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Dat One Dev
Dat One Dev

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The Art of Screen-shake.

Lets COOKđŸ”„đŸ”„

Imagine you're a cook (well
 you are, kinda 😉)
And you're cooking something for the very first time.

You’ve never cooked before. No one taught you anything. You just jumped in the well , with nothing but a recipe and a list of ingredients.

Sounds easy , right?

But here’s the twist: the recipe book you’re following doesn’t tell you how much salt to add.
It just says — “Add according to taste.”

Now that’s where it gets tricky.

Because you don't know how much salt is perfect?

The funny thing is: dishes with the perfect amount of salt don’t taste salty — they just taste... right. Balanced. Delicious. Like they were always meant to be that way.

That's the taste of "just enough to be perfect."

Confused? Wondering why a game dev is suddenly talking about cooking?
Yeah, I get it. It does sound a little off-topic at first.

But hear me out. I truly believe:

Game devs COOK better. — Selfish Dev

Let’s go back to that cooking scenario I mentioned—
Same setup, just a few tweaks.

You're still the cook... but now, you're a game developer in disguise.
You're not cooking a dish — you're crafting an indie game.
Your recipe book? Those are the tutorials all over the internet.
And the salt?

That “add according to taste” ingredient?

That’s screen shake.

So how much salt your game needs

Turns out, the recipe book wasn’t wrong after all.

Just like in cooking, the right amount of screen shake in your game comes down to one thing:

Taste.
The taste of the developer... and the taste of the player.

But taste isn’t the only factor. There’s another key ingredient that affects how much screen shake you should use:

Game Genre

Let’s break it down.

Example 1: A Cozy Puzzle Game
Think calm, soothing vibes. The words simple and cozy tell us the experience should feel relaxing — like a mental massage.
So naturally, screen shake here should be either minimal or nonexistent. Too much, and you’ll shake the zen right out of the player.

Example 2: A Combat Game
Combat games? Oh, they’re screen shake addicts — and they should be. Without that juicy feedback, they feel flat and lifeless.

Why?

Because combat games are full of impact-heavy events. And screen shake exists to sell that impact.

Let’s be clear:

It’s not the genre that demands more screen shake —
It’s the intensity of the moments within that genre.

What Deserves the Shake?

Here are a few heavy-hitters that should absolutely shake the screen:

  • Delivering or receiving critical damage

  • A huge door unlocking in a dungeon crawl

  • Triggering a massive explosion

  • Smashing a shield or barrier with a heavy weapon

  • A boss making a dramatic entrance

These moments need screen shake to feel satisfying.
Now, there are also lighter impact moments that can use a smaller dose:

  • Taking or giving regular damage

  • Collecting a major item

  • Stomping on an enemy in a platformer

  • Solving a puzzle with some dramatic animation

But What About Player Taste?

Here’s the twist — everyone’s taste is different. Some love the rumble. Others get dizzy just watching it.

So what's the solution?

Let the player decide.

Add a screen shake slider and a simple on/off toggle in the settings menu.
It’s easy to implement and shows you respect the player's experience.

Plus:

  1. Players love customization.
  2. You avoid the “too much” vs “not enough” debate entirely.

Outro

If you enjoyed what I just cooked up and served (this article, not literal food... yet), then make sure to follow me and subscribe to my YouTube channel 👉 Selfish Dev

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