DGN Insights - Playing the Infinite Game: Building Studios and Games That Last - by Geoff van den Ouden
What if the goal of your studio and your games wasn't to win, but to keep playing? What if a change in mindset could really bring you lasting success? Simon Sinek's Infinite Game framework offers five principles that, when applied to game studios, can fundamentally reshape how you design games and build a studio. This talk breaks down those principles and shows how they apply directly to game development and studio leadership, using 8 years of building the We Were Here franchise at Total Mayhem Games as a real-world backdrop. We'll explore how infinite thinking changes game design, how a just cause binds teams more powerfully than any deadline, and how to stay flexible when technology and markets shift faster than your roadmap. Plus a candid look at why breaking the rules on marketing is sometimes the most strategic move you can make.
Key takeaways:
What finite and infinite thinking means and how to recognise the difference in your own work and thoughts
The five principles of the Infinite Game and how to apply them to both game development and studio leadership
How to design games with a longer-term vision, building experiences players feel drawn to rather than just content they complete
How to build a team around a just cause, creating loyalty and direction that goes beyond shipping the next title
How to balance long-term ambition with the flexibility your studio needs to survive rapid changes in technology and the market
How to take control of your own narrative and make bold, strategic decisions in a tough industry climate
Bio: Geoff van den Ouden is an Executive Producer, entrepreneur, and game industry leader with over 25 years of experience in creative tech. He is known for his work as Studio Lead and EP at Total Mayhem Games on #1 asymmetrical co-op puzzle franchise We Were Here, and was one of the pioneers working on LBE VR Multiplayer during his time as part of the management team and producer at VR Arcade / Lightning VR. Alongside his industry career, he co-founded the Game Design & Development minor at Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences (now running 20+ years) and is co-founder of software company ThinkSharp. Recently he saved the annual INDIGO festival from extinction and founded a new publishing label called ROCKVAST.