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the social gaming tipping point

the social gaming tipping point. Brian Reynolds Austin GDC 9.18.09. Quick History of Me. 18+ years in traditional games Civilization II, Alpha Centauri, Rise of Nations, Catan Founder of Firaxis and Big Huge Games. I Came from Traditional Videogames.

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the social gaming tipping point

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  1. the social gaming tipping point Brian Reynolds Austin GDC9.18.09

  2. Quick History of Me • 18+ years in traditional games • Civilization II, Alpha Centauri, Rise of Nations, Catan • Founder of Firaxis and Big Huge Games

  3. I Came from Traditional Videogames • Console Games - Presently a Shrinking Pond: • Six months of shrinking sales in 2009* • 25% decline in hardware sales from 2009* • Few publisher investments in new IP • Game development costs rising geometrically * source: GamesBeat, 9/10/09

  4. Social Games Are Growing. Fast. 2012 750M all platforms [Yahoo, Google, MSN, Apple] 2012 500M on social nets (western) 2008 300M gamers on social nets source: InsideSocialGames, 9/1/09

  5. 30M today! DAUs (How about that for growth?) millions 15 10 5 0 Q1 08 Q2 08 Q3 08 Q4 08 Q1 09 Q2 09

  6. Totally new space! TOP FACEBOOK GAMES BY MONTHLY ACTIVE source: InsideSocialGames, 9/1/09

  7. Social Gaming Also Outpacing “Casual”

  8. The Opportunity • Young space - rules still being written! • Largest genre (“Farm”) mostly didn’t exist until Spring • Current number one game launched June 2009 • Costs are cheap – barriers of entry are low

  9. Welcome to the Web • Reach, Retention, Revenue • Real metrics, often available in real time • Can push new versions easily and quickly • Most game development happens after launch! FARMVILLE DAU – 6/09 to present MAFIA WARS DAU – 6/08 to present source: DeveloperAnalytics, 9/13/09

  10. Completely Different Model Traditional Games Cost: $10M-$40M Timeframe: 2-4 years Support: maybe a patch Social Network Games Cost: $100k - $300k Timeframe: 4-12 weeks Support: weekly features

  11. play invest express social games three pillars Play – light interactions with social graph via game Invest – put time into game to progress & customize Express – it’s fun and efficiently generates social capital

  12. Social Gaming Means Your Real Friends • Facebook = 250 Million active users • Friend networks represent real relationships • Gaming can be social but “safe” • Players build social capital with real friends • Rapid viral growth from friend to friend

  13. What’s “Social Capital”? • People you actually care about see your “feed” • People looking for ways to stand out, get attention • Games give you a way to express yourself • Stay connected with friends in a fun, light way

  14. Metric-Driven Game Design • Unlike regular games we have a quick feedback loop • Correlate player clicks to metrics we want to drive • Quietly try out new features on a subset of players • Compare new feature’s metrics to old one in real time! • New features released when proven not when “cool” MAFIA WARS: Feature Analysis for CUBA

  15. What Makes a Good Social Feature? • Really simple (my aunt will like it!) • Aligned with at least one key metric • Virality – user-to-user and one-to-man • Engagement – come back regularly • Revenue – something worth paying for WIN! Easy & drives DAU FAIL! Lots of work, doesn’t drive any metric.

  16. Examples of Features That Work Well • Not zero sum – I win and you win • Gifting – Free social capital for coming back • Collections – Collecting and trading together • Harvest – Return compulsion

  17. So How Do You Make Money? • Most players play for free • Some will pay small amounts for “extra turns” • Others will pay for exclusive items & collecting • “Social Capital” drives the desire to spend FARMVILLE: Tractor Fuel MAFIA WARS: Crates and Cellphones

  18. How Do I Get Me Some of That? • Retention is easiest metric to drive with better design • Humility very important to transition to this space • Must “forget all you know” of intuitive game design • You can’t “port” a traditional game to the social space • Start with proven social features then add gameplay • FAIL! • Started with Diablo-style game • Tried to find social features from there • Never managed to get it to catch fire

  19. What’s Next? • Social games – potential billion dollar market • Virtual goods already huge in Asia, growing here • Possible mass market inflection point on FB • Big players will attempt to enter the space • Social games will need good game design • Zynga “the first with the most” and “best of breed”

  20. Mission connect the world through games

  21. We’re Hiring!

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