--- title: "Validating your game concept with PickFu: getting started, advanced tests & FAQs | PickFu Help Center" description: "Use this step-by-step guide to validate your game concept, art direction, and core mechanics with real players before committing dev resources." --- # Run the core playbook PickFu's game concept validation playbook helps you validate a mobile game's mechanics, art direction, features, and overall concept with real players before you commit development resources. This article covers how to start it, additional pre-development questions worth testing, and answers to common questions. [![Example PickFu art-direction test: three visual styles for a mobile strategy game ranked by player preference with an AI summary of the mood each conveys](https://pickfu.intercom-attachments-1.com/i/o/fyv2a0qw/2445592989/4575768dc2ea266c63089cc613d6/game-concept-validation.jpeg?expires=1780517700&signature=53a98c0809d947ba222018958a710d1a537b20241e0281735fe335c0eb3ed230&req=diQjE8x3n4hXUPMW1HO4zbBTQRmkWpfx6iMncpuqtMz6Ipa21iuKK%2FLwk7jC%0AHHHgrohEVIPJ0TID8w4%3D%0A)](https://pickfu.intercom-attachments-1.com/i/o/fyv2a0qw/2445592989/4575768dc2ea266c63089cc613d6/game-concept-validation.jpeg?expires=1780517700&signature=53a98c0809d947ba222018958a710d1a537b20241e0281735fe335c0eb3ed230&req=diQjE8x3n4hXUPMW1HO4zbBTQRmkWpfx6iMncpuqtMz6Ipa21iuKK%2FLwk7jC%0AHHHgrohEVIPJ0TID8w4%3D%0A) _Example result: an art-direction test ranks visual styles by player preference and summarizes the mood each one conveys._ The step-by-step concept-validation playbook — competitive research, core mechanics, art direction, feature priorities, and overall concept validation — now lives in our docs: 👉 [**Run the step-by-step game concept validation playbook →**](https://www.pickfu.com/docs/playbooks/game-concept-validation) **Starting it in the app:** log into PickFu, find the **Playbooks** section on your dashboard, and click the concept-validation playbook. You'll get a pre-built project with a link to run each test, plus an AI-powered report across all of them. ([More on using playbooks →](https://help.pickfu.com/en/articles/14489272-how-do-i-use-playbooks-to-build-my-poll)) # More pre-development questions to test Beyond the core five steps, these tests answer other pre-production questions. Run any of them as standalone tests. **Willingness-to-pay research** — understand what players will spend on before committing to a monetization model. ​_"What are you most willing to spend money on in a mobile \[GENRE\] game?"_ Poll type: Multi-Select, Ranked, or Open-Ended **IP / license audience validation** — for games based on licensed IP, confirm the audience cares about it. ​_"Are you a fan of \[IP/FRANCHISE\]?"_ followed by _"What would you expect in a mobile game based on \[IP\]?"_ Poll type: Survey (Q1 Single Select Yes/No, Q2 Open-Ended) **World / theme selection** — test which setting creates the most excitement before world-building begins. ​_"If you could start an adventure in one of the following worlds, which would you be MOST excited to explore?"_ Poll type: Ranked **Character design preference** — identify which character archetypes resonate. ​_"Which of these characters would you most want to play as in a mobile \[GENRE\] game? What appeals to you about them?"_ Poll type: Ranked # FAQs ## My overall concept scored below 3.0 stars. What now? Read the qualitative feedback before deciding. Low scores usually trace to one of three things: the concept description didn't communicate clearly, the art style mismatched genre expectations, or the core concept isn't resonating. Identify the culprit, revise, and re-test the final validation step before moving forward. ## How do I write a good concept description? Keep it to 2–3 sentences covering the essentials: genre (what type of game?), core mechanic (how does it play?), and setting (where does it take place?). Avoid jargon and feature lists — describe it the way you'd describe it to a friend who doesn't work in games. ## Should I target general mobile gamers or a specific genre audience? Target the genre your game is entering, then layer in demographic traits (age, gender, spending habits) as needed. For broad casual games, general mobile-gamer targeting works well; for niche genres, be as specific as possible. ## How many respondents do I need? 100 per step gives solid directional data for pre-development decisions. Use 50 for early-stage tests to save budget, then re-test with 100+ before locking major decisions. ## Can I run the steps out of order? Step 1 (competitive research) works best first since it informs everything after. Steps 2–4 are flexible once you have that foundation. Step 5 (overall concept validation) works best last — it's the final pre-production gate. # Related - [Step-by-step game concept validation playbook (docs)](https://www.pickfu.com/docs/playbooks/game-concept-validation) - [ASO playbook (docs)](https://www.pickfu.com/docs/playbooks/app-store-listing) — optimize the store listing once the game is built * * * Related Articles [ Improving your Amazon listing conversion (CVR) with PickFu: getting started & FAQs ](https://help.pickfu.com/en/articles/12260427-improving-your-amazon-listing-conversion-cvr-with-pickfu-getting-started-faqs)[ Improving your Amazon main image CTR with PickFu: getting started & FAQs ](https://help.pickfu.com/en/articles/12260691-improving-your-amazon-main-image-ctr-with-pickfu-getting-started-faqs)[ PickFu vs Amazon Manage Your Experiments: When to use each testing tool ](https://help.pickfu.com/en/articles/12759257-pickfu-vs-amazon-manage-your-experiments-when-to-use-each-testing-tool)[ Testing your packaging design with PickFu: getting started, advanced tests & FAQs ](https://help.pickfu.com/en/articles/13834564-testing-your-packaging-design-with-pickfu-getting-started-advanced-tests-faqs)[ App Store Optimization (ASO) for mobile games: getting started, advanced tests & FAQs ](https://help.pickfu.com/en/articles/13838002-app-store-optimization-aso-for-mobile-games-getting-started-advanced-tests-faqs)