Stay in the box - Why your comfort zone is your creative superpower [Devcom 2025]

In an industry obsessed with "thinking outside the box," we should argue the opposite: that game developers achieve their most innovative and strongest work by mastering and expanding within their core areas of expertise. Drawing from our past projects and market case studies, we'll demonstrate how deep specialization creates the foundation for efficient creative process and comfort zone enables rather than limits innovation. Join us to talk sustainable creative practices that lead to efficient development cycles, and stronger IP development on expanded fields of operation.

A presentation from Devcom / Gamescom dev conference (2025).

Target audience: Creatives, designers, brand managers,

Experience Level: Intermediate

1. WHY YOUR COMFORT ZONE
IS YOUR CREATIVE SUPERPOWER
STAY
IN THE
BOX

3. my comfort zone

4. ?
QUICK
QUES
TION

6. _NAH, I’M GOOD._

7. OUTSIDE THE BOX YOU’ll MAKE MISTAKES
NOT EVEN REALIZING YOU MADE THEM.

8. LET’S JUST THINK
(INSIDE THE BOX)

9. distinct/strong
freshrelevant
feasible

10. IF CREATIVITY WAS A CAT.
ITS TREATS WOULD BE TWO Cs
CONTEXT & CONSTRAINTS .

11. ‘AN IDEA IS NOTHING MORE
THAN A NEW COMBINATION OF OLD ELEMENTS .’
-Vilfredo Pareto

12. The more we know about our
surroundings the more we know
how to make the best out of it.

13. idea.
understandable
specific/definedrelevant
actionable

14. PREPARATION > INCUBATION > ILLUMINATION > VERIFICATION
GENERAL + SPECIFIC KNOWLEDGE
as two core feeds filling
the foundation for future work.

(range of relevant sources dictated by
the familiarity of the domain)
OVERLOAD > ABANDONMENT
allowing for an educated approach
to the matter.
RECOGNITION > GRIND
>> high risk phase <<
(time and efficiency of the process)
EVALUATION > IMPLEMENTATION

15. Coming up with stuff works better
when in the box and not outside of it.

16. GAMES, THO…

17. WE SHOW INTEREST IN FAMILIAR
THINGS THAT SURPRISE US.

18. SETUP PUNCHLINE

19. CRAFTPRODUCTION BUSINESS

20. CRAFT BUSINESSPRODUCTION

21. DIRECTION
Familiarity facilitates evaluation
–
Expertise allows for creative consistency
–
intuition as an ‘applicable tool’
COMMUNICATION OUTCOMES
Elevator-pitch clarity increases adoption.
–
Technical fluency as creative enabler
–
‘Shareable familiar’ increases efficiency
PREDICTABLE WORKFLOWS | FASTER ITERATION CYCLES | SMALLER RISK OF COSTLY PIVOTES
Polish and refinement
vs. breadth without depth
–
To go against the rules
we need to know the rules in the first place

22. KNOW THE RULES
BEFORE YOU BREAK THEM.

23. HOW CAN WE BRING A BREATH OF FRESH AIR TO
DECKBUILDING?

24. CRAFTPRODUCTION BUSINESS

25. THE AUDIENCE
What influences PC & console players
to try out new games?
51% | GAME GENRE THAT I USUALLY LIKE
[Google PC & Console Insights Report]
THE COVERAGE THE LONG TAIL
Familiarity boosts visibility as it positively
profiles your game for ‘vertical/thematic
media & creators’.

[turnbasedlovers.com]
[mortisimalgaming]

Specialization breeds studio’s
& IPs recognition and following.

26. RELEVANCE
AS A MARKETING LEVERAGE.

28. CRAFTPRODUCTION BUSINESS

29. MOST
ADVANCED
YET
ACCEPTABLE
relatability is key

31. AS GAMERS WE TEND TO GRAVITATE TOWARDS
WHAT FEELS ANCHORED AND FAMILIAR.
QUALITY: Concepts developed over multiple iterations have space and time
to establish well-working pillars (remember 10k h?:))

THRESHOLD: The easier something is to understand and use,
the more likely it is to be loved.

RELIABILITY: The predictability of the outcome/effect is appreciated
when my need is defined and time/resources are limited

32. FATIGUE AS A FACTOR.
FAMILIAR =/= REPRODUCTIVE
Familiarity anchors ideas in the realm of relatability and creates space for
experimentation. It’s Allows for pushing boundaries incrementally to evolve a
known form rather than reinvent fundations wholesale.

33. THAT VERY MUCH APPLIES TO HOW WE CAN (SHOULD?)
THINK ABOUT GAMEPLAY FORMULAS AND COMMUNICATION ALIKE…
Tapping into cultural, emotional and mechanical anchors alike.
Making the novelty feel grounded and relatable while bring the breath of fresh air in, making things exciting once again.

37. SURVIVAL | CITY-BUILDING | POST-APOCALYPSE | THIS WAR OF MINE
shi
ft
of scale
human
-centric
with a
fresh coat
lessons
learned

38. KALEIDOSCOPE STRATEGY

39. GROW YOUR BOX
SMARTLY
Define your box and be aware of its dimensions.
Know your strengths, core values, and proven toolset.

Take advantage of your comfort zone and all it offers.
(knowledge, references, lessons learned, beaten paths).
Tap into familiar, with a focus on what matters the most
(objective./setting/story/genre/certain mechanic)

Expand instead of escaping.
Recombine proven elements in unexpected ways. Push boundaries
incrementally rather than reinvent it wholesale. Operate on familiar, instead of
untested hybrids.

Deepen bravely, broaden cautiously.
Ownership over a domain gives market advantage,
while sailing broad waters easily gets you to crimson waters.

40. THANK
YOU

@akawist