Social gaming insights and findings from the past year. This ppt contains info on some game apps/genres, niche games and optimization of virality. Have any comments or feedback? Feel free to contact me via the my info mentioned in the ppt. A much abridged version of the presentation would be uploaded soon.

1. Social gaming “Findings and insights” redux By Sriram Krishnan sriramkri@gmail.com @sriramkri

3. The other two parts are for industry enthusiasts or followers Special thanks to Noah Kagen, Jerome Scola and Gabriel Weyer for helping out..! 

4. Contents Social games - examples Optimizing virality Looking to the future

6. Strategy

7. RPG

9. iHeart ~ 20,000,000 MAU, ~1,300,000 FB fans The 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

10. iHeart

11. Quiz creator ~ 460,000 MAU, ~83,000 FB fans Users are able to create their own application just by filling up forms This app created ‘00s and 000’s of other apps Monetized through advertising 3 simple steps to create application:

12. Quiz creator

13. Farmville ~80,000,000 MAU, ~23,000,000 FB fans Real time farming simulation game User creates a customizable avatar and has a farm Game 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 herehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odBDAcOEKuI

14. Farmville

16. Creation of fake accounts just for FarmvilleCross promotion within Zynga Retention You 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

17. Social games – examples Viral How do you develop viral apps? Strategy RPG Niche games + Facebook

18. 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

22. K.I.S.S

24. Social games – examples Viral Strategy RPG Niche games + Facebook

25. 3 examples of strategy games Travian Evony Kingdoms of Camelot

26. Travian Military strategy real time multiplayer Aim: To reach level 100 Choice of characters or tribes Each tribe has different strengths, weaknesses Commodities management Wood, clay, iron, wheat etc Production -> Usage for Construction, Food etc Military/Troops strategy Attacking, Defending Developing manpower Ranking (leader board) Alliances, clans

27. Evony Browser based online multiplayer strategy game User starts as a mayor and have to increase population of city and build Similar to Travian: ranking, attack/defense Item mall – 2 types of virtual currencies Gold – action oriented Game cents – real $$$

28. Kingdom of Camelot ~3,000,000 MAU, ~ 660,000 FB fans KoC = Evony, Travian + Facebook’s social graph Additional Features: Facebook friends - to speed up construction, alliance etc Rich/Smooth graphics Global chat Quest assistance

29. Focus - Kingdoms of Camelot User 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

30. Social games – examples Viral Strategy RPG Niche games + Facebook

31. 3 examples of RPG games Mafia Wars Club Penguin Runescape

32. 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

35. Quests

36. In-game events or happenings

37. Chat, Interaction with non-players Hard core community

38. Focus - Mafia Wars User 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 Asynchgameplays, social (clans, interaction, leaderboard), excellent community management, appointment gaming, cooperation between friends

39. Social games – examples Viral Strategy RPG Niche games + Facebook

41. But higher the complexity, easier for certain type of users to get hooked to the game

42. High MAU, Low ARPU vs Low MAU, High ARPU. Ie: Kingdom of Camelot

43. Discussions, arguments between game designer/producer and product manager for social features, monetisation -> normalScenarios 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

44. Contents Social games - Examples Optimizing virality Looking to the future

45. Those days… Those days, apps relied on notifications, forced invitations and publish 2streams These days, more emphasis on publish2stream; incentivizing cooperation These days…

46. Question: What’s the most important tool you can use to make your game viral on Facebook? Answer: Publish2stream

47. Why do users publish2stream? To show and tellleveling up, win/loss in battle, sending/receiving, challenging friends, obtaining items, finding items To seek favours, to make requests buildings 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

48. Incentivizing publish2streams User s encouraged to publish2stream -> More publish2streams User 1 Publishes/Invites -> If User 2 clicks -> Then, User 1 gets incentives -> More nagging and pleading User 1 Publishes -> User 2 clicks -> User 1 + 2 gets incentives -> Win-win Pop-ups can have a variety of incentive strategies

51. Ask yourself… Would you rather click on ….. Get a sign on bonus? Continue to Zoo paradise? Play Tiki resort? Save [your friend’s] cottage?

54. 1 – Picture (d), % of total clicks = d/c

55. 2 – Header (e), % of total clicks = e/c

56. 3 – Small link (f), % of total clicks = f/c

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

58. 1 – Action 1 – g

59. 2 – Action 2 – h

60. 3 – Action 3 – I

61. Total action completed = g+h+I = j

63. 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

65. driven by data, NOT intuition. Avoid idealists, scatter brains at operational levelGood Social game = Excellent product management = monetisation + social/viral + game balance

66. Contents Social games - examples Optimizing virality Looking to the future

68. Birth of more complex, niche games

70. Social games could utilize Facebook Connect

71. Stand alone sites monetize better compared to FB

72. Owning the users in the stand alone site