Game designer Cain, one of the creators of the acclaimed Fallout series, highlighted the importance of analyzing what didn’t work well in the games industry. According to him, the “survival bias” leads many developers to blindly imitate successful formulas, without realizing that they may be replicating flaws that did not contribute to the success of these original works. This scenario, explains Cain, impedes innovation and keeps the industry in a cycle of repetition.

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Cain noted that while blockbuster games are meticulously dissected, titles that failed or disappeared from the market are often ignored. He argues that, unless they are part of an already established franchise, these forgotten games contain valuable information about what not to do, but few take the time to learn from these mistakes.

The industry veteran reinforced the idea, stating that “you can learn a lot from games like this”, referring to the countless titles that were released without much repercussion and ended up being forgotten. For Cain, the in-depth analysis of failures, with the same dedication given to triumphs, is a significant gap in the training of game development professionals.

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Concluding his video explanation, Cain made an appeal to remember the “survival bias”. He considered that the characteristics praised in successful games may not necessarily be responsible for their popularity. Likewise, it is crucial to examine games that did not achieve the expected success, as they contain the keys to understanding the reasons for their failure.

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Cain’s message found immediate resonance in the video’s comments, with many viewers expressing complete agreement. One described the practice of blind replication as “the slow way to eventually making the same game over and over again”, while another noted the simplicity of the concept: “They never analyze what makes a game bad”. In an industry that is constantly looking for the next big thing, delving into the reasons for failure can be as, if not more, instructive than dissecting the elements of success.