Dadoo: A Game That Brings People Together
Dadoo was born from a simple idea: to create a game that could bring people together through laughter and shared moments. Combining the nostalgia of snakes and ladders with a modern deck-building twist, Dadoo became something special—a game that’s fun, unpredictable, and a little chaotic. Seeing it resonate with so many people is the greatest reward we could ask for.

What This Award Means to Us
Winning this award again is both humbling and inspiring. It reminds us that our efforts to create something meaningful can truly make an impact. It’s not about the accolades but the joy we see in the players who enjoy our games. This recognition also highlights how far Indonesia’s gaming industry has come, and we’re honored to be part of its story.

A Heartfelt Thanks to Google Play
We’re deeply grateful to Google Play for this recognition and for the incredible opportunities they provide through their workshops and programs. Their support has helped us grow in ways we never imagined, and we wouldn’t be here without their encouragement.

Looking Ahead
This milestone is a reminder that we still have so much to learn and so many stories to tell. To our players, friends, and supporters—thank you for believing in us and cheering us on. We’ll keep striving to create games that bring people together and make life a little brighter.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you.

– The Algorocks Team

In October, an unforgettable scene unfolded at Gamescom Asia 2023, where Algorocks, together with two other studios (Clay game studio, and Simpleton Studio), embarked on a collaborative journey. Our shared booth, intriguingly titled “Indie Games from Malang,” became a focal point of curiosity and discovery. This venture was not just a showcase of games; it was a narrative of location, identity, and collaborative spirit.

We are delighted to announce that our game, Grammarian Ltd, has been honored with the Best Made in Indonesia Game award at the Google Play Best of 2022! This recognition is a significant milestone for us at Algorocks, and we are deeply grateful for the support that has made this possible.

Grammarian Ltd: Learning Through Play
Grammarian Ltd is an educational game that transforms grammar learning into an engaging experience. Set in a future where correct grammar is paramount, players step into the shoes of a grammar validator, navigating challenges that test their language skills in a fun and interactive way. Our goal was to make learning grammar enjoyable, and the positive response from players indicates we’ve succeeded.

The Significance of This Award
Receiving this award is a testament to the dedication of our team and the enthusiasm of our players. It highlights the potential of educational games to make learning both effective and enjoyable. We are proud to contribute to Indonesia’s growing presence in the global gaming industry and are inspired to continue creating meaningful gaming experiences.

Gratitude to Google Play
We extend our heartfelt thanks to Google Play for this honor and for their ongoing support of local developers. Their initiatives and resources have been instrumental in our development journey, providing valuable insights and opportunities to grow.

Looking Forward
This achievement motivates us to keep innovating and developing games that educate and entertain. We are excited about the future and are committed to delivering more unique experiences that resonate with players worldwide.

Thank you to everyone who has supported us. Let’s continue this journey together, creating and learning through play.

– The Algorocks Team

I just came back from Bali a few days ago. I was at the Indonesian Game Developer Exchange 2022 (IGDX 2022), representing Algorocks. At this annual game event, all Indonesian Game industry players gathered and talked about many things. Sometimes, they talked about game development, but most of the time, they were just chilling. 

Limiting a feature is problematic because:

1. We tend to forget that every feature we put in the game comes with a budget and time.
2. Our biases are thinking that our idea is always better than everyone else.

When we start listing the possible feature for our next game (codename: TWP), we realized that we don’t have enough resources to put all the features we want. Not to mention that even though each feature seems to be cool to implement, it won’t make a theme when we combine all of it. It won’t make it coherent.

So we use “Buy a feature.” 

Buy a Feature

Buy a feature is a gamification model to prioritize which feature should be put in your product or prioritize. “Buy a feature” should be played by people who can represent your user—someone who knows what your user wants.  

Since all of our team like to play a game, and we all think we know what user wants, so we use “buy a feature” with our development team.

How it works

“Buy a Feature” works by creating a list of potential features and provide each with a price. The price can be based on development costs, customer value, or something else. 

Since in our case, we decide the pricing using development cost. At the beginning of the game, we make a very raw estimate of how much time takes to develop each feature. The time is not meant to be precise; the important thing is we use the same benchmark for each feature. 

After we have the prices, we create a “budget” for each player. It’s essential to limit the budget so it will be impossible to get all the features. In our case, the total budget is only 75% of the total budget needed to make all the features. This will help motivate negotiations between players as to which features are most important.

Once each player has the budget, each player can spend on the feature. And in the end, we will get the priority of the features. It’s that easy, and it’s really fun doing it.

if you want, you can download the excel template here (use the password “algo.rocks”). Oh, and if you decide to try it, please let me know if it works for you.