locked in to some of the most straight to the point leveling up they will ever get. Please help spread the word, this is the work FOR YOU GUYS BY YOU GUYS 😇

Community feedback ≠ deep game analysis It won’t fix years of drift or get you launch-ready Your publisher? They sell your game — they don’t coach it to greatness. The Game Doctor delivers the proven conversation your game needs to thrive 📈 Get in the conversation Get results

You can score the biggest publisher, 20QA testers, 3 open betas and still launch at Mixed Have seen it about 6 different times this month alone A conversation with the Game Doctor work is one of the most IMPORTANT things you can do for yourself and your work #gamedev

Your #TheGameDoctor reminder: if you launch without Save and quit you are saying its okay to NOT listen to the community and we don't care about the reviews. Dont patronize later saying "we are listening" They have been saying it for decades.. no you are not listening 💡

Game Doctor reminder: Created my business because these things break my heart, I can do something about it There is no magic You almost have to CHOOSE to go mixed Were missing a VITAL part of the #gamedev cycle Every writer has an editor Every Athlete has a Coach Every game needs a Game Doctor

Systems to stretch tension but keep STAKE to making "death/losing" matter is so important with a lot of Games If you are just "copying" old design without thought you will always be behind You are trying to keep tension but NOT without purpose! 💡 #gamedev www.youtube.com/shorts/GhBnd...

"During the actual coaching, Esty opened my eyes to many game design issues and showed me how to approach different problems effectively. As a result, I feel that I am a much better game developer and designer today. After our session I have a full head of ideas for improvements and new elements"

YO, we are having a wonderful time with @siristhedragon.bsky.social Project Silverfish so far! I like that the game is staying emergent and keeping me on my toes, also the sound design is helping build tension! Also this is a bug right? seemed unfair =( www.twitch.tv/esty8nine/cl...

Another #TheGameDoctor daily tip: #gamedev #IndieDevs Asking/reminding players that they can wishlist is great, but needs care how you do it and WHERE you do it For more Daily tips be sure to check us on our website, your hard work deserves it🤓 👇 www.youtube.com/shorts/dD_hs...

5 Minutes of your game usually tells everything about your Replayability making even your DEMOS very crucial to showcase properly #gamedev #indiedev youtube.com/shorts/7z1vF...

You cant get in contact EARLY ENOUGH! Every developer I work with says the same thing, even in the prototyping phase, get in contact, stress test your ideas. You will be kicking yourself later ESPECIALLY the more production value your game has #indiedev #gamedevelopment

Every day The Game Doctor work tries to level up people in the space for FREE most of the time its questioning simple concepts that then lead to results I had a few people reaching out that even this short has helped turn on light bulbs KEEP LEVELING UP #gamedev www.youtube.com/shorts/GmiVc...

Also to officially post it here, we now have the OFFICIAL GAME DOCTOR WEBSITE! Its still a big work in progress but im happy something is out there! You can read about the Space and even sign up for your free discovery call now to start getting your ideas/games leveled up 👇 thegamedoctor.net

Hey #gamedev #gamedesign #indiedev Today around 1pm EST (about 3Hrs) we are hosting our first Game Doctor Sandbox Seminar! This is a great opportunity and powerful space to bring your questions or things around your game you need help/guidance or encouragement on!

😲🤩🥰

One of the things I usually end up coaching my clients on is proper Synergy and Emergent gameplay. Its extremely powerful and games are usually far off. Here is part of a review for @starvaders_game that got me so proud for sure! THE WORK WORKS #TheGameDoctor

Coincidence? Writers with editors will make better books Athletes with coaches will be better Athletes Games with a Game Doctor will be better Games Haha, yes LocalThunk, by design we made SURE these would "slap" Glad you are enjoying 😊

Bunch of clients I got to coach release games this last week! Just wanted to share some 👇👇 @starvaders-game.bsky.social We really got to push the "Deck-Builder" Genre forward, QoL/UI you will be DEMANDING in all the others now, it plays SO unique as well store.steampowered.com/app/2097570/...

Your #TheGameDoctor Daily How the Blind leads the Blind 👁️ If you dont show or TEACH the consumer about where the hard work went they WONT SEE IT They dont understand DESIGN, you need to understand this, its PIVOTAL to your success #gamedev www.youtube.com/watch?v=LI8Y...

Tower Dominion is super cool Really good structure fundamentals are pretty okay(ish) Lacking sound design in a bunch of areas but otherwise highly recommend

I am the BIGGEST fan of this game BUT once again, this is showcasing a problem across the industry WE ALL NEED TO GET BETTER AT! We all want games to have save and quit features, this could and should be a standard!

Stuff you dont want to hear or they will NEVER tell you You Smelt ores to REMOVE impurities 🔥 You prune plants to encourage its growth 🌱 Conversations can level YOU up 📈 Stop "winging it" and create with confidence, seize your glory #indiedev #gamedev www.youtube.com/shorts/vzRSA...

watching this I would hope #gamedevs #indiedev see exactly how you guys let your games go MIXED and lose out on momentum and sales during the most important time of your game Simple conversations at the right time CHANGE THIS 🥳 www.youtube.com/watch?v=n50I...

When you leave your design and learning to consumers you get what you pay for. Stop blaming algorithms or or market and instead just learn and grow 🤦‍♂️ #TheGameDoctor

If we #gamedev #gamedevelopment dont SHOW them WHAT to value and appreciate assume they dont understand ANYTHING They don't SEE your hard work! OF COURSE NOT YOU NEED TO TEACH THEM Video Below 👇

MY NEWEST CLIENT! 🥺🥺 #TheGameDoctor Every single new client has a reaction like this, im SO GREATFUL FOR YALL Most of all you now have someone that fights and learns for you 10 hours a day, NO ONE ELSE can say that If you aren't plugged in, you are behind. Wish it weren't true

I can promise you, if you level up your conversations during development, YOU will also LEVEL UP. Your game will sell better Well less post launch scramble (Fixes/Band-Aids/dmg control) More time efficiency, less wasted dev hours

To kick this week of im going over recent launches, how I "predicted" (its obvious) where games will launch and why we have to go mixed to do something about it. Starting in 10, you know where to find us #TheGameDoctor

Tears of Metal is another im excited for, the demo was very consistent and fun But like most of these games today, the skeleton of the game is great the substance was weak. The "drafts" or upgrades were... not even drafts outside of this it was great.