Alright, so given that I have been criticized for writing games for kids (by which I usually mean 12-14, not younger than 10), It's about time I told the site about why I am so obsessed with a specific audience. To put it simply:

I wish to create a work of art/media that triggers the same fan-reaction, the same feeling of awesome, the same feeling of appreciation (both then and now) of the media I had experienced when I was a child and tween.

Granted, there are many other reasons that I do this (games are cool, for one thing), and this mindset isn't going to get me anywhere in the AAA industry (hence why I plan on staying indie). But, those times in my life were just...magical.

I remember, way back in 2007, when I lived in Utah. I was 9 years old, and I was an old (yet typically unskilled) hat at Pokemon. I remember being hyped completely out of control for the release of Gen4, and how excited I was when I finally got Pearl Version. That game defined my life back in those times (to this day, I often define periods of my life by the generation of Pokemon that was released at the time), and I was extremely, extremely happy in those days. This game brought me so much joy, so much sadness, so much...emotion that I just could not live without it. To this day, I cannot recall a better game.

Around the same time, I was introduced to Digimon (mostly through re-runs, though Savers/Data Squad was airing at the time). This franchise seemed to quench the only problem I had with Pokemon: the lack of gravity and intensity. I remember staying up late to watch Digimon Tamers and Frontier (the former is my favorite season), and the utter hype and adrenaline rush I got from watching the fights, the utter sadness from the deaths and falls from grace, the utter horror and "WTF" from seeing the D-reaper for the first time.

Years later, in 2011, I was going through the utter hell of middle school. In the face of mockery, bullying, and stupid, unsympathetic staff, my imagination ran wild in my positive times, Inspired by the then-new 5th-generation of Pokemon, Bakugan, and Beyblade: Metal saga. I was more mature, yet bucking under increased pressure. These works helped me through those difficult times, helping me cope, and giving me hope to stay through school until I could take it no longer.

These were my glory days, and I intend to create games that inspire the same feeling.That is the reason I target that audience: to create something that will bring some youth, any youth, even if it is just one, a similar or even the same feeling of joy and emotion, the same hope to face life's difficulties, the same message about surviving the Dark Souls magnitude maelstrom of setbacks and disappointments that is life.

so, given that my creations have been disparaged because of an uncommon (for a game) target audience, I hope you critics out there know why. I don't conceptualize and hope to make games for profit (with literally one exception), I just hope to create an artistic experience that kids will enjoy, think is awesome, and cherish well after their initial exposure.

That is why I write and conceptualize games.

Alright, so given that I have been criticized for writing games for kids (by which I usually mean 12-14, not younger than 10)

Why would someone criticize you for targeting a specific audience?

If you are targeting a specific audience, which is fine, why is it important that we know why?

In one of your previous threads, I think the biggest question was "what is 'young adult' in terms of games?". People weren't saying, "Don't target it!", they were asking, "If our definition of Young Adult is different than yours, could you explain what you mean so we're on the same page?"

I don't think anyone (in that thread) was saying, "Don't make it!", they were saying, "What, precisely, do you even mean?" (though not in those words).

I think the only thing people argued about was if your age bracket was too narrow. Seeing how 12-14 implies a very narrow age band, and usually games are targetted at kids (3+, 6+,...), teens (12+), or adults (16+, 18+), which just implies a target group (meaning this group is more likely to pick it up than older groups), and a minimum age thei player should have to not get into legal hot waters.

I agree with servant on that I read answers to your thread more in a way of trying to understand WHY you would want to go with such an unusually narrow target group.

Hey man, you don't have to justify or explain yourself to anyone. Just do what you do, do it well, and be happy. Try to do it such that you can be self-sustaining (ie, make enough money to pay rent and buy food). I'm sure a lot of young boys and girls will enjoy your work and be similarly inspired by it. Don't rob the world of your future contributions because of a few critics.

Yeah. I get it.

I just wanted to explain why to people like you. Thing is I just write games because it is my passion. That being said, I am serious about making them (despite the fact that I only plan to enter the industry part-time).

I do have a bit of a problem explaining myself on these forums. I used to get really upset when somebody did not understand my concept or said it was something that I never designed it to be. I don't anymore, but it's still frustrating.

That, and I really don't know that much about the lexicon that game developers use.

All that being said, I am very serious about making games.

I do have a bit of a problem explaining myself on these forums. I used to get really upset when somebody did not understand my concept or said it was something that I never designed it to be. I don't anymore, but it's still frustrating.

My solution to that is to delusionally pretend that any disagreements are because they just didn't understand me, and keep on explaining and re-explaining until they get bored and walk away. :P

Because obviously if I explain myself clearly enough, everyone will see how brilliant my ideas are. :lol:

(That's my actual mindset, that I have to remember to not trap myself in)

Thing is I just write games because it is my passion.
That being said, I am serious about making them
All that being said, I am very serious about making games.

The thing is, so is everyone else. Passion and seriousity (with dashes of whimsy) is basically the baseline of the industry. :)

You didn't work or sweat for your seriousness or your passion - you had it innately, and so does the majority of the people interested in games.

It's not what you start off with, but what you build on top of that passion and focus that'll put you ahead of everyone else.

That, and I really don't know that much about the lexicon that game developers use.

As you read articles and talk with other developers (or hobbyists like me), you'll pick it up as you go.

Extra Credits (YouTube) and TV Tropes have some of the terminology.

Yeah. I get it.

I just wanted to explain why to people like you. Thing is I just write games because it is my passion. That being said, I am serious about making them (despite the fact that I only plan to enter the industry part-time).

I do have a bit of a problem explaining myself on these forums. I used to get really upset when somebody did not understand my concept or said it was something that I never designed it to be. I don't anymore, but it's still frustrating.

That, and I really don't know that much about the lexicon that game developers use.

All that being said, I am very serious about making games.

Hmm. It sounds to me like you need to improve your communication skills. I know I do too, so it's been something I've worked hard at improving. This is particularly important if you want to be a writer, because the core job of a writer is to communicate an idea to an audience and have a majority of the audience understand exactly what you meant to say. There's no short cut around this aside from lots of practice with the intention to improve and refine your craft. If you're serious, write a lot. Everything is a rough draft until you ship. You're going to be tearing it apart and putting it back together many times. You should also get other people to read your work and then ask them to explain it back to you. What do they think happened in the story? Is that what you wanted them to think? If yes, carry on. If no, start investigating. I think we all make a lot of assumptions about what people know and don't know, and when those assumptions are wrong, people get confused or get a different message or meaning from it. The bottom line though is that if people don't understand what you said, it's almost always your fault (with a few exceptions). Lastly, I believe writing is an iterative process (much like making games) where you write your best stuff, test it by getting people to read it, then evaluate and revise until you get it right.

Why would someone criticize you for targeting a specific audience?

@Servant of the Lord: People have been criticizing the industry for targeting "adult straight males". So it is plausible that there are some bored critic wannabes giving him a hard time. Makes me think of a simple saying, "If the person playing it are offended by everything in your game, then chances are they aren't your audience and you can ignore them." Variants of the saying have been around for years, but it has resurfaced more frequently due to people admitting they never played a certain game, start demanding the game changed, and then again admitting they wouldn't play it even if the changes were made.

@Demiurgic_Amon: As a developer, you should never answer to anyone except yourself and your fans (unless you are working for a publisher or investor, then you have to answer to them too). Those who criticize you for your target audience aren't your target audience and can usually be ignored.

Age range when referenced as young adult is tricky because psychology (which everyone is taught variants of) has its stages while game development has broader stages and fewer. Erik Erikson's stages of development (psychology):

Infancy 0 - 1 yrs

Early childhood 1 - 3 yrs

Preschool Age 3 - 6 yrs

School Age 6 - 12 yrs

Adolescence 13 - 19 yrs

Early adulthood (young adult) 20 - 39yrs

Adulthood 40 - 64 yrs

Maturity 65 - death

While gaming has the ERSB rating that dictates age range targets to an extent (I'm limiting max age at 50 just for the example, but I acknowledge there are people in their 60s and 70s whom play games):

Early Childhood (eC) 3 - 10 yrs

Everyone (E) 3 - 50 and up

Everyone 10+ (E10+) 10 - 50 and up

Teen (T) 13 and up

Mature (M) 17 and up

Adults Only (Ao) 18 and up

Long winded point: Do what you want and don't worry about criticism. Your job is to make fun games. Truth is that there will always be someone offended and find something to complain about your games or your audience. Ignore them and just keep making games your way.

What I find awesome about many video games is that they able to appeal to both kids and adults much more effectively than most other forms of media.