Stay hungry: The mindset behind great game development

This article was created by the Hungry Studio team

Success in game development is just as much about mindset as skill. That’s why at Hungry Studio, one of our core development philosophies is stay hungry.

This mindset and approach fuels innovation, experimentation, and adaptability in our team. We think game studios need to embrace a stay hungry mindset to build more creative and engaging games.

This article explains what stay hungry means and why it’s essential for game development. Our team will also share insights and advice on how studios and developers can encourage and cultivate this mindset.

Let’s dive in to see how the stay hungry mindset drives success and how you can apply it to your game development journey.

What is the stay hungry mindset?

Inspired by Steve Jobs’ mantra, we have embraced stay hungry as one of Hungry Studio’s core development philosophies. The stay hungry mindset is crucial because it fuels continuous innovation, adaptability, and long-term success in the competitive game industry. 

While this concept may mean different things to different companies, here is how we define it:

Stay hungry is a game development mindset and approach that harmoniously integrates respect for science, user experience, humility, passion, and innovation.

Practically speaking, the stay hungry mindset impacts our game development in several ways: 

• Prioritising player-centric development: Our team stays hungry for improvement by actively analysing players’ gameplay feedback. This approach has led to feature updates like challenge modes and personalised in-game elements that enhance player engagement.

• Adopting emerging technologies: We embrace cutting-edge advancements and use advanced technologies and scientifically driven methods to constantly iterate gameplay performance for players. Some examples are our core Block Algorithm, combo-like algorithm matrix, and A/B testing of game mechanics and design in Block Blast!.

• Encouraging scientific experimentation: We promote a culture where developers and designers test unconventional ideas. We conduct A/B tests to refine customisable difficulty levels, allowing casual and experienced players to enjoy the game at their own pace.

• Expanding creative boundaries: We explore different gameplay experiences that align with our core vision: To bring exceptional gaming experiences to broader and more diverse players worldwide. This ensures that our gameplay mechanisms appeal to a wide range of players.

We’ve found that while the stay hungry mindset comes naturally to some, it’s also a skill that can be nurtured within your teams. We have plenty of tips to share later, but first, let’s explore how the Stay Hungry Mindset enables game developers to create better games. 

8 reasons a stay hungry mindset leads to better games

A stay hungry mindset leads to better games because it fosters continuous improvement, innovation, and a player-first approach.

By embracing this mindset, game studios can consistently deliver high-quality, engaging, and innovative games that resonate with players worldwide. Some of the benefits of adopting this mindset in your game studio include:

1. Improve player experience: Staying hungry means never settling. Developers consistently analyse feedback and iterate to create a more engaging and enjoyable player experience.

2. Drive quality: A relentless pursuit of excellence results in polished gameplay, smoother mechanics, and better overall balance. 

3. Stay competitive: Continuous updates and improvements help to keep games competitive in a saturated market.

4. Encourage innovation: Always seeking new ideas pushes developers to experiment with fresh mechanics, storytelling techniques, and game designs.

5. Boost learning and growth: Developers remain curious and open to new knowledge, improving their skills and bringing fresh perspectives to game design.

6. Promote risk-taking: Teams are more willing to take creative risks instead of playing it safe. This leads to unique and memorable gaming experiences.

7. Build a passionate team: A studio that values continuous improvement attracts and retains talented individuals driven to create outstanding games.

8. Foster adaptability: The gaming industry evolves rapidly. A stay hungry mindset helps studios stay ahead of trends, technology shifts, and player preferences.

At Hungry Studio, we’ve seen firsthand how promoting and encouraging a stay hungry mindset has led us to create better games. For example, our flagship game, Block Blast!, is a classic puzzle game with innovative tweaks to make the game more intuitive and enjoyable.

Through exploration and iteration, we developed a groundbreaking “drag-match-disappear” style of play, which further evolved into “Block Adventure Mode” and “Classic Block Puzzle Mode.” 

By rigorously analysing player feedback and using scientific-driven methods such as AI-based robotic simulations and A/B testing, we continue to refine Block Blast!.

For example, when we noticed early drop-offs in certain levels of design, we applied scientific analysis to experiment with block shapes, scoring systems, visual feedback, and revive mechanisms. These refinements boosted player engagement, retention, and overall experience.

As of November 2024, Block Blast! Surpassed 40 million daily active users (DAU) and 150 million monthly active users (MAU) across iOS and Android devices. This success is mainly due to our developers’ stay hungry mindset and approach. Want to learn how to encourage, cultivate, and build this mindset yourself? Check out our tips below!

How to cultivate a stay-hungry mindset

At Hungry Studio, we encourage a Stay Hungry mindset among our team in a variety of ways: 

• A culture of curiosity and experimentation: We encourage our developers, designers, and marketers to test gameplay mechanics, design layouts, engagement models, and promotion strategies. We continuously engage in group brainstorming, where all team members can pitch ideas regardless of their roles. Team members are encouraged to pitch passion projects, some of which have evolved into successful game concepts.

• Embracing failure as part of innovation: Hungry Studio fosters a culture that celebrates smart risks, even if not every idea succeeds. We’ve created a safe space for experimentation where developers can test new ideas without fear of failure. 

• Scientific-driven and player-centric approach: Our team analyses player feedback and game performance to refine mechanics and optimise engagement. We do frequent iterations to ensure ideas are tested so our games remain fresh and competitive.

• Growth mindset and continuous learning: Hungry Studio provides opportunities for upskilling, including internal knowledge-sharing, attending game dev group sessions, and learning from top-performing games. We encourage cross-functional collaboration to help team members gain diverse perspectives.

• Balancing market trends with unique vision: Hungry Studio fosters out-of-the-box thinking by studying industry trends and adjacent entertainment sectors. We also focus on what makes our games unique instead of blindly following market shifts.

Our team has the following advice for game studios and game developers:

5 Tips for game studios

To cultivate a stay hungry culture within a game studio, leadership and teams must actively encourage creativity, passion, resilience, and continuous growth. Here are some tips from our team: 

1. Remember: Games should be fun (even to make!): If development feels like a grind, something needs to change. Explore ways to bring joy to the game development process, not just the final product. Game development is a creative journey, so find ways to stay curious and hungry.

2. Listen to players: Seeing real people enjoy your game is a powerful motivator. Engage with players, read reviews, and take feedback seriously. Build a player-centric approach that uses player feedback to inspire new ideas and keep your team excited about development.

3. Experiment and embrace challenges: To keep the work exciting, experiment with new engines, AI tools, or game design principles. When you take on new challenges, set ambitious yet achievable goals to motivate your team. 

4. Encourage bold thinking: Give your team the freedom to innovate instead of focusing solely on immediate commercial outcomes. Encourage and reward bold thinking and risk-taking among your team. 

5. Create the culture: Create a culture of passion, curiosity, and experimentation. Prioritise growth and learning. View setbacks as learning opportunities; each failure teaches you something valuable.

5 Tips for game developers

If you’re a game developer who wants to cultivate the Stay Hungry mindset, our team has this advice: 

1. Never stop learning: Stay updated with the latest game development trends, tools, and technologies. Follow industry leaders, blogs, and podcasts for insights and inspiration. Play a variety of games and analyse what makes them engaging.

2. Experiment and take risks: Work on small prototypes to test new ideas and mechanics without overcommitting resources. Be flexible with ideas, and don’t be afraid to pivot if something isn’t working. Also, be open to failure. Each mistake is a lesson that can lead to breakthrough ideas.

3. Surround yourself with passionate people: Attend and engage with game development events and communities (both online and in-person). Network with industry professionals and cross-disciplinary individuals regardless of their role or level.

4. Set ambitious yet realistic goals: To stay motivated, break big projects into small, manageable milestones. Regularly challenge yourselves with new creative and technical goals. Keep a progress log to track achievements and reflect on growth.

5. Stay passionate and have fun: Remember why you started. Game development should be fun and fulfilling! Work on passion projects that spark your excitement and creativity.

Embracing the stay hungry mindset to build better games

The stay hungry mindset is one of Hungry Studio’s core development philosophies because it drives innovation, creativity, and long-term success. This approach to game development has helped us build engaging, player-focused games like Block Blast! that are loved by players around the globe.

When game studios embrace this mindset, they unlock new opportunities for creativity and growth. The result? Innovative games, stronger teams, and a more engaging experience for players.