This presentation was given at the first London Game Developer Meet-up (http://www.meetup.com/London-Game-Developers/) at the Innovation Warehouse on 27/01/12

1. grgetherh
Social Design Magic Tricks
Oscar Clark Evangelist
PapayaMobile Inc

2. Humans are social animals
• We all play games in some
form
• We all respond to social
pressures
• We all crave esteem
• What's self-actualising?
Image found via Flikr (Erica Glasier)

3. Games as a Service
Social games need to be
considered as a service
• Designers need to
monitor user behaviour
• They should to evolve
and improve over time
• Make regular small
improvements
• Minimum Viable Product

4. Who are your players?
Different Players buy for
different reasons
• Collector:
– "Got to catch them all"
• Explorer:
– "Where can I go today?"
• Socialiser:
– "I want to be popular"
• Competitor:
– "I'm going to Pwn ya!"

5. Its not a Free Lunch!
100 :10 :1 Rule
• Free-players are your
marketing channel
• And your comparison
for success
• And provide invaluable
data on play
• Don’t break their game

6. Only worth what people will pay
How are players going to
pay?
• Premium Pricing
• Try Before Buy
• Hybrid (Rent/Buy/Subscribe)
• Free or Ad-Funded
• Virtual in-game goods
• Virtual creative goods
• Extra Levels
• Consumables
• Gifting
• Advertising
• Offer wall

7. Pricing is everything
Maximise the
opportunity
• Purchases will be a barrier
• Reduce the risk to the user
• Understand Price Elasticity
• Retrofitting is very difficult

8. Premium
Anticipation is
everything
• Players have to crave your
game
• Guarantees that players will pay
to play
• You can't measure the players
you turn away
• Only a select few can sustain
this model
• But! Players are more willing to
see it through the learning curve

9. Advertising
Brand sponsored
experiences
• Can be a vital revenue
stream
• Media buying is getting
much better
• Most effective when relevant
to the game
• Needs to be increasingly
smart

10. Freemium
1:10:100 Rule*
• Free-players are your data
and marketing
• Make it easy to spend the
first $1
• Offer goods to shoe off
creativity and skill
• Consumable in-game items
are key
• Make it possible to spend
$100 or more
* Apologies to Nicholas Lovell

11. Understand the True Fans
True Fans are happy to
spend money
• Ensure that they get value
for paying
• Don't break the Free Player
experience
• Engage with your most
valuable players
• Will Churn when they find
'Blocking Events'
• Avoid the 'hangover'

12. Feed the Habit
Why should they replay
your game?
• Daily Bonus/Challenge
• Leader boards
• Social Challenges
• Friendship Bonds
• Recharge systems

13. Social Achievement
Playing the game should
grant me ‘Social Capital’
• Let me show off my
achievements
• Gifting and Reciprocation
• Items gained must be
desirable to others
• It's not social if I can't talk
about it

14. Time Vs Money
Buying things should
make my game better
– Play for longer
– accelerate scores
– add special abilities
• Game balance must be
preserved
• Not fun if I have to spend!
• Don’t kill the game for Free-
players

15. Consumable Goods
Give me a reason to
spend again and again
• Low-cost consumable items
are low risk for new users
• Higher cost bundles can
offer better value longer
• Unique purchases tied to
achievements adds rarity

16. Scissor:Paper:Stone
Use Dilemma to help
maintain Game Balance
• Players should have
meaningful choices
• Different roles should
complement sharing
• Ambiguity in strategy leaves
room for players to debate
• Virtual goods can add new
choices in play

17. Playing Metagames
What happens between
play sessions
• Metagames can build
retention
• High Scores don’t have to
be global
• Individual sessions form
part of a wider story arch

18. Its My Game!
Its not your game any
more... Its your players!
• Players should be part of the
ongoing creative process
• Let them personalise their
experience
• Encourage emergent
behaviour
• Allow players to share their
experiences and 'Stories'

19. What Next?
In Short...
• Social Games increase:
– Discovery
– Retention
– and Revenues
• Every game can benefit
from Social Techniques
• Mobile is perfect for Social
Games

20. Who are Papaya?
• Founded in 2008 with $22M raised through DCM and Keytone.
• 90 staff with offices in San Francisco, London and Beijing
• More than 80% of users come from US and Europe
• Popular games earn more than $1 million per year
• Winner of Best Games Service Provider ME Awards 2011
1,050,000,000
$16.45/
13,611,930
37

21. ...in the end it's all about the game

22. Any Questions?
Thank you :)
oscarclark@papayamobile.com
Twitter: @Athanateus