Multiplying Your Game Length by Four Hundred

Great Dungeon in the Sky is a fun little indie game that made its rounds online a while back, “little” describing the size of the character on screen and not the depth of the game.  If you haven’t played it, it’s a simple action sidescroller with an expansive world to explore and conquer in rapid fashion.  But in addition to being an enjoyable indie title, Great Dungeon in the Sky stands out as a stellar example of one of the most important lessons in game design: how to cheaply extend game length.

By “cheap” we mean some design that doesn’t require a great deal of work on the part of the programmer or developer.  And for student developers who are busy with school and other pursuits, cheap development is essential.  Sure, you could make your game twice as long by putting twice as many hours into new features and artwork, but if you can get that same amount of length without the effort and without lowering the quality of the experience, that’s a big win.  20% more work for 80% more game?  That’s a trade that every developer should be searching for.

Lengthening a game is an art, however.  Stretch the features too thin and the game becomes stale and boring.  A good developer will be able to pull the game’s design right up to the point of breaking; a fully realized and fully explored system that doesn’t overstay its welcome.  Hours of fun for the player and hours of development time saved for the creator.

Great Dungeon could have easily been a game that took only 10 minutes to complete.  You jump around attacking enemies and advancing through the levels, and you’re done.  But the game doesn’t stop there.  Many games have character select screens, but this game’s character select screen has something…unusual going on… WAIT! There is more to read… read on »