When does a game project need a prototype?
A practical way to choose the question a prototype must answer before full production.
Start with the question, not prototype size
A prototype is a focused experiment designed to reduce uncertainty. It may test movement feel, core-loop clarity, target-device performance, or player understanding of a new system.
Write down one decision that will change based on the result. If the experiment does not affect a decision, the prototype becomes early production without a success measure.
Build the smallest honest test
Use temporary assets when art does not affect the question. Raise visual fidelity only when mood or environmental readability is part of the test.
Set a fixed timebox, target device, task set, and observation measures. For example, three of five players complete the loop without spoken guidance in ten minutes.
Close with a documented decision
Record what worked, where players struggled, and what will change. The result is one of four outcomes: proceed, revise and retest, change direction, or stop the idea.