7 ms·
This is pretty common knowledge within the industry. In fact, more than 4 years ago, they were already calling these users "Whales" (as a fishing metaphor) and
by iaw 11y ago
This is pretty common knowledge within the industry. In fact, more than 4 years ago, they were already calling these users "Whales" (as a fishing metaphor) and actively catering to their interests.
There are people who will spend well over $10,000 a year to fulfill their compulsion for their "chosen" game. The advice in the article is actually rather asinine unfortunately:
>"Game creators should begin to look at pushing more sales after install. Swrve suggests this should be done one month after the game has been downloaded. Another way to keep keen players coming back would be to reduce the privileges given in purchases so they will need to buy more to play more."
It's implying that game creators haven't been carefully playing the analytics game since before freemium was a word. Any of these proposed changes will typically have catastrophic effects on the casual user base which could reduce game popularity and then tank the whale usage (depending on how much the game depended on network affects). Freemium games face the problem that TV networks do, there's too much alternative content out there.
>"Although, perhaps restructuring or ditching the freemium model might be the safest bet."
This is the right answer if you want to make good games. Freemium is an excellent model to optimization profit but it typically is directly counter to what can be considered a "good" gaming experience. The freemium games that have been largely successful (Clash of Clans, Hearthstone, Candy Crush, etc.) were all successful because they were easy to play for free, this garnered more popularity, which brought in more "whales" to support their creators.
I see mobile gaming as a race to the bottom, the margins are razor thin for the company, the pay is mediocre for the employees (as well as growth opportunities). Occasionally King comes along and wins it for a year but there are hundreds of these companies out there and the odds aren't good for them.
- sosborn 11y ago> "Whales" (as a fishing metaphor) You probably already know this, but for those that don't, this phrase was borrowed from the casino community. Seems apt, no?
- iaw 11y agoI actually didn't know that, thank you! Completely makes sense. I know it created some friction after a while when the company realized that calling users a synonym for fat, even if internally only and without that intent, was a bad idea (their game also targeted girls making it worse).
- Animats 11y agoNote that it refers to gamblers who are big losers. Casinos have other terms to refer to players who regularly leave with more than they brought in.
- Splines 11y agoI think the gambling industry could probably start taking tips from the mobile gaming industry now. Free video-slots that give you "Casino Coins" (CC) that you can redeem for drinks/food. The free games will be very, very basic (no multiplay or bonus features), and you might earn enough over a few hours for 1 free drink. Limit free game spins to a certain rate per hour. Pay into the game and you'll get better unlocks. Pay continually and you'll increase a "combo meter" that will tilt things even more in your favor. Pay small extras that let you customize the video slot interface with your favorite characters, hats, sounds, etc. that are tied to your casino account rewards card. Urgh.
- nkrisc 11y agoDon't forget the social network integration to broadcast their jackpots to their networks. Also, the cosmetic rewards should affect the outward display of the machine, so their status can be easily ascertained by others.
- Splines 11y agoYou could also have a mechanic where Casino Coins are earned automatically for your for a few days automatically, depending on your participation level. Visit the casino again and play some games to "wake" things up and get them going again.
- iaw 11y agoYou just came up with a great idea, I think there's only two or three casino game manufacturers in the world, one of them may want to pursue this. (Better than Big Bang Theory and Sex in the City)
- icelancer 11y agoA lot of this stuff is slowly being integrated done with points cards and the like, but laws on the books in the NGC prevent some of the more egregious stuff from occurring that violate privacy things.
- ac29 11y agoHow would the casino business stay afloat if 99% of its customers didn't spend money?
- mfoy_ 11y agoI agree wholeheartedly; you basically summarized my thoughts on the matter. And it isn't just mobile games, not is it just games. There's a race to the bottom in the entire content creation industry.
- iaw 11y agoI'm quite fond of what Blizzard is doing with Hearthstone (it is a take on the freemium model) but companies like that are the exception nowadays, not the rule.
- ativzzz 11y agoI think this is because Blizzard/Activision is already a successful gaming company with many years of experience of player retention (via WoW) and deep pockets. Thus, they don't need to squeeze every penny out of a user now if they know those users will come back every time a new expansion is released to buy more cards. That said, there are still players who complain about it being too hard to get into the game for new players, but I think Blizz is addressing those issues decently well.
- iaw 11y agoAgreed on accessibility. I like the direction they're taking with the Standard and Expanded (or whatever they're naming it), I'm looking forward to it. I made a conscious decision to monetize in the game early on so I dodged the monetization ramp challenges. Now it's just a problem of not having enough time to devote to ladder climbing.
- anexprogrammer 11y ago> There are people who will spend well over $10,000 a year to fulfill their compulsion for their "chosen" game Undoubtedly the free marketeers will downvote, but to my mind it's simply not ethical to make money feeding off someone's addiction in that manner. At least drinking, gambling and other compulsions have heavy (but inadequate) regulation. Freemium needs some regulation too. Buying a monthly sub, at $15 to compare with WoW, or buying the game outright is at least a fair trade. You still get addicted but your business no longer depends on bleeding people dry.
- iaw 11y agoI'm pretty disgusted with the bulk of the industry and their attitude. The company I was associated with, I felt, was doing more harm than good to the world by promoting a false set of idealistic beauty standards, promoting obsessive behavior, promoting competition based on physical attraction, etc. I'm all for free markets but I'm not dogmatic in my support, the people that pay money for freemium games are going to be at a net worse position in life. There is an argument about free choice, whether the person would engage in another 'destructive' behavior, etc. but in the end I just felt the industry was focusing on being hyper-exploitive.
- hutzlibu 11y agoThats the point, people choose what to do. You, for example, have choosen not to work for people anymore who exploit others. Others maybe don't have your morale standards, and others choose to get exploited. Thats their way of life, not yours. You don't have to be part of things you don't want. Thats what I think of free markets.
- zanny 11y agoAbusing mental illness is not taking advantage of voluntary exchange, so any reasonable free market / libertarian advocate would also not say "tough luck you have mental disease compelling you to behave irrationally". It really is no different than how transactions done under compulsion are not fair or voluntary. If you are mentally compelled to participate through psychological manipulation, that is no different than someone pointing a gun at your head and telling you to give them your money, or using socioeconomic influential factors and market capture to force participation in unfair transactions (ie, monopolies).
- kartan 11y ago> $10,000 Isn't this related to the actual growing wealth inequality? As the people in the top have more and the people at the bottom less, will it in a time to come make sense to create products only for the rich? 1,000,000 people paying $1 is the same amount of money than 100 paying $10,000.
- iaw 11y agoI think business focus on profit growth is actually the predominant reason for growing wealth inequality (in the USA). We're coming off of an unprecedented history of market growth and prosperity in this country with consistent exponential returns. Lower yields are unacceptable to businesses, even if they are part of a normal healthy economy, so they tighten wages for their workers and raise prices for their products (after running out of alternatives). This is a "double squeeze" on the working class. Not only do they have less money to spend, because they're paid less, but their cost of living goes up because every company is raising prices. Couple that with speculative investors (new yuppies and Chinese nationals hiding money) targeting real estate as long-term rentals pushing potential buyers out of the market. They then renovate this housing into "luxury" and push the affordable housing out. It doesn't matter if these rentals sit empty for a while because the speculative investors are banking on continued property appreciation external of all rational reasons. So, to sum: - People are getting less money (relative to inflation) - Prices are still rising (inflation keeps going) - Speculation in the housing market is also increasing cost of living For those people that spend >$10,000 a year, with a few rare exceptions, my expectation is that they live with an absurd debt load and eventually go bankrupt. I don't think this is a root cause but it definitely doesn't help people accrue assets.
- cpeterso 11y ago> There are people who will spend well over $10,000 a year to fulfill their compulsion for their "chosen" game. John "Rotten" Lydon is a famous example: I wasted – you’re the first to know this – 10,000 f‑‑‑‑‑‑ pounds in the last two years on apps on my iPad. I got into Game of Thrones, Game of War, Real Racing, and I just wanted to up the ante. And like an idiot I didn’t check myself. I’ve been checked now. But there's a kid in me, see? A bit of my childhood was taken from me and I’m determined to bring it back. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/fameandfortune/11231875/John-Lydon-Ive-spent-10000-on-iPad-apps.html http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/fameandfo...
- celticninja 11y agoThe 'whale' terminology is taken from casinos not from fishing.