Game Development: How to Create a Bad Game and Make Everyone Miserable

Most people think that game development starts with a great idea. That’s wrong. If your goal is a bad game, you should bottleneck the process from the start.

• Limit idea generation: Only allow two or three people to come up with ideas. Discourage sharing and collaboration to maintain “competitive spirit.” The more isolated they are, the better!
• Avoid fresh input: Never hold brainstorming sessions. They’re expensive and waste precious time documenting and tracking.
• Focus on proper credit: Allow team members to “own” ideas, creating tension and ensuring they feel valued.

Pro Tip for Disaster: Ignore creative contributions from anyone outside the designated idea team. Innovation doesn’t need diversity—it needs control!

Want to alienate your audience? Ignore their feedback entirely. Players are all unique, so why bother trying to figure out what they like?

Here’s how to best save your time efficiently:

1. Don’t ask players or casinos for input—it’s biased.
2. Avoid data collection and testing—it’s expensive and prone to errors.
3. Dismiss industry knowledge—it’s just a byproduct of working, not something to value.

Instead of understanding your audience, invest your energy in “knowing” what might work. What could go wrong?

Bad games thrive on rigid deadlines. Set an arbitrary release date and discourage reporting or quality checks—these only cause delays. If the deadline is nonnegotiable, the team will “find a way” to finish, right?

• Avoid documentation: Verbal communication saves time, we can always write it down later.
• Prevent cross-collaboration: Sound designers should stick to sound, and animators to animation. Interference could lead to (gasp!) better results.

Include everyone but blame no one: The more people involved, the less anyone feels responsible for the final product.

If the game turns out bad (as planned), it’s time to assign blame. Always start with the least experienced team member—it’s probably their fault. Work your way up until morale hits rock bottom.

• Keep a mistake log: Focus on the people, not the problems. Make sure mistakes are never forgotten, ensuring the team is accustomed to high standards.

Ignore accidental success: If, by some fluke, you create a good game, don’t celebrate it. After all, good results should be the default.

At Fazi, we don’t believe in creating bad games or making anyone miserable. Instead, we focus on collaboration, creativity, and continuous improvement. Here’s how we ensure success:

• Open to new ideas: Everyone on our team can contribute.
• Player-first approach: We listen to players and analyze data to deliver what they love.
• Balanced timelines: Quality comes first, and communication ensures progress.
• Learning culture: Mistakes are stepping stones to better games.
• The Fazi spirit: Work should be fun, just like the games we create.

If you prefer our way of doing things, you might want to check out our open positions here. Join us in making games that players love and teams are proud of.

Disclaimer: If you’re still determined to make a bad game, feel free to follow the original tips above. Just don’t say we didn’t warn you!