What makes a popular game?

[substitute541]

• A game that the audience would love. For example, a puzzle game might not be popular to people who play FPS games a lot.
• A game that isn't too easy and isn't too hard for the audience.

I happen to love Minecraft and there is sure as hell no Meth in my water.

Same.

[gamemaker91]

I happen to love Minecraft and there is sure as hell no Meth in my water. Plus you insult someone who typed up a perfectly smart reply and summarize it as rambling.

Actually it was an affirmation of his self-identified rambling, if you read carefully. Also, his reply was not intelligent, he began by laughing at most of my claims, which I found rather insulting.

[Plu]

I was asking a question that I know lots of people would love to know the answer to, so that they can acquire wealth. I am personally not very interested in making a popular game but more in making a game that I enjoy, for now at least.

If you want to acquire wealth, I'd suggest becoming a stockbroker or a doctor There's not that much money to be made in the videogames industry and a lot of it is dependant on luck or already being filthy rich.

Relevant : http://blog.brainhex.com/

I'd like to see the number of people who tested for each type...

I looked over their list of examples per type and I have played and loved at least one game in each category. I have also looked over their anti-classes and found situations where those applied to me in a game for each and every one.

[T-Bone]

One aspect I've been thinking a lot about recently is recognition. I've played every single Zelda game, and when a new one comes out, I go out and buy it instantly because I know what it will be like and that I will like it. And if someone makes a game and says "It's like *insert known good game here* but with...", then I'll be interested instantly. I think it's a factor that's easy to overlook.

[kikito]

Since you are asking for "popular", not "good" or even "fun" games, this is my list:

• Marketing.

On hugely popular games, marketing costs can be several times bigger than the development costs. (The article I'm linking here is from 2006, now it's worse).

Keep in mind that outliners like Minecraft or Angry Birds are the exception, not the rule. Most popular games just spend crazy money on marketing.

Indie devs, and definitively LÖVE devs, can't and don't work like that, of course. But they are also not usually popular, I'm afraid.

[gamemaker91]

I was asking a question that I know lots of people would love to know the answer to, so that they can acquire wealth. I am personally not very interested in making a popular game but more in making a game that I enjoy, for now at least.

If you want to acquire wealth, I'd suggest becoming a stockbroker or a doctor There's not that much money to be made in the videogames industry and a lot of it is dependant on luck or already being filthy rich.

I want to make good games this thread was just a side-thought

[Compost]

I looked over their list of examples per type and I have played and loved at least one game in each category. I have also looked over their anti-classes and found situations where those applied to me in a game for each and every one.

Well yah, I could do the same for most of the categories... but it's about general preferences and tendencies, not hard and fast rules.