---
title: 10 Lessons from Duet
date: 2019-06-17
state: published
tags: "games", "thoughts"
---

# 10 Lessons from Duet

Recently someone asked me what the key lessons I learned from Duet were. I had never tried writing a definitive list before. Now seemed like as good a time as ever. So here are the key lessons from Duet:

* Narrative can create mystery and **fuel curiosity**. Hook your player with story and mythology.
* Cut all overlapping features — reduce to the **minimum viable gameplay.**
* An interpretable narrative will resonate with more players because the less you explicitly say the more room you leave to imagination and **nothing can compare to the power of imagination.** That’s why movies never live up to the expectations of books.
* Gameplay should be understandable from 5 feet away, i.e. I can discover and understand the game by **looking over someone’s shoulder** on a train.
* Gameplay can be very difficult — **as long as it’s fair,** i.e. it can be frustrating but it shouldn’t be depressing or disheartening.
* There should be something beautiful about the game that people want to share because this leads to word-of-mouth marketing. Beauty can be visual or audible, i.e. **the music is the art of duet.**
* Shorter levels are more digestible. The more digestible, the more players will play. Therefore, paradoxically, **shorter levels can lead to longer play sessions.**
* If you’re thinking of adding extra content to a premium game and the content is big enough to justify a sequel — **go with the sequel** rather than additional micro-transaction content.
* If you can’t win your own game while drunk — **it’s probably too hard.**
* Pour your whole self into your product and it will **speak a unique and resonant truth.**