Hacking Gamification

Bing Gordon, KPCB

@bingfish @kpcb

Why Gamify?

Game patterns are the new normal

2 -10x improvement
Acquire

1 2 3
Engage

Retain

Decades of Gaming

Acquire

First Five Seconds

Acquire

I am smartthis is what I expected.

First Matters
First Session

This is funwhat I expected, only better. I know what I am doingand I like it.

Acquire

First Rules
Win first, win fast Give them a reason to return Send invites (if you love it)

Acquire

The Original Touch

Pinball Construction Set 1983

The New Shelf

Acquire

Acquire

10:1

Acquire

Just as in SEM

The landing screen is everything.

Acquire

Reduce bounce by

90%
Before install: After first five seconds:

Sketch what you expect to see

Is this what you expected?

Acquire

Frames Are Wine Labels

Acquire

Interface is the Engine

NASCAR draft meter: 2x

Acquire

Interface Toys Work

Wants and fears spinner of Sims 2

Acquire

Opt in Complexity

Open style menus of Sim Golf

Acquire

FB Profiles = Social
15M not 1M for Zynga Poker

Acquire

Friend Bar Mechanic

70M, not 2M for Farmville

Acquire

Virality: The New Marketing

Incentives
Virtual goods Games: imbue value in VG

Invites
Incented invites
-- 4 -10x (watch for TOS!)

Incented installs +25%

Acquire

Virality: The New Marketing

Take Aways
10x 90% Touchable box
I feel smart Win first, win fast

Acquire

Bounce reduction

2x 4-10x

Interface = engine Viral design

Engage

Wow!!!
1x first two sessions

Engage

Good!!
1 to 3x first session

Design Beats
Yuck!
0x first session

Oh F*#@!
Never

Engage

Wither Factor
First Successful Time Pressure

Engage

Identity

The Most Precious Asset

Engage

Who Are You?

Build a Profile: Identity, career score key.

Engage

Like Going Out

Take 30 minutes

Engage

Power of Personalization

Tiger Woods Golf: +50%

Engage

Live Life in Levels

Engage

Show Numbers

Engage

Badges Rule
I have 600+ 2x hours/week 75% female, average age 42

Engage

Trophies Matter

Engage

Yearning for Recognition

Sim City: 20,000 uploaded 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. Come to Aileen City!

Engage

UGC
city, it is an economic dynamo!

Text #1

1% upload | 25% download

Joe City is a towering spectacle of glass and concrete. It is not just a

You have to watch the citizens to understand Jennville. They shop, they bustle, their houses are perfect.

Engage

Co-Op Crushes Competition 3:1

Engage

Gifts 30x Brags

Engage

Party of 5
20 - 30% productivity gains

Design Principles
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

Engage

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

Engage

Retain

3
Probabilistic, too. Lessons from the Skinner Box. 2 currencies (Las Vegas)

Retain

Multiple, Parallel Goals

3
Look Ahead

Retain

Will she come back? When? What will she do in the second session? Will she be playing a month from now? What will she expect?

3
Pinch
Resource Management in Farmville

Retain

Retain

Constraints & Quantity

3
Pre-Announcements
World of Warcraft -- 0% churn from level 35-40, 55-60 (mount, elder game) Pre-register at retail -- 10-20% of first week sales

Retain

Huge

3
Content Updates Sell
Correlated to quality

Retain

Madden Football
70% repeat if game of the year 30% repeat purchase if liquid AI is whats running down their legs

3
The Sims expansions
16 expansions, 50M units 60% ARPU increase

Retain

Content Updates Sell

3
Social Obligations
Madden
You cant convert the whole fraternity.

Retain

Lock-In

Guilds
Appointment gaming Peer pressure and privileges Marriages (and divorce)

Asynchronous: 4x more than simultaneous

3
Magic Numbers
Twitter
40% 1 month retention 90%-ish monthly retention if 10 followers

Retain

Facebook
20 friends 70% long term retention

3
Virtual Assets : 3x Factor
Ultima Online House owners - 3 years

Retain

Madden sequels 2x for high quality Use NPS (Net Promoter Score) % recommend - % who wouldnt

Retain

Quality Matters
Metacritic.com
80 - 85 = Top 50 +50 -100% for each +5 points

Design Principles
Show numbers Look ahead Pinch Constraints are fun Pre-Announcements Content updates sell

Retain

3
Take Aways
Do the Math

Retain

 4x: Pinch and look ahead game mechanics 100%: Pre-announce (for a month) 50%: New content, if same quality as original

Retain

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