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www.QuarterSpiral.com
Game Design is Business Design
digital taipei | sep 13 ethan levy | cofounder @quarter spiral | consultant @famousaspect
www.QuarterSpiral.com
Game Design is Business Design
digital taipei | sep 13 ethan levy | cofounder @quarter spiral | consultant @famousaspect
www.QuarterSpiral.com
about a boy
• 10 years experience as a game developer• 30+ shipped games, multiple awards and nominations
game design game production
metrics & user testmonetization consultant
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desired takeawayswhat do you want to get out of this session?
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better freemium design better communication
my motivation for giving this talk
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KingsRoad by Rumble Entertainment
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“I'm one of those guys who has a voice constantly jabbering at him in his head. And it's usually not very pleasant things that voice is saying. And the games have that way short of having any chemical alterations to quiet that voice. I find it very relaxing and centering to play them.”
Ken Levine on the Active Design podcast
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Farmville 2 by Zynga
relief
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Clash of Clans by SuperCell
relief
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Injustice: Gods Among Us by NetherRealm
curiosity
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Bubble Witch Saga by King.com
accomplishment
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Bubble Witch Saga by King.com
accomplishment
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Bubble Witch Saga by King.com
accomplishment
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Puzzle & Dragons by GungHo
pride
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The Last: Stand Dead Zone by Con Artist Games
exhilaration
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Bejeweled Blitz by PopCap
mastery
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Bejeweled Blitz by PopCap
mastery
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Bejeweled Blitz by PopCap
mastery
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general monetization framework• identify the core loop
• identify emotions you wish to monetize
• identify opportunities to monetize the core loop
• make the ability to spend money present
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super mario bros. 3
WorldChoose branching levels,
play mini gamesSink timeTap items
PlatformFinish the obstacle course
before time runs outSink lives, items
Tap lives
GateLives
GateBoss castles
Pay
Gat
e: $
5
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delight
We can build off of the slightly linear nature of Super Mario Bros. 3 to build a system dependent upon earning stars instead of pure level completion to unlock new areas and abilities. Taking queues from games like Candy Crush Saga and Jetpack Joyride, we will build in systems of achievement that will motivate players to use a variety of consumable boosts.
Super Mario Bros. 3 is a masterclass in surprise and delight. The player is introduced to novelties throughout the game that keeps the experience constantly fresh. In order to monetize emotion, we will introduce elements like a crafting system that allows the player to unlock new characters for use with slightly different powers which allow for more novelty.
achievement
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metastructure changes• Each level is a social leaderboard
• Earn 1 to 3 stars per level based on score
• [bonus stars for completing w/other characters]
• Unlock new worlds based on star totals
add achievement focus and social competition to game to allow for monetization
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time based elements• Lives regen at 1 per 30 minutes
• Mini games are playable 1 per 24 hours
• EOL reward pays out once 1 per 24 hours
• Add new daily scratcher return mechanic
add time based gating to encourage daily returns
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coins as currency• Coins no longer grant free life at 100
• Spend coins on entrance to mini games
• Spend coins to buy consumables pre level
• Spend coins to buy mystery box of craft components
• Spend coins to complete crafting tasks
players can grind for coins, but can purchase them in packages for $$$
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toad the craftsman• EOL reward and Toad mini games grant craftables
✦ Scripted, public facing payout for each
• Craftables + gold turned in for consumables
• Rare craftables + gold to unlock new characters✦ Princess Peach, Luigi, Donkey Kong, Samus, Link, Wario...
crafting will be the major coin sink
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standard requirements• Starter pack for straight cash ($20 of value for $5)
• Boost upsell dialog before entering each level
• Contextual upsell on not enough coins, out of lives
• Notifications
standard elements to make purchasing and returns present
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new feature - survival mode• A weekly high score challenge
• Randomly generated level
• Receive rewards based on making certain distances
• Costs coins to enter
• New level/refreshed leaderboard each week
coin sink + a piece of infinitely replayable content to keep players engaged
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super mario bros. 3
WorldChoose branching levels,
play mini games, craftSink time, coins, craftables
Tap boosts, craftables
PlatformFinish the obstacle course
before time runs outSink lives, consumables
Tap coins, craftables
GateLives
GateStars earned
crafting
lives
consumablesmini games
characters
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Dragon Age Legends by BioWare
ease of access
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Dragon Age Legends by BioWare
ease of access
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War Commander by KixEye
be present
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Zuma Blitz by PopCap
teach spending
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Zuma Blitz by PopCap
teach spending
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Zuma Blitz by PopCap
teach spending
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Zuma Blitz by PopCap
teach spending
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Zuma Blitz by PopCap
teach spending
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Zuma Blitz by PopCap
teach spending
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Temple Run by Imangi Studios
possibility of in!nite monetization
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social elder game
Life is Crime by Red Robot Labs
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currency package pricing
The Last Stand: Dead Zone by Con Artist Games
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Fifa Ultimate Team by EA
weekly events
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theory into practice
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• Classic score based arena shooter re-imagined for Mobile• Bite sized levels played for high score• Compete against friends’ scores, earn achievements and medals
smash tv saga
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x statement• Single sentence that describes the essence of the
game
• “Razor” used to make decisions
• Punchy & memorable
Meaningless X statementReturn of the arcade classic
Meaningful X statementCompete and cooperate in an over the top, reality TV shooter.
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analogs, antilogs and leaps of faith• Idea taken from Getting to Plan B
• Analogs: successful games you want to be like
• Antilogs: similar games you want to avoid
• Leaps of faith: elements unproven in the marketplace
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smash tv analogs • Ratchet and Clank
✦ Leveling weapons
✦ Fast and furious gunplay
• Bubble Witch Saga
✦ Short, rewarding levels
✦ Leader board competition
✦ Earned currency and boosts
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smash tv antilogs✦ Smash TV Arcade
✦ Don’t be a quarter monster
✦ Engagement not frustration
✦ Simcity Social
✦ Social network integrity
✦ Multiplayer not friend gating
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leap of faithmobile/tablet
CRAVE synchronous multiplayer
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monetization philosophy doc• Identify player types
• Identify a small # of monetization emotions (2-3)
• Don’t try and do everything, make a small number of distinct choices
• Each emotion should be a razor you use in the future to evaluate monetization moments
• Razors are used when writing feature briefs
• Define core loop, sinks and taps
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Smash TV Saga has multiple achievement systems to entice the player. Each level, he can earn a number of predetermined levels. In addition, there is a global achievement system similar to XBLA. Points earned by completing achievements and earning medals are used to purchase powerful weapon upgrades.
dominanceSmash TV Saga is a score based game where each level is a unique leaderboard that the player competes to dominate against his friends. Leaderboards are heavily emphasized in game: they are shown before and after levels, in-game notifications show when you’ve passed a friends score and the game encourages you to brag on your friend’s wall after topping his score.
achievement
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core loop• Simple diagram that lays out core experience
• What are the sinks (player spends consumable)?
• What are the taps (player earns consumable)?
• What are the gates (what gates progress in each section of the game)?
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smash tv saga
KillKill hordes of enemies
Sink ammo, timeTap stars, money, xp
GunsPurchase and upgrade
Sink gold, starsTap guns, ammo
GatePlayer level
GateLifetime Stars
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feature brief• High concept
• Success metric
✦ Monetization, engagement, virality, retention, quality
• Single screen mock up
• Sinks and Taps
• Description
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proposed feature - smash pad• During each round the player picks up money and
home goods
• In between levels, the player can visit his SmashPad to decorate it with items earned
• The player’s friend can visit his SmashPad, choosing to “Bro Out” or “Blow Out”
• Monetization: The player can buy premium home goods using the game’s purchased currency.
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using our razor•Feature rejected!• Proven mechanic – houses in Sims Social
• Based on emotion – Jealousy/Vanity
• Social interaction with “Bro Out” vs “Blow Out”
• Does not map to our key emotions.
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proposed feature - phone a friend• In level, there are buttons to “Phone a Friend”
• Each type is a super ability with a cooldown time
• Example: “Lifeline” fills you to 200% health
• Using “Phone a Friend” costs a Smash Token
• Smash Tokens are earned on level up, but can also be purchased in large quantities
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using our razor•Feature accepted!• Super abilities will help the player earn high scores
• Super abilities will help the player earn medals
• Super abilities are consumable based
• Super abilities are available to free and paying players
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Gasketball by mikengreg
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Punch Quest by Rocket Cat Games
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ask yourself• How many players will I get?
• How many will convert to payers?
• What LTV do I expect from the average player?
• How much will I pay to platform holders?
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super simple forecast
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http://apps.facebook.com/forecastquest
forecast quest
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continue the conversation...• Tools and templates blog.quarterspiral.com
• Follow @QuarterSpiral
• Contact [email protected]