When to Prototype and Why
summary
Always make a focused prototype when the team hasn't built the core before, with one clear question (fun, tech or retention) and measurable OKRs — e.g. objective: players reach level 20, key result: 50% hit level 20. Use quick Unity builds, Figma for UX, cheap Unity Store assets for art, and test UA/CPI by releasing on Play Store under a different account. Timebox development, ship a complete loop, accept throwaway/bad code, then kill it with fire and move on; keep objective = fun.
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chapters (12)
- 0:00Prototyping in game dev
- 1:11Prototype anxiety challenges
- 2:59Prototype audience and objectives
- 4:50Validating with player feedback
- 6:37Killing prototypes after use
- 8:25Choosing prototyping tools
- 10:07Simplicity in prototype design
- 11:10Prototyping in game dev process
- 12:59Effective prototyping principles
- 14:28Balancing polish and effort
- 15:55Releasing to test audiences
- 17:19Idea to prototype creation
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