Creating A Game For A Video
Why building a game to make a walkthrough video can be an effective way to teach concepts and engage your audience.
Creating a game just to make a video might sound counterintuitive. Why spend weeks or months building something interactive when the end goal is a linear video? The answer lies in engagement and authenticity.
The Concept
Instead of explaining abstract concepts through slides or talking heads, you build a simple game that embodies those concepts. The video becomes a walkthrough or playthrough of that game, transforming dry educational content into an engaging experience.
For example, imagine you want to teach people about starting a power grid company. Instead of a lecture about infrastructure investment, regulatory hurdles, and customer acquisition, you create Power Grid Startup Tycoon. The video becomes "How to Create a Power Grid Startup" - a playthrough where every game mechanic teaches a real-world lesson.
Why This Works
1. Show, Don't Tell
Games force you to operationalize concepts. You can't just say "managing cash flow is important" - you have to design a system where cash flow matters. This makes your explanations concrete and actionable.
2. Natural Narrative Structure
Games have built-in story arcs: early struggle, growth, challenges, and eventual success (or failure). This structure makes your video inherently more watchable than a traditional tutorial.
3. Engagement Through Interactivity (Even When Passive)
Viewers watching a playthrough still engage mentally. They think "I would have done that differently" or "Oh, that's why you need to..." The game creates a framework for active learning even in a passive medium.
4. Reusable Asset
The game itself becomes a product. Share it with viewers who want to try the concepts themselves. Update it as you learn more. Build a series of videos around different scenarios or strategies.
Game Design for Video
When building a game specifically for video content, consider:
- Clear visual feedback: Viewers need to understand what's happening at a glance
- Meaningful choices: Each decision should teach something
- Appropriate pacing: Not too fast for explanation, not too slow to bore
- Failure states that educate: When things go wrong, it should be instructive
Example Ideas
- Startup Tycoon: Teach entrepreneurship through resource management
- Algorithm Visualizer: Turn sorting algorithms into a puzzle game
- Network Defense: Teach cybersecurity concepts through tower defense
- Supply Chain Simulator: Explain logistics through a factory-building game
- Market Maker: Teach economics through a trading simulation
Getting Started
- Identify the core concept you want to teach
- Find the game mechanic that best represents that concept
- Build the minimum viable game that demonstrates the idea
- Play through it while explaining the real-world parallels
- Edit the video to maintain pacing and clarity
The game doesn't need to be polished or commercially viable. It just needs to effectively communicate your ideas through play.