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How To Validate Your Game Ideas

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4pm - 5pm : The Auditorium

Careers Industry Talk
  • Parking
  • Disabled parking
  • Wheelchair access
  • Hearing loop
  • Toilets
  • Disabled toilets
  • Changing places

The Forum, Millennium Plain, Norwich, NR2 1TF

01603 727 950

Turning creative ideas into commercially viable games through practical, data-driven market research.

You’ve got a great idea for a game, but how do you know if players will actually want to play it? This talk explores how market research can help game developers turn creative inspiration into commercially successful projects.

Jennie breaks down the essentials of understanding your market before you commit months or years to development. You’ll learn why market research isn’t just for big studios, but an indispensable tool for indies who want to build games as a business, not just a passion project.

Jennie will cover what market research really means in the context of game development, what it can reveal about your potential audience and competitors, and how to use tools like Steam data and player reviews to inform your design decisions and marketing strategy. She’ll walk through a practical step-by-step approach that developers can start using right away — from finding comparable games and spotting market trends to setting realistic wishlist and sales goals based on real-world data.

Whether you’re validating a new concept or deciding what project to make next, this talk will show you how to use market research to avoid costly mistakes, set achievable expectations, and give your next game the strongest chance to succeed in a crowded market.

Recommended for ages 16+. For adults, students and game developers.

Pay What You Can £3 / £6 / £10

The Auditorium, The Forum

Jennie Burton is co-founder and Head of Marketing at Game Oracle. With a Masters in Science Communication and a Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing, she combines analytical rigour with creative storytelling to demystify marketing indie games. Fascinated by game art, UI and the theory behind game mechanics, she focuses on how games communicate their value through store pages, marketing and positioning, working closely with data scientist and co-founder Ross Burton to help indies understand audience behaviour and market segments.