I found a core difference between a stable job and a video game. A video game offers progression. You can take your earned resources and reinvest them to make even more profits. But coming up with a strategy to grow your business seems hard. What’s interesting is, that designing a progression for a video game is also hard. Maybe because it requires seeing opportunities for growth. And if you are a good game designer, you might also be a good business designer.
Let’s start with types of progression:
- scaling
- optimizing
- innovating
- diversifying
- expanding
- networking
- prestiging
A good example would be a hot-dog stand. How would you progress a business like that?
- scaling: hire more people, open more stands
- optimizing: be more time efficient
- innovating: invent new sauces
- diversifying: offer veggie hot-dogs, offer drinks
- expanding: find better areas
- networking: partner up with suppliers, event managers etc.
- prestiging: win competitions, get certificates, be on TV, stream your stand online
Now let’s bring this into the video game world. How would you progress as a warrior?
- scaling: gain experience, level up
- optimizing: improve your gear
- innovating: learn new skills
- diversifying: learn magic
- expanding: explore new dungeons/areas
- networking: form a party, recruit companions
- prestiging: gain titles like “orc slayer”
I want to make another thought experiment and think about how a package deliverer could have progression. Is that even possible? Everything a deliverer does is optimized for them by their company. Maybe that is why it is considered a stable/boring job. It’s also less motivating if progression doesn’t result in any benefits. Getting stronger as a warrior eventually leads to better loot and better jobs. So what if the deliverer gets stronger, faster and more intelligent? I guess there’s only one progression left: Leaving their job and finding a better job.
But what does that tell me about game design? If I make a game about being a package deliverer and I want to have a progression system for that, does that progression lead to quitting the job? I guess the deciding factor is ownership. If the deliverer owns their own business, they directly profit from delivering more packages in a shorter time. Therefore the progression matters.