Netflix uses Data to Win

While not directly related to games, it is more than applicable to anyone involved in creative development. This article from The New York Times reveals how Netflix used analytics to determine, before even filming, that House of Cards would be a hit.

You may be wondering how that applies to game writing at all - and the answer is that every creative endeavor can benefit from understanding your audience. It's the first thing you should determine before putting pen to paper. Who are you writing for? Or, for whom are you writing (Since I'm probably writing for grammar buffs, and am using these parentheses incorrectly anyway)?

Netflix understood their audience liked David Fincher, Kevin Spacey, and a British show called House of Cards. They used this to deliver a top notch experience, an experience from which we all benefited by having an awesome show to watch.

You don't need a huge corporate driven analytic machine to apply this to your game. All you need to do is know who will be playing it, understand what they like (what else they play), and apply that information to how you create your game.

Source: The New York Times