Understanding Pain Points in Game Design

Pain Points are often the understated killer of many games, and we're going to discuss how to spot them and some common mistakes for developers to avoid.

Josh Bycer lays out the concept of a “pain point” in game design - distinct from difficulty spikes or sources of challenge, pain points are sources of frustration that prevent players from engaging with the game’s core experience. They can be difficult for designers or fans to see, because once you’re used to them and willing to put up with them they become easy to ignore - but they’re important to notice and remove because each pain point a player runs into can be the final straw that causes them to abandon the game.