Feng Ji on Game Development: Move Yourself First, Then Take on the Hard Problems

The essay argues that content products do not need to please everyone from the outset. A more effective path is to create an experience the developers genuinely believe in, then expand outward from a core audience with similar tastes. Market data, user feedback, and commercial sustainability remain essential, but they should intersect with the product’s identity rather than replace creative judgment. When resources are limited, teams should first serve players who already connect with the work and identify experiences only they can provide.

On execution, the author places greater trust in running builds, real player reactions, and repeated hands-on testing than in documents or meetings. “Fun” is presented as both the goal and the minimum standard. When no breakthrough solution is available, teams can deepen strengths that have already been validated, while studying leading games without settling for imitation. Durable differentiation comes from hard-to-replace value and from putting ideas into practice, testing them against reality, and revising them continuously.