SEPTEMBER REVIEW

Ahhhh. It’s already a week into October! October is a scary month—there’s a lot to do to get Fingerholers up and running. One benefit of developing a web based game is the ability to push updates quickly. This month, we should be rolling out a few big updates.

I’ve been comparing the current game to a batch of cookies missing sugar and butter. People like them, but I think they’ll love them once we get some of that sugar and butter mixed in. October will be filled with tasty treats for Fingerholers. Let’s review some of our cooking for September….

Sad Joy LLC: What? Who? Huh?

Fingerholers is the flagship product of Sad Joy LLC. This month, Sad Joy LLC was officially created as its own entity.

In addition to building Fingerholers, Sad Joy LLC does a few things:

• We build games. Our focus is on fictional social games and games in the same genre as Fingerholers.
• We build gaming tools. Gold miners need shovels, right?
• We apply gaming tech to other industries.

Sad Joy also applied to A16z's Speedrun last month. While I have no expectation of getting accepted, the application process was extremely helpful to go through.

Phone Rules

A new practice I started in September is not engaging with my phone until I’ve gotten up and out of bed. This has helped me significantly. I’m not quite ready to give up my nighttime screen time yet, though.

Business Therapy

Well, my main business therapist/Fingerholers advisor went and got a job at McDonald's. This jammed some things up for me a little. Sometimes I absolutely spin on the decisions I'm making and the direction I'm going in. My concerns are compounded when others point out the same challenges. Mike has been very helpful in allowing me to process these thoughts and helping guide me to a solid action plan. Sometimes you just need people to sell you your own ideas, and Mike is great at that. Hopefully he gets fired from McDonalds soon so he can focus more on Fingerholers.

Fingerholers

I was watching this video about game design on YouTube, and in it, the guy said, “If there is a best strategy, there is no strategy.” This stuck with me, especially since one of the players, Brandon, has done some calculations to figure out the “best strategy.” My goal is to disrupt that as much as possible.

While the gameplay may be relatively simple, a lot of decisions are based on the value you place on Fingerholers’ fingers. That variable might change depending on whether you think a player is ugly or if they’ve been on your team for a while. While there may be a “best strategy” right now, I think that will change as we layer in more intricate game dynamics.

Many upcoming features focus on the fictional social aspect of the game. The ability to play, interact with others, and have them be variables in the gameplay is important.

While many components are being tested individually, it will take more time to get them working together smoothly. It’s a weird part of the development cycle that I hope to improve on. Part of me wants to push regular updates, but doing so can disrupt momentum, and it’s difficult to launch an individual feature when it’s dependent on another feature. For example, without an inventory, it’s hard to introduce Club Passes. It’s a balancing act.

A lot of September was spent working on core technical aspects of Fingerholers. While there’s still more to do, we should be able to launch a good working version by the end of October. After that, design updates will likely be regular and continue throughout the rest of the year.

With this update, you can now change your avatar. This will make for a more personalized experience and gives us opportunities to reward players with fun new items or accessories they might want to incorporate into their avatars.

We’re almost done testing payment acceptance. This will allow us to run a support campaign for the project, rewarding early supporters and validating the work we’re doing.

I'm thinking to encourage support, we offer unique customization items for supporters. By making the default avatars unappealing, and pushing the idea that your avatar is a representation of you. Users who don’t support the game will have to choose from a selection of murky avatars to represent them. It's super funny. Fortnite does this with default skins making you feel bad about what you look like. It makes them a lot of money.

With payments, the vision is that each club could offer unique in-game items. We could also sell membership cards, battle passes, or even physical items.

While it’s not in scope for the next launch, we’ve laid the foundation for tattoo shops in the game and partnered with a local tattoo artist to help us develop some in-game tattoos. This will make things a lot more fun and give players a way to spend in-game money while strengthening their emotional bond with Fingerholers on their team.

Closing Thoughts

I’m super grateful to everyone who has supported me on this project so far. I’m excited to get this out into the world and share this thing.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you want to learn more about Fingerholers or Sad Joy.

Sometimes it’s easier to build than to talk about what you’re building. A good business has to do both well, and I’m learning.

Back to building.

Cheers,

Drew

August

August was a pivotal month for the development of Fingerholers, marked by significant strides in the game's structure, design and strategic direction.

Big Business

Fingerholers is a business, and as such, we've been working on the business side of things. This includeds exploring monetization strategies, building partnerships, and developing opportunities. Our focus is currently on the game itself.There's a large opportunity launching new clubs. We partnered with Coffee Beer to create a Fingerholers Club. This partnership will give us a chance to test out the club features and see how it works in the game. We may even sell some hot dogs!

Stats

With 96 total users signed up and pretty much no retention, we're working on ways to keep players engaged. Clubs, payout limits, achievments, social interactions, goals and more are a part of the plan. Our focus is more on gameplay and retention for now and then we will put more emphasis on marketing and growth.

Short Story Mode Development

We began laying the groundwork for the Fingerholers Short Story Mode, where players can engage with narrative-driven content that enhances the gameplay experience. The plan is to release these stories weekly or bi-weekly, adding layers of depth and player engagement. This mode will introduce different characters, each with their unique backstories.

Consumable Items Integration

Monetization strategies were a major focus in August. We explored and began implementing consumable items that players can purchase.These items, such as Fingerholers, finger tattoos, food items, and accessories, providing players with aesthetic advantages, while simultaneously offering early revenue streams without compromising the core gameplay.

Club Passes and Inventory System

A new layer of strategy was introduced with the development of club passes. Certain clubs in the game now require specific passes for entry, which adds a level of exclusivity, progression, and monetization.We've integrated these passes into a player's inventory, which may evolve to hold other valuable items as the game progresses.

Design Design Design

Designing a game like Fingerholers involves extensive and ongoing work, from developing its visual identity to refining gameplay, user interface, and overall aesthetics. We're focused on creating a cohesive, engaging experience that stands out in the gaming landscape. This month, careful project management and planning have been crucial in keeping the development on track. There is a lot to do, and we're excited to share our progress with you.

Strategic Decisions

As August came to a close, we faced a crucial decision: whether to focus on building a fully polished version of Fingerholers or to prioritize a working, fun version that could excite and draw in early adopters. This decision will shape our approach in the coming months as we balance development with marketing efforts.

Drew