# Design principles
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 In addition to the design principles from the cost optimization pillar of the Well-Architected Framework, the following design principles optimize the costs of running your game workload in the cloud. 
+  **Measure the infrastructure cost per player, system, and game feature:** Understand and track the infrastructure costs required for specific player experiences and features across game systems. This can identify areas of your architecture that may need cost optimization. 
+  **Assess the trade-off of cost optimization versus player experience:** Evaluate what stage your game is in to determine the right focus - player experience or cost optimization. Typically, once a game reaches critical mass and player population stabilizes, it is time to focus on optimizing operating costs. The key is to balance providing a great player experience with running your game infrastructure in the most cost-effective manner. Implementing these design principles maximize the return on your game investments.