Book - The Game Development Strategy Guide

28 Aug 2025

New talk debut: Modern Motivators of Play

Book, Events

Game Development Strategy Guide author Cheryl Platz was honored to debut her new talk, "Modern Motivators of Play," as the kickoff to her book tour at McCaw Hall during the inauguaral SLICE (Seattle Loves Indie Creators Expo) conference on August 27, 2025. Cheryl's talk expands on the Motivators of Play introduced in Chapter 1 of her book The Game Development Strategy Guide: Crafting Modern Video Games That Thrive, and covers some context that didn't fit in the book. Talk Summary In the first portion of the talk, we cover more of the detail behind some of the many motivational frameworks…

27 Aug 2025

Author Cheryl Platz launches book tour for The Game Development Strategy Guide at Seattle Indies SLICE on August 27

Book, Events, Press

Explore changes in player motivations backed by theory and data paired with ideas in Cheryl’s microtalk “The Modern Motivators of Play” at McCaw Hall SEATTLE, WA, UNITED STATES, August 26, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Author, game developer, and creative director Cheryl Platz is honored to be launching the book tour for her new book, The Game Development Strategy Guide: Creating Modern Video Games That Thrive, with a microtalk intended to help indie game developers recalibrate their understanding of what drives today’s demanding video game fans based on industry scholarship, research, and data - all while gamers and game developers from around the…

25 Aug 2025

The Game Development Strategy Guide receives “Get It” recommendation from Kirkus Reviews

Book, Press

We're thrilled to share that the experienced reviewers at Kirkus Reviews appreciated the Strategy Guide's unique and accessible take on the video game industry, yielding a "Get It" recommendation for their readers. "Platz treats the history of gaming with reverence, mentioning deep cuts such as MadMaze alongside indie darlings like Unpacking; this makes the guide feel truly all-encompassing—as expansive as an open-world RPG—in a way that will resonate with industry insiders, newbie developers, and curious players alike. A wide-ranging introduction to how games are made, balancing insider rigor with accessibility."Kirkus Reviews: The Game Development Strategy Guide, August 21, 2025 Head to the site…

14 Aug 2025

Strategy Guide and Podcast Merch now available!

Blog, Book, Enduring Play

If you just don't have enough purple in your life... or, more importantly, you're looking for wardrobe additions that'll spark interesting game development conversations, the new merch collection for The Game Development Strategy Guide and Enduring Play: A Game Development Podcast is here for you. The launch products include: Enduring Play Podcast Logo Apparel and Merch "My Video Game Art is More than Pixels" Spectrum of Game Art Apparel and Merch "What Makes You Play" Motivators of Play Apparel and Merch If you don't like the main product offered, scroll to the bottom to view alternative offerings like other types…

06 Aug 2025

Cheryl’s Microtalk at Seattle Indies SLICE

Book, Events

Cheryl is honored to be bringing her first talk from The Game Development Strategy Guide to Seattle Indies SLICE at McCaw Hall on Wednesday, August 27. Cheryl will be delivering a 10-minute microtalk: "The Modern Motivators of Play" - that provides data to support the change in player motivation over the last few years, and what that means for the areas of the gaming market that need the most love. She will be available afterwards for Q&A, and will be signing bookplate stickers for her upcoming book The Game Development Strategy Guide, which is available for pre-order and releases September…

13 Jul 2025

Chapter Quest 15: Video Game Launch Party

Chapter Quests

Objective: Observe a game launch unfolding in real time conditions from a player perspective. Inspired by material from Chapter 15: Failure to Thrive QUEST: Choose 1-2 upcoming games that you can track that have not yet launched. Add them to your wishlist, follow them, or pre-order them so you can get updates. Then, revisit this page for suggestions on how to journal your lived experience as a player going through this launch period. First, select one or more upcoming games. Try some of these Coming Soon lists from popular marketplaces. There aren't very good mechanics for mobile game prereleases, so…

13 Jul 2025

Chapter Quest 14: In the Details

Chapter Quests

Objective: Learn to balance great ideas with the challenges of delivering great video games Use material from Chapter 14: Let the Right Ideas Win QUEST: Review the publicly available technical requirements for one of the major hardware platforms: iOS/Apple, Xbox, or Epic Games Store(other platforms are not publicly available.) What is most surprising? How might you use a framework like MVP or MoSCoW to include these requirements? Select one or more of the following requirements definitions to review: Apple App Review Xbox Policies and Requirements Epic Games Store Requirements For each set of requirements you review: Review your selected requirements…

13 Jul 2025

Chapter Quest 13: What’s Your Role?

Chapter Quests

Objective: Map your skillset into the general game development process alongside other disciplines. Use material from Chapter 13: The Good and Bad of Game Dev Processes QUEST: Review the phases of game development and reflect on your specific role in each of these phases. Where are you needed most? Where do you need others most? Review the phases of game development and reflect on your specific role in the game development process. If you're an aspiring developer, reflect on your desired role or roles. When are you and your skills needed most? What deliverables do you own and during which…

12 Jul 2025

Chapter Quest 12: Peeking at Platforms

Chapter Quests

Objective: Level setting about the current state of video game platforms and marketplaces. Use material from Chapter 12: Gaming Technology Platforms Visit 2 different game marketplaces: Steam (store.steampowered.com) and one of its major competitors like the Epic Games Store, itch.io, or GOG. Take note of what is shown on the main page. How is content featured, and how would you as a player navigate the store? For each marketplace you visit, complete the following tasks: Note what attracts your attention first. Did it catch your eye because of art, animation, or text? Did you receive a popup or other targeted…

12 Jul 2025

Chapter Quest 11: Pin the Tail on the Game Economy

Chapter Quests

Objective: Weigh the relative nuances of different game monetization models against each other. Use material from Chapter 11: Efficient and Ethical Economies QUEST: Choose at least 2 of the games you analyzed in previous steps and identify where they land on the Spectrum of Game Monetization, keeping in mind that "free to play" is rarely the only thing happening. Which quadrant does each game land in? Visit the Reddit forums for each of the games you're analyzing. How does player sentiment support or contradict your analysis? For any games that offer loot boxes, take a moment to examine the loot…