Simulator - Whats the borderline between sounds boring or seems fun?

Looking for feedback from fellow developers. Currently in the works of a new game and I’m stuck with this question - would this seem boring on first impression? What makes a first impression? Thumbnail, title, what is the biggest factors. In unboxing simulator, the title is “unboxing simulator”, at first glance to me, this would be boring. What person would want to unbox stuff for a living in the real world? Another popular title is “Snow Shoveling Simulator”, at first glance, to me this would seem boring, I mean in the real world who would want to shovel snow, and this brings a big point, would a game’s title affect first glance reviews - a popular argument is what the title is associated with. Working delivery, unboxing boxes, and snow shoveling all seem boring in the real world, but are able to pull good first glance reviews, and the question is why? Does the title affect first impressions or does it not? This is a question I am seeking help for, and would truly appreciate your ideas.
[Please note I am looking for this feedback on simulator-type games.]

I believe good first impressions should be:

Good presentation and idea of game

Interesting game mechanics (Make it interactive/have the player be engaged)

Make introductions quick and not boring/don’t shove 500 text boxes in their faces as soon as they join :sweat:

Name of the game of course, have similar names to other games on a repetitive note can work in both ways, some players may prefer simulator games such as children/kids/youtubers/adults/etc, but it can also work the other way where they’re not interested in it at all as soon as they see it. (Like me :sweat:)

No clunky feeling (Kinda hard to describe so i’ll keep it short, have your game feel good to play and not give the players messy controls straight off the bat, let them learn it slowly and adapt to it if needed)

Try to make it not a grinding game, though some people may prefer it, it can lead to boring gameplay very quickly later on, clicking the same thing, doing the same actions, etc. Change it up once in a while and make it as interesting as you can.

Fun/inviting logo/thumbnails can also help with attracting players towards your game, rather than a bland snapshot of the game from studio ;.;

Though, of course, there are many factors you have to account and this may not be the perfect list but, it may help :+1:

This disregards one of my claims, I am interested in learning the impact of the name that can have on first impressions of a simulator. (Though the other information you have given is really helpful and I thank you for that)

1 Like

Depending on the audience it can change/vary quite a bit (Might sound stereotypical of course :sweat_smile:) .

An example of this would be Adopt Me!, while the name may seem generic for older audiences and adults, younger people may be more interested in it with it just being a simple title. It also gives you an idea of what it would be like, roleplaying, life, etc.

Another is Phantom Forces, the name sounds more ominous and dark while giving a somewhat good idea of what its like. Fighting, fps, etc.

As for an example of simulators, ninja legends is just a simulator however, renaming it to something else rather than using simulator is also one of the many reasons why its still on front page and hanging on, people seem interested, click on it, get disappointed (maybe) at first, then begin to like and play it.

2 Likes

It really depends on the general public honestly.

It would really seem boring if the title isn’t like a fun thing to do at first glance.
Like these two similar games.
NINJA LEGENDS and SABER SIMULATOR
So let’s start off with Saber Simulator, the name sounds boring at first impressions. But when you play it long enough, you might get addicted. The thumbnails are really good which would attract to the general audience.
Ninja Legends is a good title WITHOUT having simulator in the title. So it might attract to a big general audience at first impressions. BUT the gamepasses, ranks image look really similar to the thumbnails of NL which would lose variety of icons and images.
WEAKNESSES OF THESE GAMES
The longer you play these kind of games, the more you will get bored of. Simulators these days have repetitive plots. Click. Sell. Wait until Rebirth or Rank Up. Open extra pets.
CONCLUSION

  • Don’t name the game with having a word named Simulator on it because it might not attract players to play it. Like these kind of titles “Waiting Simulator”, avoid these. These are my preferred titles “The Artist Life”, “The Singer Life”. Avoid putting boring things on “The _______ Life”.
  • Simulator plots shouldn’t be repetitive enough since it’ll get boring for the public and eventually lose popularity quicker than the other game that became #1 for a long time, JailBreak. (Even though, it’s not a simulator.) Make the game interesting to play in the long run.

That’s my advice for you since I am also making a simulator that is different from these games these days to power more variety and imagination for ROBLOX.