Game Jargon Definition: “Feature Creep”
Feature Creep (noun) - fea · ture creep / ˈfēCHər krēp /
The ongoing expansion or addition of new features in a product, either during the initial design and development process, or through new editions and expansions of the base product. Feature creep can be found in many product lines, but is certainly prevalent in software, consumer and business electronics, and games—including computer games, console games, and tabletop games. All too often, extra features go beyond the basic function of the product and result in over-complication rather than simple and focused design.
The definition of what qualifies as “feature creep” differs considerably among both developers and end users. What is perceived as such by some users may be considered practical functionality by others. Therefore, what constitutes feature creep ultimately comes down to the eye of the beholder.
Feature creep in gaming may be the result of providing players with an expanded world in which to play the game in order to further immerse players in the game, adding additional strategic or tactical options in order to increase the deployability of the game, or trying to make the game appeal to a greater number of gamers.
Feature creep is one of the most common sources of cost and schedule overruns, and thus may endanger—or even kill—products and projects before they get off the ground. There are several ways designers and developers try to curb feature creep, including pruning and modularity. Pruning is the development process of removing features that may drag down or detract more from the game than they add (e.g., eliminating a seventh type of card when six types will do; reducing a morning/afternoon/evening game cycle to a day/night cycle).
Modularity (often used in the design of game expansions) is the idea of keeping features relatively independent, so that they don’t all need to be in effect at the same time; for example, a game might have twenty types of cards, but at most five types are used each time the game is played.
In order to resist feature creep early and often, designers and developers frequently remind themselves of the KISS principle: “Keep It Simple, Stupid.”
