Hacking Gamification Bing Gordon, KPCB @bingfish
@kpcb
Why Gamify?
Game patterns are the new normal
2 -10x improvement
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Acquire
Engage
Retain
Decades of Gaming
Acquire
First Five Seconds
“I am smart—this is what I expected.”
“First” Matters First Session
“This is fun—wha fun—whatt I expec expected, ted, only better.” better.” “I know know what what I am doi doing— ng—and and I like like it.” it.”
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Acquire
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Acquire
“First” Rules • Win first, win fast • Give them a reason to return • Send invites (if you love it)
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Acquire
The Original “Touch”
Pinball Construction Set 1983
The New “Shelf”
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Acquire
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10:1
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Acquire
Just as in SEM…
The landing screen is everything.
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Acquire
Reduce bounce by
90% Before install:
Sketch what you expect to see…
After Af ter fir first st fiv five e secon seconds: ds:
Is this what you expected?
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Acquire
Frames Are Wine Labels
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Acquire
Interface is the Engine NASCAR “draft meter”: 2x
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Acquire
Interface Toys Work
Wants and fears spinner of Sims 2
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Acquire
“Opt in” Complexity
Open Ope n style style menu menuss of Sim Sim Go Golf lf
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Acquire
FB Profiles = Social 15M not 1M for for Zynga Zynga Pok Poker er
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Acquire
Friend Bar Mechanic
70M, not 2M for Farmville
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Acquire
Virality: The New Marketing Incentives Virtual goods Games: imbue value in VG
Invites Incented invites -- 4 -10x -10x (watch (watch for TOS!) TOS!)
Incented installs +25%
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Acquire
Virality: The New Marketing
Take Aways
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Acquire
10x
Touchable “box”
90%
Bounce reduction » I feel smart » Win first, win fast
2x
Interface = engine
4-10x
Viral design
Engage
Wow!!! 1x first two sessions
Good!! 1 to 3x first session
Design Beats Yuck! 0x first session
Oh F*#@! Never
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Engage
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Engage
Wither Factor First Successful Time Pressure
2
Engage
Identity
The Most Precious Asset
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Engage
Who Are You?
Build a Profile: Identity, career score key.
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Engage
Like Going Out
Take 30 minutes
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Engage
Power of Personalization
Tiger Woods Golf: +50%
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Engage
Live Life in Levels
2
Engage
Show Numbers
2
Engage
Badges Rule I have 600+ • 2x hours/week • 75% female, average age 42 •
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Engage
Trophies Matter
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Engage
Yearning for Recognition
Sim City: City: 20,0 20,000 00 uploa uploaded ded cities cities “They all look the same!”
“Aileen City is such a great place to live. The parks are beautiful and the highways are never jammed.
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Engage
Come to Aileen City!”
UGC Text #1 1% upload | 25% download “Joe City is a towering spectacle of glass and concrete. It is not just a city, it is an economic dynamo!”
“You have to watch watch the citizens to understand Jennville. Jennville. They shop, they bustle, their houses are perfect.”
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Engage
Co-Op Crushes Competition 3:1
2
Engage
Gifts 30x Brags
2
Engage
Party of 5
20 - 30% pro produc ductivi tivity ty gain gainss
Design Principles
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Engage
• Value what you make, value what you earn • Golf courses should look hard, play easy • 90% of players are 90% of the way • Constraints are fun • Experts fail fast; everyone else wins fast, wins first
Take Aways 2x
Great second session Viewable profiles Badges, achievements Numbers, stats for 10-25%
4x
“Invest” and avoid “wither” UGC for 25% of players Social obligation for 25% of players
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Engage
Retain
3
Retain
Multiple, Parallel Goals Probabilistic, too. Lessons from the Skinner Box. 2 currencies (Las Vegas)
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Retain
Look Ahead Will she come back? When? What will she do in the second session? Will she be playing a month from f rom now? What will she expect?
3
Retain
“Pinch”
Resource Management in Farmville
3
Retain
Constraints & Quantity
3
Retain
Pre-Announcements Huge Worl World d of of Warcr Warcraf aftt -- 0% chu churn rn from level 35-40, 55-60 (mount, elder game) Pre-regis Pre-register ter at retail retail -- 10-20% 10-20% of first week sales
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Retain
Content Updates Sell Correlated to quality
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Retain
Madden Football • 70% repeat if “game of the year” • 30% repeat purchase if “liquid AI is what’s running down their legs”
Content Updates Sell The Sims expansions • •
16 expansions, 50M units 60% ARPU increase
3
Retain
Social Obligations
Lock-In
• Madden – “You can’t convert the whole fraternity.”
• Guilds – Appointment gaming – Peer pressure and privileges – Marriages (and divorce)
• Asynchronous: 4x more than simultaneous
3
Retain
Magic Numbers Twitter • •
40% 1 month retention 90%-ish monthly retention if 10 followers
Facebook • 20 friends • 70% “long term” retention
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Retain
Virtual Assets : 3x Factor
Ulti Ultima ma Onli Online ne Hous House e owne owners rs - 3 year yearss
Madden sequels • 2x for high quality • Use “NPS” (Net Promoter Score) recommen mend d - % who who would wouldn’t n’t • % recom
Quality Matters Metacritic.com Top 50 • 80 - 85 = Top • +50 -100% for each +5 points
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Retain
Design Principles • Show numbers • Look ahead • Pinch • Constraints are fun • Pre-Announcements • Content updates sell
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Retain
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Retain
Take Aways Do the Math
• 4x: Pinch and “look ahead” game mechanics
3
Retain
• 100%: Pre-announce (for a month) • 50%: New content, if same quality as original
Take Aways • 20%: Social structures: – 90% less churn for players who are “well-guilded” • 15%: Virtual assets – 67% less churn for players who are “well-castled”
New Media, New Rules “The best way to keep someone playing forever is to have them play today.” -- Bing
Real World Gamification
