IxD Play 06: SUSTAINABLE GAMES

IXD P

LAY

06:

SUST

AINABLE

GAMES

TI M

E S

CA

L E I

N G

AM

ES

AS

A S

ER

VI C

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06

@ M A N O J A LPA C H E L S EA H O W E

THE CHANGING GAME2

3 LONG TERM GAME DESIGN

LAUNCH

1 YEAR

2 YEARS

@ M A N O J A LPA C H E L S E A H O W E

HOW DO WE DESIGN FOR THE LONG HAUL?

RHYTHM & TIME SCALE

CONTENT TREADMILL

CONTENT CADENCE

4@ M A N O J A LPA C H E L S E A H O W E

RHYTHM &

TIM

E SC

ALE

TH

E F

UN

DA

ME

NT A

L PA

CE

OF A

GA

ME


6 WHAT DOES RHYTHM LOOK LIKE?

ACT

SAVOR

AN

TICIPATE

SEEK

ANTICIPATE

ACT

SAVOR

SEEK

Players look forward to the

upcoming interaction

Players perform the anticipated

interaction

Players enjoy the feedback and

reward from the interaction

Players seek out another

interaction


7 LAYERING RHYTHMS

Longer Term Cycle

Short Term Cycle

Layered Cycle


8 OPTIMAL ENGAGEMENT@ M A N O J A LPA C H E L S E A H O W E

PLAYER SKILL LEVEL

GA

ME’S

C

HA

LLEN

GE

9 RHYTHM & TIMESCALE

This dragon will not be able to breed for

35 days.


10 ASPIRATIONAL PROGRESS BARS@ M A N O J A LPA C H E L S E A H O W E

VERISIMILITUDE

People are willing to wait if it fits their expectations for the world.

INTEGRITY

People don’t feel cheated if others can’t cheat the wait.

11

This dragon will not be able to breed for

35 days.

VERISIMILITUDE & INTEGRITY@ M A N O J A LPA C H E L S E A H O W E

12 SERIAL NARRATIVE@ M A N O J A LPA C H E L S E A H O W E

13 POLITICS & SOCIAL CONSTRUCTS@ M A N O J A LPA C H E L S E A H O W E

Create Engagement by Designing Across Timescale• Immediate (1 – 24 hours)• Short Term (1 – 3 days)• Mid-Term (1 – 6 wks)• Long Term (3 mo – 2 yr)

Establish Long Term Rhythm With Intrinsic Motivators

• Aspirational Goals / Progress Bars

• Narrative, Drama, and Storytelling

• Social, Political, and Economic Constructs

Keep Constraints Compelling• Verisimilitude• Integrity

14 TIME SCALE & RHYTHM REVIEW@ M A N O J A LPA C H E L S E A H O W E

CONTENT

TREA

DMILL

MA

I NT A

I NI N

G E

NG

AG

EM

EN

T O

VE

R T

I ME


EVERY LIVE GAME IS FUNDAMENTALLY

A CONTENT TREADMILL


THE BIG QUESTION:

17

DEVS CHANCE PLAYERS

WHERE is the content coming from?


DEVS CREATE THE CONTENT

18

+ Control + Consistency

- Long Term Cost- Sustainability


CHANCE CREATES THE CONTENT

19

+ Tuning+ Quantity

- Authorial Intent- Upfront Cost


PLAYERS CREATE THE CONTENT

20

+ Sustainability+ Virality

- Community Management- Critical Mass


CONTENT

CADENCE

KE

EP

I NG

A G

AM

E A

L I VE


ALIVE: THE EXPERIENTIAL GOAL OF LONG-TERM RETENTION

Cared for• Frequent updates• Responsive community• Problems resolved

Filled with Potential• New and exciting content• Room to grow• Strategy, depth, and mastery

Enjoyed by Others• Strong social presence• Ambient awareness of other players• Social structures


PROVIDING NEW CONTENT

23

ONE QUARTER

NEW

MAJO

R FEATU

RE

NEW

FEATURE

NEW

CO

NTEN

TBU

G FIX

ES

Quarterly: New Major FeatureMonthly: New FeatureWeekly: Content ReleaseTwice-Weekly: Bug-Fixes & Tech Improvements


@ M A N O J A LPA C H E L S EA H O W E

SO WHAT’S DESIGN FOR THE LONG HAUL?• Create long-term rhythms via compelling narrative,

aspirational progress bars, and real world constructs

• Empower other players to create the most compelling content for other players, and utilize procedurality and chance to keep interactions fresh and exciting

• Release new content reliably and at a pace suited to the rhythm of your game to make it feel alive

24

THANK YO

U

ST A

Y I

N T

OU

CH

! HO

WE

. CH

EL S

EA

@G

MA

I L. C

OM
