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<\/div>\nSome of the most well trodden advice for indies is \u201cdefine your hook.\u201d A hook is what distinguishes your game from the rest. Superhot <\/a>had \u201can FPS where time moves when you move.\u201d This War of Mine<\/a> had \u201cnot everyone is a soldier.\u201d Untitled Goose Game<\/a> had \u201cyou are a goose.\u201d\u00a0 Finding a great hook is essential! This rule applies to other industries too; but they call it a \u201cunique selling proposition\u201d also referred to as a USP by big-shot marketing guys who want to garner higher consulting fees.<\/p>\n I have been re-re-reviewing my Steam research<\/a> notes on how people buy games<\/a> and this time something struck me. People rarely site the hook as the reason why they bought the game or wishlisted it. They usually said \u201cbecause I like the genre\u201d or \u201cmy friend recommended it.\u201d Again and again they almost always cited something about what makes the game familiar to them rather than unique. <\/p>\n \u201cThe Anchor\u201d is the factor that makes your game \u201cfamiliar\u201d or \u201csafe\u201d to your target audience. It is the thing that reduces risk in their mind. The hook is what makes your game unique. The anchor is what makes it relate-able. They are kinda like the antithesis of each other but more like the ying and yang.<\/p>\n Side note: the Anchor is just some term I came up for now. Not final, still workshopping it but let me know what you think<\/p>\n Here are some actual quotes that I recorded when people describe why they finally bought or wishlisted a game: <\/p>\n From my research typically anchors break down to the following categories. Note they are in no particular order. I don\u2019t know the relative strength or effectiveness of each. That is for future research<\/p>\n First-time-indies facing the cold reality of selling their own game on the open market eventually throw up their hands and say something along the lines of \u201cThese people are willing to spend $5-6 on some bland Starbucks but they won\u2019t drop the same amount on my original game with hours of original content! WTF?\u201d<\/p>\n Starbucks is a brand with branches on every corner and is rivaled only by McDonald\u2019s in its ability to deliver a standardized experience for a standardized price. You know what you are getting when you go to either of those establishments. There isn\u2019t any product with a bigger \u201canchor\u201d than them.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Your game is weird and risky to them. Who knows what they are getting when they download it.<\/p>\n Ok as soon as I wrote that headline I realize that it sounds like some hipster restaurant serving artisanal deconstructions of New England Clam Chowder<\/em>. <\/p>\n Anyway, when selling your game you need both a striking hook and a super solid anchor. Again they are the yin and yang of your product pitch to consumers.<\/p>\n You can\u2019t go overboard and wow them with a hook that is so out there, so original, so revolutionary that potential buyers have no idea what your game even is. If it sounds too risky to them, they are going to pause, say \u201clooks cool but I don\u2019t trust it.\u201d Then move on. <\/p>\n That is why you also need to back up your hook with one of the anchors listed above. You need to tell them \u201cHey look at this cool twist, but you are still going to enjoy it because it is just like this other game that you played and your friends like it and that streamer played it for 10 hours straight.\u201d<\/p>\n If you are a commercial indie be careful because if your pitch is so \u201cunique\u201d your target audience can\u2019t understand what you are selling. <\/p>\n The hook gets them to your store page but the anchor is what makes them push the buy button.<\/p>\n Oh and if you are making an art game or a non-commercial experience. You can leave the anchor at home. <\/p>\n Photo by\u00a0milan degraeve<\/a>\u00a0on\u00a0Unsplash<\/a> <\/em> <\/p>\n<\/div>\nEnter the Anchor\u00a0
<\/h2>\nExamples of Anchors
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Types of Anchors
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The Starbucks conundrum\u00a0
<\/h2>\nThe Hook & The Anchor\u00a0
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