Together more fun: how to make the game social
It's no secret that even today, when you can instantly get access to any content, nothing compares to the effectiveness of word of mouth. Social networks can help in finding trusted content, but for active player interaction it is not enough just to integrate with Facebook and Twitter or connect Everyplay plugins.
Socialization of players has many advantages, for example, an increase in the number of installations and more effective retention of users, including through social factors. Below are the results of our online survey of three thousand players in 2014, showing the impact of social activity on in-game purchases.
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A game designer should not only understand what encourages players to interact, but also be clear about the process of their socialization in the game. In my previous article The Six Degrees of Socialization, I tried to classify the social interaction of players.
Without going into details, I will only say that the desire of players to interact with each other depends on what is required for this and what can be obtained in return. Similar to Maslow's pyramid of needs, in order to ensure a high level of player activity, we must first satisfy their basic needs. However, in our case, the pyramid is turned upside down, since each successive level is associated with greater risks and requires more participation from the player. Let's look at the various types of social behavior of players.
Encouraging such an interaction will necessarily bear fruit, but only if you do it right. In the context of this article, I would not want to confuse social features and mass mailing of gifts, which has nothing to do with live communication. Personally, I have nothing against such mailings, but they are so abused that they have long lost the trust of the players. We must create conditions that allow players to communicate and get pleasure from it, but in no case force them to communicate. No matter how much you want your game to become the next sensation on YouTube or cyber discipline, it does not depend on you - the final success of the game is determined by the players. Almost every game can benefit from the socialization of users, but not everyone is capable of creating a sensation. Apparently, the success of the game often depends on the following factors:
If you want your game to become popular, do not neglect social factors - even if it seems to you that your idea does not reach the level of League of Legends or Minecraft. You should understand not only how to realize the interaction of players, but also how to encourage them to play together. Let's look at the psychological model of the formation of social relations.
Theory of Interdependence
In this model, any social relationship implies a certain expenditure of effort in the hope of a certain reward (love, friendship, recognition, pleasure, happiness, etc.).
If you look at it from the point of view of game design, you need to recognize: in many modern games this mechanism works fine. Another question: how to achieve a delicate balance between effort and reward in order to keep users in the game?
Our communication with players and, more importantly, communication between players include many aspects. As in any interpersonal relationship, only by entering into communication, we can discover its benefits.
So, what practical recommendations will help create the necessary conditions for active interaction and effective retention of users?
Replayability
Playability is one of the key aspects of the game-as-a-service model. For example, in many eSports disciplines, this means that the player starts each new match with the same starting conditions and selects upgrades during the game. This is a well-founded approach, but it has one drawback: many players lose their sense of progress and, as a result, interest in the game itself. Realizing that there is nowhere to develop, such players are eliminated. For the same reason, the number of in-game purchases is reduced, which could give not only social capital, but also the opportunity to try other tactics.
On the other hand, in some games (as a rule, in an MMO), the level of difficulty increases gradually, and over time, steeper equipment opens up. This approach violates the autonomy of the player and does not give him the full skill to show, but this can be corrected by dividing the game progress into separate cycles. For example, if the game has a preparation stage, a system of upgrades and victory conditions, they can be implemented as follows:
Difficulty vs. availability
By the example of games such as Dark Souls or Super Hexagon, we know that a high level of difficulty can provide a dizzying game success. But even the tests, which at first make them tear their hair, eventually get bored. The problem is that the complexity curve cannot be infinite. At a certain stage, the rewards cease to justify the effort expended, the players no longer want to spend so much time passing, or simply give up because they cannot compete with friends. In addition, many developers do not know how to properly organize the learning process. As a result, boring, tightened tutorials appear, unable to clearly convey to a wide range of users what to do at the beginning of the game.
Many games pay excessive attention to the competitive aspect. Despite the fact that for some players, rivalry is indeed a key motivation, the vast majority do not focus on being faster, higher, or stronger. For someone, a sense of progress or narration may be much more important. But this does not mean that you need to limit the opportunities for the manifestation of skill - thus you will certainly alienate experienced players. It will be much better to divide the game into several layers so that players inclined to rivalry can find worthy competitors, and other success criteria are available to others. Do not forget that every player must have attainable goals, even if he is not interested in competing with others.
Unpredictability vs. balance
We have already talked about how important it is to balance replayability and a sense of purpose. Otherwise, we risk getting not only mediocre gameplay, but also lean visual effects. Naturally, we want our game to rivet the eyes of even casual viewers. To do this, you can use unpredictable gameplay elements, which are very often implemented in the form of unique combinations of attacks or skills, or visual effects. This may be a set of abilities of a new character or a unique property of an object - for example, the interaction of acid with a stone. However, the appearance of a new element should not be purely random - it should still obey a clear set of rules so that the game continues to intrigue the players. Hill Climb Racing passes continue to consistently publish on the Everyplay website. And all because unpredictable physics in the game always leads to an accident, and it's fun. Such a defeat is not accidental, but directly depends on physics and sensitive control.
It is interesting to watch MOBA games because rivals choose certain heroes with their own advantages and disadvantages. Despite the fact that the playing field is divided into only 3 lines, the versatility of the game consists in combining different characters and their opposition. At the same time, communication and well-coordinated teamwork are just as important as the skill of each player. But if the appearance of new abilities or items breaks the game balance, everything will crackle at the seams. Because as soon as the game loses its balance, it ceases to be interesting.
Autonomy vs. narration
Games differ from other types of media in that they allow you to take a direct part in the story. In theory, the player can make decisions and take actions to directly influence the plot. However, many popular games provide only the illusion of choice, behind which the linear plot is hidden. On the one hand, autonomy is out of the question if you play as a character with a specific story. But on the other hand, how can you associate yourself with a character if you do not know who he is and what he is capable of? Games in which the choice is made by a game designer, do not give players autonomy and often neglect the social aspects of the gameplay. But this does not mean at all that in social games there is no place for narration. As Wolfgang Folk said at the Respawn 2015 conference, “... games have their own rules, conflict and characters, these are finished stories. And the task of the story is to bring these stories to the players. ” To simplify this task, you can consider the gameplay in stages - from the point of view of the preparation stage, the system of upgrades and the sense of purpose.
Ultimately, we can only create the necessary conditions for social interaction. Moreover, practical recommendations for their creation are very remotely related to game design:
To maximize the social experience of the game, remember: many players like to publish their passages. Download the Everyplay SDK here to profit from the publication of recorded game sessions.
Socialization of players has many advantages, for example, an increase in the number of installations and more effective retention of users, including through social factors. Below are the results of our online survey of three thousand players in 2014, showing the impact of social activity on in-game purchases.
')
A game designer should not only understand what encourages players to interact, but also be clear about the process of their socialization in the game. In my previous article The Six Degrees of Socialization, I tried to classify the social interaction of players.
Without going into details, I will only say that the desire of players to interact with each other depends on what is required for this and what can be obtained in return. Similar to Maslow's pyramid of needs, in order to ensure a high level of player activity, we must first satisfy their basic needs. However, in our case, the pyramid is turned upside down, since each successive level is associated with greater risks and requires more participation from the player. Let's look at the various types of social behavior of players.
- A chance meeting. The lowest level of interaction. For example, in games such as Hellfire or Puzzles & Dragons, you can come to the aid of a character, randomly selected from other players online.
- Social identification. A simple public message in the game that does not require a response, but simply gives you the opportunity to declare yourself.
- Social capital. Indirect benefit from self-expression in the game, reflecting the player’s taste, abilities or achievements (a fundamental factor in most in-game purchases).
- Challenge other players. Following the usual public message is more competitive: the player parades his game records, trophies or demonstrates his creativity.
- Communication The player ceases to perceive the game exclusively as part of the gameplay and begins to use it as a means of communicating with other players.
- Knowledge of the game lora. Around the games that put players before an ambiguous choice, there are often heated debates, and then the knowledge of the game lore comes to the fore.
- User Content. Fantasy players go beyond the existing gameplay, and they begin to create their content (fan art, fan fiction, fashion, etc.).
- Cybersport. The rivalry becomes so serious and multifaceted that it is no less interesting to watch professional game matches than other sports (eSports is also famous for its large prize funds).
Encouraging such an interaction will necessarily bear fruit, but only if you do it right. In the context of this article, I would not want to confuse social features and mass mailing of gifts, which has nothing to do with live communication. Personally, I have nothing against such mailings, but they are so abused that they have long lost the trust of the players. We must create conditions that allow players to communicate and get pleasure from it, but in no case force them to communicate. No matter how much you want your game to become the next sensation on YouTube or cyber discipline, it does not depend on you - the final success of the game is determined by the players. Almost every game can benefit from the socialization of users, but not everyone is capable of creating a sensation. Apparently, the success of the game often depends on the following factors:
- Spirit of time. First of all, the game must comply with the spirit of the times. The market is full of other games, and yours should be distinguished not only by its gameplay, but also by its relevance to the audience. Cooking up another clone of Angry Birds, League of Legends or World of Tanks is easy, but to make a game that can compete with them is another matter.
- Social identity Players need "clues" that determine their affiliation to the community of a particular game. It can be a unique game art, style of play or even a curve of complexity. In any case, some aspect should unite your audience and make it stand out from the rest.
- Niche Lor. So that players can plunge deeper into the atmosphere of the game, you need to thoroughly prescribe a niche ENT - a set of knowledge about the game universe. This is especially true for games in which there are ambiguous strategies or non-linear passage. However, this is not to be confused with complex mechanics, because even in games such as Puzzles & Dragons, there is a lot of hidden lore that becomes available only in the later stages of the game.
- Audience reach. Another important factor is the scale, which can be increased both through marketing and community support. Platform owners and game reviewers will undoubtedly help achieve a greater audience reach. Nevertheless, the scale is measured not only in the number of users. For the game to exist for many months, or even years, you need a sufficient level of depth, replayability and a little bit of intrigue. Only thanks to a large amount of content and a wide audience the game can become completely self-sufficient.
If you want your game to become popular, do not neglect social factors - even if it seems to you that your idea does not reach the level of League of Legends or Minecraft. You should understand not only how to realize the interaction of players, but also how to encourage them to play together. Let's look at the psychological model of the formation of social relations.
Theory of Interdependence
In this model, any social relationship implies a certain expenditure of effort in the hope of a certain reward (love, friendship, recognition, pleasure, happiness, etc.).
If you look at it from the point of view of game design, you need to recognize: in many modern games this mechanism works fine. Another question: how to achieve a delicate balance between effort and reward in order to keep users in the game?
Our communication with players and, more importantly, communication between players include many aspects. As in any interpersonal relationship, only by entering into communication, we can discover its benefits.
So, what practical recommendations will help create the necessary conditions for active interaction and effective retention of users?
Replayability
Playability is one of the key aspects of the game-as-a-service model. For example, in many eSports disciplines, this means that the player starts each new match with the same starting conditions and selects upgrades during the game. This is a well-founded approach, but it has one drawback: many players lose their sense of progress and, as a result, interest in the game itself. Realizing that there is nowhere to develop, such players are eliminated. For the same reason, the number of in-game purchases is reduced, which could give not only social capital, but also the opportunity to try other tactics.
On the other hand, in some games (as a rule, in an MMO), the level of difficulty increases gradually, and over time, steeper equipment opens up. This approach violates the autonomy of the player and does not give him the full skill to show, but this can be corrected by dividing the game progress into separate cycles. For example, if the game has a preparation stage, a system of upgrades and victory conditions, they can be implemented as follows:
- Stage of preparation. Characters or objects that the player chooses before the game starts have advantages and disadvantages that directly affect the style of the game.
- Upgrade system. When choosing an upgrade, the player must make an informed, strategic decision. For beginners, you can add automatic distribution.
- Victory conditions. For the performance of any tasks the player must receive the opportunity to improve. Victory should give not just the next, stronger opponent, but new development options or new tactics that will maintain the interest and sense of progress.
Difficulty vs. availability
By the example of games such as Dark Souls or Super Hexagon, we know that a high level of difficulty can provide a dizzying game success. But even the tests, which at first make them tear their hair, eventually get bored. The problem is that the complexity curve cannot be infinite. At a certain stage, the rewards cease to justify the effort expended, the players no longer want to spend so much time passing, or simply give up because they cannot compete with friends. In addition, many developers do not know how to properly organize the learning process. As a result, boring, tightened tutorials appear, unable to clearly convey to a wide range of users what to do at the beginning of the game.
Many games pay excessive attention to the competitive aspect. Despite the fact that for some players, rivalry is indeed a key motivation, the vast majority do not focus on being faster, higher, or stronger. For someone, a sense of progress or narration may be much more important. But this does not mean that you need to limit the opportunities for the manifestation of skill - thus you will certainly alienate experienced players. It will be much better to divide the game into several layers so that players inclined to rivalry can find worthy competitors, and other success criteria are available to others. Do not forget that every player must have attainable goals, even if he is not interested in competing with others.
Unpredictability vs. balance
We have already talked about how important it is to balance replayability and a sense of purpose. Otherwise, we risk getting not only mediocre gameplay, but also lean visual effects. Naturally, we want our game to rivet the eyes of even casual viewers. To do this, you can use unpredictable gameplay elements, which are very often implemented in the form of unique combinations of attacks or skills, or visual effects. This may be a set of abilities of a new character or a unique property of an object - for example, the interaction of acid with a stone. However, the appearance of a new element should not be purely random - it should still obey a clear set of rules so that the game continues to intrigue the players. Hill Climb Racing passes continue to consistently publish on the Everyplay website. And all because unpredictable physics in the game always leads to an accident, and it's fun. Such a defeat is not accidental, but directly depends on physics and sensitive control.
It is interesting to watch MOBA games because rivals choose certain heroes with their own advantages and disadvantages. Despite the fact that the playing field is divided into only 3 lines, the versatility of the game consists in combining different characters and their opposition. At the same time, communication and well-coordinated teamwork are just as important as the skill of each player. But if the appearance of new abilities or items breaks the game balance, everything will crackle at the seams. Because as soon as the game loses its balance, it ceases to be interesting.
Autonomy vs. narration
Games differ from other types of media in that they allow you to take a direct part in the story. In theory, the player can make decisions and take actions to directly influence the plot. However, many popular games provide only the illusion of choice, behind which the linear plot is hidden. On the one hand, autonomy is out of the question if you play as a character with a specific story. But on the other hand, how can you associate yourself with a character if you do not know who he is and what he is capable of? Games in which the choice is made by a game designer, do not give players autonomy and often neglect the social aspects of the gameplay. But this does not mean at all that in social games there is no place for narration. As Wolfgang Folk said at the Respawn 2015 conference, “... games have their own rules, conflict and characters, these are finished stories. And the task of the story is to bring these stories to the players. ” To simplify this task, you can consider the gameplay in stages - from the point of view of the preparation stage, the system of upgrades and the sense of purpose.
Ultimately, we can only create the necessary conditions for social interaction. Moreover, practical recommendations for their creation are very remotely related to game design:
- Do not try to fool the players. Listen to them and make informed decisions.
- Trust your audience. You can not control the interaction of players, and this is good (in the presence of moderators).
- Players have their own audience. Player friends should enjoy watching the game from the side.
- Sociality is not just an SDK. It all depends on how you use these tools in the game.
- Do not forget about the hierarchy of the needs of players. Not all games should be at the level of eSports.
To maximize the social experience of the game, remember: many players like to publish their passages. Download the Everyplay SDK here to profit from the publication of recorded game sessions.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/396309/
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