Thinking · Newsletter
Playables: the shortest possible version wins
Most playables are too long, too instructive, and too faithful to the game. A note on what to cut.
This piece is now part of a longer guide: Playable ads: the complete guide.
A playable is not a demo. It is an ad that happens to accept input, and most of them fail because their makers forget the second half of that sentence.
The common build
Tutorial, then a representative slice of gameplay, then an end card. It is faithful, it is thorough, and a large share of people leave during the tutorial.
The better build
One interaction. The viewer does one thing, it works, they feel the loop, end card. No instruction screen, no fail state, no second mechanic.
Why shorter wins
Because the job is not to teach the game. It is to create one moment of "oh, I get it" and then get out of the way. Every additional second is another chance to lose someone who was already convinced.
The test we like
Build two versions of the same playable, one with the tutorial and one where the first tap is the game. The gap is usually larger than teams expect, and it changes how the next five get built.