Recently we had our current build (v0.9.48.20230305) analyzed and torn apart by the great game design essayist from Games Over Coffee and GOC Consulting, DeVaughn Keys and let me tell you that was quite surreal.

I'm not here to talk about what DeVaughn said for two reasons: 

1. I'm still processing it.
   
2. You can watch him say it much more eloquently here:

I'm here to try to lay down how important it is to have someone like him take a critical look at your project. 

You may think that playing your game constantly is a key part of game development, and it is, but there are a few (a lot) things that you cannot test for yourself, no matter how hard you try. You are simply too close and what you think might be problems may not even be the issues you should be focusing on.

Getting a fresh set of eyes will improve your development and your game exponentially. They will point out things you had given for granted, aren't at all clear, or don't communicate what you wanted clearly or at all. They'll make you realize that the experience you are aiming for is one that you cannot have yourself. 

"That's all well and good Azrael, I get it 'find a fresh set of eyes'. " - You say  - " but where do I find them?" 

And the answer is... complicated.

The first step is to reach out to those close to you, and although getting them to play a buggy mess of an idea you are trying to turn into a game is hard, nothing is harder than sitting by them and watch them struggle in SILENCE. If you can just shut up for however long they are willing to suffer for, you will learn a lot on how to make the experience less sucky for everyone until it's something they can enjoy.

To help with the "shutting up" part, grab a piece of paper and a pencil and scream to the pages about what is happening an most importantly when is happening.

Asking those close to you, has its pros and cons. Pro: They like you so they will try to help you in some way. Con: They aren't that many, you will run through them quickly. 

Once you have gone through everyone in your close circle at most thrice, that's it. They are too close. It's time for step two.

Strangers.

Asking strangers also comes with pros and cons. Con: They don't care about you or your game, so its harder to get them to help you. Pro: there are millions of them, someone will play your game. 

We mostly post on our socials, our Discord and reddit. This last one being the most helpful although not a lot of uptake. The few post that have garnered some comments have been really helpful. 

Our subreddits of choice are:

• /r/DestroyMyGame
• /r/PlayMyGame
• /r/IndieDev

The important thing is to provide some sort of value to that community. We try to do that with varying levels of success. Regardless, we will continue to try to get a fresh set of eyes on Hope and our posts constantly and learning from what works and especially from what doesn't.

See you all next time.