Social gaming“Findings and insights”

redux

By Sriram Krishnan

sriramkri@gmail.com

@sriramkri

I’ve put together some of the insights and findings I’ve come across from the past year…

Most of you would probably know about what I’ve mentioned in this presentation:

“Social games – examples” is a general overview of the different types of applications out there (not exhaustive)

The other two parts are for industry enthusiasts or followers

Special thanks to Noah Kagen, Jerome Scola and Gabriel Weyer for helping out..!

ContentsSocial games - examplesOptimizing viralityLooking to the future

Social games – examplesSocial games – examples

Viral Strategy RPG Niche games + Facebook

3 examples of Viral applicationsiHeart by MmkayQuiz creator by LOLappsFarmville by Zynga

iHeart~ 20,000,000 MAU, ~1,300,000 FB fansThe goal is to obtain the highest heart beat

amongst your friends by sending and receiving hearts. The more hearts you receive, the faster your heart would beat. Features: Receive/Send hearts, heartbeat leader board

Also became viral due to good PR –> seasonal: Valentine’s Day etc. App targeted female population -> tendency to like “hugs”, “kisses”, “hearts” etc

Monetized through advertising, and then virtual items

Social obligation to reciprocate -> users harass their friends to send hearts -> improve heartbeat

iHeart

Quiz creator~ 460,000 MAU, ~83,000 FB fansUsers are able to create their own

application just by filling up formsThis app created ‘00s and 000’s of other

appsMonetized through advertising3 simple steps to create application:

Select quiz type

Key in question

s and answers

Create quiz!

Quiz creator

Farmville ~80,000,000 MAU, ~23,000,000 FB

fansReal time farming simulation gameUser creates a customizable avatar and

has a farmGame revolves around the market

where items can be purchased. As a player progresses, they can expand their farm to allow for more room for farming, animals and decorations

View Farmville parody here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odBDAcOEKuI

Farmville

Focus - FarmvilleCustomer acquisitionPlayers need neighbours if they want to

progress better. Neighbours = friends. Spam friends -> peer pressure, nagging Creation of fake accounts just for Farmville

Cross promotion within Zynga

RetentionYou have to come back regularly to take care

of your farm: plant the seeds, harvest the crops -> Async + Appointment gaming

My aunt plays this game -> cross generation appeal. ie: Mafia Wars has less appeal

Social games – examplesViral

How do you develop viral apps? Strategy RPG Niche games + Facebook

6 ways to make your app go viral

1. Utilizing all FB Platform features Apps can’t be too dependent on any single FB platform

feature … ..but have to utilize all FB platform features available:

publish2stream, notifications, publish pictures, become a fan, bookmarking, email

Some features are better at acquiring users, some are better at retaining users

6 ways to make your app go viral

2. Incentizing co-operation, sharing Apps have to encourage the user to interact with and to

engage other users Incentives, incentives, incentives!

To promote in-game action, To invite new users, To get invited users to accept invitation, To become a fan – Big Thing!, To subscribe to email or bookmarking, To grow avatar, farm, land, accomplish missions etc

Ensure that the users are obliged to engage or to reciprocate action

6 ways to make your app go viral

3. Design + User flow Integrate non-conditional viral features in the game

mechanics User has to publish2stream to advance 3 levels up or to

get more points Must invite 3 friends to unlock secret treasure box

Simple UI for UX Complicated applications take a longer time to catch on K.I.S.S Backend: No major complicated effort required

6 ways to make your app go viral4. Start tracking early Tracking + Metrics = Feedback -> Better decision making Listen to your users. Excellent management of community K factor, Click/Publish ratios, Response rates, ROIs

5. Publicity + Customer acquisition Old school – PR, blogs, conferences Cross promotion on 6waves, own apps etc Ads on Rockyou, Fb etc

6. You will also need luck on your side

Social games – examplesViralStrategy RPG Niche games + Facebook

3 examples of strategy gamesTravianEvonyKingdoms of Camelot

TravianMilitary strategy real time multiplayerAim: To reach level 100

Choice of characters or tribesEach tribe has different strengths, weaknesses

Commodities management Wood, clay, iron, wheat etc Production -> Usage for Construction, Food etc

Military/Troops strategyAttacking, DefendingDeveloping manpower

Ranking (leader board)Alliances, clans

EvonyBrowser based online multiplayer

strategy gameUser starts as a mayor and have to

increase population of city and build Similar to Travian: ranking,

attack/defenseItem mall – 2 types of virtual currencies

Gold – action oriented Game cents – real $$$

Kingdom of Camelot~3,000,000 MAU, ~ 660,000 FB fansKoC = Evony, Travian + Facebook’s social

graphAdditional Features:

Facebook friends - to speed up construction, alliance etc

Rich/Smooth graphics Global chat Quest assistance

Focus - Kingdoms of CamelotUser Acquisition Good Facebook integration. Almost being forced to invite friends

and publish streams Cross promotion with 6waves Social + Strategy – first in the business -> Niche

Retention Rich design features Self selective audience members -> not 5 minute users Seamless HTML loading. 1st flash screen load takes a long time,

but all subsequent loading uses html

Monetisation Multiple purchase options – speed up, production, chest etc Requires more robust payment strategy. Mobile payments should

be made more obvious, and localised according to markets – geoIP, other methods of payment to load within site, not in a separate window

Social games – examplesViralStrategy RPG Niche games + Facebook

3 examples of RPG games Mafia Wars Club Penguin Runescape

Mafia Wars Multiplayer RPG game Game play:

Variables -> energy, stamina, experience points,

Users level up when a certain experience point is reached

3 Characters to choose from beginning

Club PenguinChildren use penguin avatars and explore

many virtual worldsUsers can express themselves while in the

worldsMultiple virtual worlds – competition, races,

lounges, education etcSafe environment for children Monetisation: Subscription model, free2play

Customers are parents not children Kids accumulate coins by playing the game but they

can only spend or redeem them for items only if they are paying members -> nag their parents to become paying members

RunescapeLargest free MMORPG in the world Game divided into several areas and

players can travel wherever they want. Players set their own objective and goal, no story line

Game play: Real time PVP battles Quests In-game events or happenings Chat, Interaction with non-players

Hard core community

Focus - Mafia WarsUser acquisition Cross promotions, Facebook fans, bookmarking, PR The more friends you have, the more power you have

for your avatar -> Users “begging” in forums etc

Monetisation Ie: Prices of items correlate to amount in user inventory.

If user buys a house for 1, the next house will be priced 1.2. If the user buys the second house, the third house is priced 1.4 and so on -> User spends more

Retention Asynch gameplays, social (clans, interaction,

leaderboard), excellent community management, appointment gaming, cooperation between friends

Social games – examplesViralStrategy RPG Niche games + Facebook

Niche games + Facebook Niche games/genres are new to Facebook. Finding the

right balance between complex, MMO vs social gaming FB is a social platform and social features should always

be prioritized ahead of additional game mechanics But higher the complexity, easier for certain type of

users to get hooked to the game High MAU, Low ARPU vs Low MAU, High ARPU. Ie:

Kingdom of Camelot Discussions, arguments between game

designer/producer and product manager for social features, monetisation -> normal

Scenarios with simpler game play needed to cater to mass market -> Takes time to convert new users to active, engaging users.

Mouse only = Simple Mouse + Keyboard = Complex, Difficult

ContentsSocial games - ExamplesOptimizing viralityLooking to the future

Those days…Those days, apps relied on

notifications, forced invitations and publish 2streams

These days, more emphasis on publish2stream; incentivizing cooperation

These days…

Question:

What’s the most important tool you can use to make your game viral on Facebook?

Answer:

Publish2stream

To show and tellleveling up, win/loss in battle, sending/receiving, challenging friends, obtaining items, finding items

To seek favours, to make requestsbuildings get constructed faster, to grow your farms, fertilize crops, to fill up clan, to fill up homes, hiring friends in Hotel, survey questions about user, to join as clan members, to join as neighbours

Why do users publish2stream?

1. User s encouraged to publish2stream -> More publish2streams

2. User 1 Publishes/Invites -> If User 2 clicks -> Then, User 1 gets incentives -> More nagging and pleading

3. User 1 Publishes -> User 2 clicks -> User 1 + 2 gets incentives -> Win-win

Pop-ups can have a variety of incentive strategies

Incentivizing publish2streams

Ask yourself…

Would you rather click on …..

Get a sign on bonus?

Continue to Zoo paradise?

Play Tiki resort?

Save [your friend’s] cottage?

Tips for Publish2Stream• Use a cute picture. • Incentivize the small bottom right link

Friends would be able to click and get something in return• Credits/points, more information about friend etc• “Get sign on bonus now”, “Answer XXX’s questions now”

• Use “call for action” headers instead of general statements Most of the published shares use general statements for

headers but use call for action statements as explanation

Publish2Stream analyticsVariables to track

• Date or Cohort• Type of stream post• Designs or styles for a/b testing• # of times pop-up gets shown to user (a)• # of times pop-up gets published to stream (b)• Published/shown ratio = b/a• Total # of clicks from all users for published pop-up (c)• Clicks/published ratio = c/b

Publish2Stream analytics• Click breakdown – Where did users click your publish2stream

post? 1 – Picture (d), % of total clicks = d/c 2 – Header (e), % of total clicks = e/c 3 – Small link (f), % of total clicks = f/c

• Actions completed (republish, redeem, join game, install game, invite friends)

1 – Action 1 – g 2 – Action 2 – h 3 – Action 3 – I

• Total action completed = g+h+I = j• Total ROI = j/c or j/b or j/a depending on what you’re tracking

Date/Cohort Why Pop-up Styles # shown to user

# published by user

Ratio (pub/shown)

27 May Item found Style 1 A B B/AStyle 2Style 3

27 May Game won Style 1

Date/Cohort Total clicks Ratio (clicks/pub)

Call for action

# of clicks % of clicks

27 May C C/B 1. Picture D D/C2. Header E E/C3. Small link F F/C

27 May

Date/Cohort Actions competed

Ratio (action / clicks)

Total action completed

Total ROI

27 May G G/DJ = G + H + I J/CH H/E

I I/F

Other general tips• Actionable data = very important• Relatively Easy - Tracking metrics at the backend• Requires some effort - Showing the metrics on

dashboard on frontend etc • Important - Analysing data, checking which one works

better• Most important - Acting on it by re-developing, re-

designing

Other general tips• Social gaming = A “doing” industry

Focus on doing -> design, develop, test, feedback, iterate, design, develop …

driven by data, NOT intuition. Avoid idealists, scatter brains at operational level

• Good Social game = Excellent product management = monetisation + social/viral + game balance

ContentsSocial games - examplesOptimizing viralityLooking to the future

Looking to the future… Traditional social gaming market getting crowded

“5 minute” games too crowded -> Almost a zero sum game -> Consolidation is happening

Birth of more complex, niche games Dancing, FPS, Strategy, RPG, Racing etc

Social games to have stand alone sites. Separate sites -> better community management and communal feeling

Less dependence on FB platform Social games could utilize Facebook Connect Stand alone sites monetize better compared to FB Owning the users in the stand alone site Zynga with farmville.com, CMUNE with

paradisepaintball.cmune.com

The END

Any comments?

sriramkri at gmail com@sriramkri

http://cn.linkedin.com/in/sriramkrishnan