Fallout dev Tim Cain warns to focus on bad games

We often romanticize the journey of a game—the triumphant success of a critical darling or a sales behemoth. But what if the true lessons in game design, and indeed in all creative pursuits, are found not in the celebrated masterpieces, but in the forgotten failures?

Fallout co-creator and prolific video blogger Tim Cain suggests that the negative inspiration derived from studying bad games can be just as fruitful for aspiring authors and designers as reading the classics. He argues that by examining games that failed to connect, we uncover essential truths that the success stories often conveniently overlook.

Cain points out a fundamental flaw in the video game industry: a severe case of survivorship bias. Publishers, focused solely on game sales, naturally gravitate toward analyzing only the hits, ignoring the vast amount of data hidden within the flops. Gamers, in turn, often chase popular titles, demanding more of what is already successful without understanding the deep mechanisms that made those games so engaging.

When developers and publishers only look for common features among successful games, they miss the broader picture. Cain encourages looking for the common features among unsuccessful games, proposing that this is where the real developmental insights lie. It is in the areas where games stumble that crucial, often overlooked, lessons about design and player experience are revealed.

This approach shifts the focus from superficial polish to deep understanding. Cain notes that a successful game isn’t necessarily defined by flawless execution. Many great games, he observes, possess features that might seem glaringly obvious to a casual observer—a low framerate, an atrocious user interface, or frustrating crash bugs. These elements are not mere flaws; they are part of the experience. By sitting with an unsuccessful game and genuinely investigating what went wrong, creators can learn more about the mechanics of success than by simply studying those that already won awards.

Ultimately, embracing the messiness of failure allows for a richer, more honest understanding of the entire landscape of game design. It reminds us that innovation often springs from the areas we mistakenly discard, turning perceived weaknesses into powerful educational opportunities for the next generation of creators.

#Bad games#Fallout#Game Design#Survivorship bias#Tim Cain

By Olivia Smith