Minimalism and Ambition: Navigating a Crowded Game Landscape
Hello folks!
Hi, it’s me again – Maciej Dyjas, the creator of There’s a Gun in the Office. With the game’s release just around the corner on the 20th, I wanted to dive into a philosophy that has shaped not only this project but also the way I approach game development as a whole.
The Sea of Games
Game releases are constant – thousands come out every year. I won’t dwell on why or how, but the sheer volume of games creates a distinct challenge: standing out.
For many developers, the response to this oversaturation is overcompensation. Advice on how to differentiate your game tends to fall into two camps:
- Be different – target a niche, make something weird.
- Be better – polish everything to perfection, refine existing ideas.
Both are valid in theory, but in practice, they miss an important factor: feasibility. The reality is, every game has constraints—whether it’s budget, time, or manpower. The key isn’t just about standing out; it’s about making something that’s actually finishable and true to its vision.
The Trap of Complexity
Many designers, especially early on, fall into the mindset that more = better. More mechanics, more content, more spectacle. It sounds great – why wouldn’t a game with an open world, branching choices, dynamic AI, customizable weapons, and a hundred side quests be incredible?
The problem is, executing all those ideas at a high level is almost impossible without a massive team and years of work. What often happens instead is a scattered, unfocused experience where individual mechanics don’t reinforce the game’s core themes.
I’ve fallen into this trap before – building without first understanding what I actually wanted the player to feel. Without that, complexity doesn’t serve the game.
The Power of Minimalism
On the other side of the scale is simplicity. A game can certainly be too simple, but it’s much easier to add depth to a minimal core than to trim excess from an overcomplicated design.
I’ve learned that distilling a game down to its essential elements is a skill that takes time to master. For There’s a Gun in the Office, I asked myself:
- What do I want players to feel? Stress, anxiety, fear – but also the satisfaction of overcoming obstacles under pressure.
- How can I create that experience as simply as possible? Time pressure isn’t just a number ticking down – it’s reinforced through increasing tension in the music, subtle visual distortions, and small but deliberate friction in controls (walking a little too slow, manually using keys, holding only one item at a time).
Even outside of gameplay, minimalism shaped the entire experience. Could I have added more dynamic music, scripted horror sequences, or flashy effects? Sure – but that might have diluted the core of the game: solitude, realism, and the inescapable presence of an unseen threat.
Finding Uniqueness in Design
Uniqueness is subjective. If you’ve never played Tetris before, it’s the most original game in the world. To someone else, it’s just another block-stacking game.
This is why I believe that the idea of “it’s all been done before” is misleading. Yes, someone out there has played something similar to your game – but many others haven’t.
Early in There’s a Gun in the Office’s development, I was convinced the concept was entirely fresh. Then a friend sent me a video of a DLC from a major horror franchise that had a very similar core idea. At first, it stung. But then I realized:
- Their version had higher production values – character animations, cutscenes, spoken dialogue.
- Mine leaned into something different: silence, isolation, ambiguity, and realism.
- The underlying feeling of my game was still unique.
Execution matters more than raw originality. Even if two games share a concept, they can tell entirely different stories through how they feel.
Minimalism as a Development Philosophy
Could I have made a higher-budget, content-rich version of There’s a Gun in the Office? Not alone. It wouldn’t even make sense to try.
Did I copy anyone? No – ideas naturally overlap. But do I think my game has something unique? Absolutely. Every decision was made in service of a focused experience, and that’s what gives it its identity.
Of course, minimalism has its limits. Strip away too much, and the game becomes empty. The best way to check? Playtesting. If players feel what you want them to feel, it’s enough. If they’re confused or disengaged, you may have gone too far and need to remove even more distractions.
Conclusion
Minimalism is an essential tool – not just for solo developers, but for any team trying to create a clear, impactful experience. Some games thrive on complexity, but many of the most memorable ones get there by focusing on what matters.
As a final thought, here’s a question for you:
What’s a game you’ve played for way too long despite its simplicity? What made it compelling?
I’d love to hear your thoughts – see you in the next post!
Maciej “ragir” Dyjas
