Before the First Spin: Where a Game Really Makes its First Impression

When a new game underperforms, “players didn’t like it” is an easy conclusion to reach. Maybe the theme did not connect, the mechanic was not strong enough, or the math did not suit the audience. Sometimes, that conclusion is correct. But I think we often reach it too early. Before forming an opinion, players have to notice the game among hundreds of titles, find a reason to open it, wait for it to load and understand what they see before playing.