Cute vs Complex - When & Why We Subvert Expectations

Joe Slack (Relics of Rajavihara, King of Indecision, Kingdom’s Candy: Monsters) asked me to write a guest post on his blog. He liked my articles that touch on psychographics (Does Complexity Kill Social Fun?, and Do Demographics & Psychographics Matter in Design?), but gave me pretty free reign.

I’ve had a couple of conversations recently about cuteness in gaming, and there seems to be some level of consensus that pairing a cute theme and illustration with a medium to heavy-weight game can alienate consumers by subverting expectations.

So, I decided to investigate.

The article is a pretty comprehensive dive into the topic including a look at psychographic profiles, the exceptions to the rule, a semi-scientific survey of game-weight versus cuteness, and some thoughts on when to pair cute and complex. I think it’s a solid article, and spoiler - when done right - I think cute & complex is a great pairing. I encourage checking it out over on Joe’s blog:

Cute vs Complex Games – When & Why We Subvert Expectations

And in the meantime, what games have subverted your expectations in a delightful way?