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Players Are Not Idiots!

I know this might sound shocking to some game developers... Players are not idiots!They immediately notice when: You're selling them something for $60 that isn't even worth $10 Your product has nothing to do with its ads You're forcing them into "pay2win" You completely copied another game You didn't test and optimize the game enough You didnโ€™t finish some features and cut them out at the last moment You're hiding a lack of content with tricks like reskins or tight-balancing You don't care about your community Players might not always be able to articulate exactly what is wrong.But they ALWAYS know about it. They feel it when they play.They will react accordingly.Donโ€™t treat players like fools. Respect your audience.

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Layers of Engagement in Games

Here's how to keep players hooked: 1. Second-To-Second Fun ๐Ÿ•น> Immediate gameplay satisfaction> Responsive and intuitive controls> Engaging basic actions like:- Chopping wood- Matching 3 items in a row with a blast- Shooting crowds of enemies2. Short-Term Objectives ๐ŸŽฏ> Goals achievable within one session> Clear success and failure conditions> Diversity in tasks with a singular focus at a time> Examples include:- Completing tutorials- Passing levels- Defeating bosses3. Mid-Term Goals โณ> Achievable over multiple sessions> Creates a sense of progression> Multiple simultaneous goals> Tangible rewards- E.g., Leveling up, Acquiring cool upgrades, Finishing quests4. Long-Term Mission ๐Ÿ†> Provides a reason for extended play> Emotional significance> Milestone-based missions with regular prompts- E.g., Solving a crime, Reaching the top, Restoring a homeโš“ Playerโ€™s Anchors โ€“ What Keeps Players Coming Back?๐Ÿ—บ Extra Depths> Rewards for exploration and curiosity> Secrets, easter eggs, and bonus levels๐Ÿก Sense […]

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Personalized Gaming Offers Through Phone Numbers

The trend of expanding sales channels for in-app purchases (IAP) continues. Initially, sales were available only through the Apple and Google stores, then web shops appeared. Now, there is a trend of selling in-game purchases through messenger services, where you can send push messages and personalized offers specifically for that player, which won't be available to others.Two pioneering games, Monopoly GO! by Scopely and Coin Master by Moon Active are leading the charge by collecting phone numbers from users beyond the conventional Facebook Connect and email integrations. This strategy opens many opportunities to deepen engagement and streamline the sales process.I see this as a golden opportunity to expand communication channels with players and innovate to sell in-game currency. Imagine leveraging direct-to-consumer technology with a 'Buy Button' that can be seamlessly integrated into any messaging app. This personalizes the player's journey, […]

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The Future Of GameDev: Cosmic Lounge’s AI Insights

Established in 2022, Cosmic Lounge received โ‚ฌ4M in seed funding from Transcend Fund, fueling the advancement of their AI-driven puzzle game development. Cosmic Lounge's Puzzle Engine rapidly prototypes games in 5-6 hours, streamlining game creation for designers with user-friendly dropdown menus and prompts. CEO Tomi Huttula showcased Puzzle Engine's capabilities at the recent Google Think Games event, unveiling a puzzle game prototype dubbed "Angry Dev" created within hours. With only two human level designers, Cosmic Lounge leverages AI bots to generate, test, and optimize game prototypes, enabling rapid iteration and feedback loops for high-quality results. Huttula expressed, "We view AI as a tool to enhance, not replace, our team's capabilities, improving productivity and outcomes." While AI streamlines tasks like level and art production, it complements rather than replaces human designers. The studio envisions AI as a tool to empower designers […]

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Innovative Daily Bonus Strategies On Retention and Monetization

Developers continually optimize and innovate within their games and events to enhance the player experience and foster deeper engagement, retention, and monetization strategies. A notable trend is the evolution of universally applied mechanics, offering fresh approaches to captivate players. A prime example that caught my attention is the implementation of a Daily Bonus in two notable games: Candy Crush Soda Saga by King implements a three-tiered daily bonus system. The first reward is granted immediately upon the player's login, with subsequent rewards available 4 hours after the previous one is claimed. This incentivizes players to log in multiple times throughout the day, enhancing player engagement. Should a player fail to return within the same day, they're greeted with a visual representation of missed opportunities upon their next login, subtly encouraging a habit of regular play. This strategy is particularly effective […]

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Trusting Gut Instinct in Game Development

Lately the word 'gut' has raised its head in connection with many occasions on social media and work, so I decided to add my input to how 'gut' should be perceived and used as a tool. ๐Ÿ’ก Nowadays instead of pure 'gut', I'm treating it as a combination of:- experience as a gamer,- experience as a game developer, plus- know-how, insights, existing data such as market data, player research findings, competitive data, etc. ๐ŸŽฏGiven above, in short, it is more than a best guess - one could say it is in many cases even more data-informed than one would thought about it. So, if someone is questioning your gut and saying not to trust to it, I believe in many cases it showcases immature thinking, as gut should have certainly a higher prio than that.โ—๏ธWhy gut plays a big role […]

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Increase Player Retention Through In-App Purchases

Studios always seek innovative ways to keep players monetized and engaged. Paid Periodic Bonus is an approach where players make a purchase with real money and, in return, receive continuous bonuses. This strategy not only enhances the value of the purchase but also keeps players returning for more.This model's ๐š๐๐š๐ฉ๐ญ๐š๐›๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐š๐œ๐ซ๐จ๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐ฏ๐š๐ซ๐ข๐จ๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐ ๐š๐ฆ๐ž ๐ ๐ž๐ง๐ซ๐ž๐ฌ and its ability to be tailored to different player segments makes it an invaluable tool for developers seeking to maintain a competitive edge.๐Š๐ž๐ฒ ๐๐ž๐ง๐ž๐Ÿ๐ข๐ญ๐ฌ:๐„๐ง๐ก๐š๐ง๐œ๐ž๐ ๐๐š๐ฒ๐ฆ๐ž๐ง๐ญ ๐‚๐จ๐ง๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง: Players perceive more value in their purchase because it unlocks ongoing rewards.๐‡๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ž๐ซ ๐€๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ๐š๐ ๐ž ๐’๐ฉ๐ž๐ง๐: The offer entices players to spend more by presenting a compelling deal.๐๐จ๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ž๐ ๐‘๐ž๐ญ๐ž๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง: To collect all their bonuses, players must return to the game over several days.๐ŸŽฎ A stellar example this year is the offer 'Get Chuck And Lots Of Staff Earlier.' It provides early access […]

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Increased Holiday Events And Sales In Games

To amplify this festive spirit, introduce an element of enchantment and the chance to perform a good deed. Consider offering players an ๐ž๐œ๐จ ๐ซ๐ž๐ฐ๐š๐ซ๐ from Dots.eco. Players can plant trees, save baby sea turtles and many more environmental activities in the real-world as part of the game experience.The Advent Calendar, popular not just at Christmas but for various holidays, presents a prime opportunity to integrate eco-rewards. Benefits of Advent Calendars Retention By offering daily surprises, players are encouraged to return, enhancing game retention.Engagement Boost involvement with the main gameplay and events. Offering limited-time boosters and event-specific currency can deepen user engagement and prolong gaming sessions.Monetization Choose the monetization methods that are optimal for your gameโ€™s audience: Incorporate special discount offers within the advent calendar as an additional incentive. Add a place at the bottom of the calendar for special offers […]

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Win Streak Offer In Candy Crush Saga By King

The offer has appeared in the game. It opens when the player loses the maximumย permanent streakย bonus, allowing the player to save their maximumย permanent streakย bonus for premium currency. Monetization ๐€ ๐ง๐ž๐ฐ ๐ฐ๐š๐ฒ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ง๐ž๐ญ๐ข๐ณ๐ž ๐š ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐š๐ฒ๐ž๐ซ. Players invest considerable effort to attain the highest streak bonus, a milestone they value greatly. The likelihood of players spending money to maintain this status symbol is increased, seeing it as a worthwhile investment to safeguard their progress. Engagement The loss of a streak often leads to the end of a gaming session. However, with the Win Streak Offer, players are more inclined to continue playing, perceiving the purchase as a second windโ€”a lifeline that keeps them engaged.Match-3 games frequently incorporate streak mechanics, compelling players to clear levels consecutively without defeat. The three primary streak formatsโ€”streak-rewards, streak-location, and streak-tournamentโ€”encourage the use of extra moves and […]

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How Monopoly GO Leverages Coin Masterโ€™s Live Ops Strategies

๐„๐š๐ซ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐„๐ฏ๐ž๐ง๐ญ ๐€๐œ๐œ๐ž๐ฌ๐ฌ Monopoly Go allows players to participate in events from the start, offering free dice, reducing early player drop-off. 24-๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐“๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง๐š๐ฆ๐ž๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ Unlike Coin Masterโ€™s 6-hour tournaments, Monopoly Goโ€™s day-long events encourage players to return multiple times during the day to secure rewards and positions. ๐๐š๐ฅ๐š๐ง๐œ๐ž๐ ๐„๐ฏ๐ž๐ง๐ญ ๐‚๐ฒ๐œ๐ฅ๐ž Monopoly Go alternates between easy and hard challenges, maintaining player interest, whereas Coin Master toughens events for paying players. ๐๐จ๐ง๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐„๐ฏ๐ž๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ Monopoly Go utilizes short-term bonus events, offering time-limited advantages and keeping players engaged. ๐…๐ซ๐ข๐ž๐ง๐ ๐‚๐จ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐š๐›๐จ๐ซ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง With co-op events where friends work towards common goals, Monopoly Go encourages deeper player engagement.By examining top-performing games, developers can blend mechanics, events, offers, and gameplay to optimize their game strategy and boost initial profits.

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