What metrics do you use to evaluate your game project's success and impact?

1 Revenue and Costs

One of the most obvious metrics to assess your game project's success is how much money it makes and how much it costs. Revenue can come from various sources, such as sales, subscriptions, in-app purchases, ads, or crowdfunding. Costs can include development, marketing, maintenance, and licensing fees. By comparing your revenue and costs, you can calculate your return on investment (ROI), which tells you how profitable your game project is. You can also use revenue and costs to set realistic budgets and goals for your game project.

2 Engagement and Retention

Another important metric to evaluate your game project's impact is how much and how long your players engage with your game. Engagement measures how often and how deeply your players interact with your game's features, content, and mechanics. Retention measures how long your players stay with your game and how likely they are to come back. By tracking engagement and retention, you can identify what aspects of your game are most appealing and rewarding for your players, and what areas need improvement or expansion.

3 Feedback and Reviews

A third metric to gauge your game project's success is how your players and potential players perceive and respond to your game. Feedback and reviews can come from various channels, such as surveys, ratings, comments, forums, social media, or analytics. Feedback and reviews can help you understand your players' needs, preferences, expectations, and satisfaction. They can also help you spot and fix bugs, errors, or glitches in your game. By collecting and analyzing feedback and reviews, you can improve your game's quality and reputation.

4 Learning and Outcomes

A fourth metric to measure your game project's impact is how your game affects your players' knowledge, skills, attitudes, or behaviors. This metric is especially relevant if you are developing a game for educational or social purposes, such as teaching, training, or raising awareness. Learning and outcomes can be assessed by using various methods, such as tests, quizzes, observations, interviews, or self-reports. By evaluating learning and outcomes, you can determine how effective your game is in achieving your intended goals and objectives.

5 Innovation and Creativity

A fifth metric to appraise your game project's success is how your game stands out from the crowd and showcases your originality and talent. Innovation and creativity can be demonstrated by using novel or unique concepts, mechanics, aesthetics, or narratives in your game. Innovation and creativity can also be influenced by how you adapt or remix existing ideas, genres, or styles in your game. By showcasing innovation and creativity, you can attract and impress your players and peers, and establish your identity and vision as a game developer.

6 Social and Cultural Impact

A sixth metric to evaluate your game project's impact is how your game contributes to or challenges the social and cultural norms and values of your players and society. Social and cultural impact can be reflected by how your game represents or addresses issues such as diversity, inclusion, equity, justice, or ethics in your game. Social and cultural impact can also be affected by how your game fosters or hinders communication, collaboration, or community among your players and stakeholders. By considering social and cultural impact, you can create a game that is meaningful and responsible for your audience and context.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?