Why is game cloning seemingly on the rise? Combine F2P’s focus on simple-yet-addictive gameplay with a lowered barrier on releasing games, and you get the perfect market forces for the commoditization of game designs. More people can bring the same game to market in less time than ever before. In this article we’ll talk about what it means to be a commodity game design and what to do if you’ve made one.
Continue reading
Want to make money like League of Legends? Be a hobby for millions of gamers worldwide. Every F2P game aspires to becoming a hobby and League of Legends has done it. Just like any other hobby you’ll need to pony up a lump of cash to really get going. To LoL’s credit, your early sessions are free. After that, you probably have expert friends that already play (and convinced you to start playing) who will tell you the best way to spend your money. But you’re not really getting into it without eventually spending money. That’d be like trying to ski without buying gloves or a jacket!
I mention the hobby property of LoL not as an explanation for how they make their money, but because it is important to recognize that LoL has obtained this special status and you must always ask yourself if the facet of the game you’re interested in is monetizing because of the hobby thing, or because it’s a valid micro-transaction model?
I know that’s not very specific, so let me first dispel the most common LoL misconception and then go into detail on all the things they’re doing right. If you want to know how to properly use LoL’s monetization model, keep reading.
Continue reading
What is mid-core? Defining this buzzword is a hot topic in the games industry. Here’s my favorite definition which I have honed through multiple talks with other developers.
Mid-core is a movement to create games using a balance of meaningful gameplay and broad accessibility.
Mid-core is more than a buzzword — it’s the natural evolution of games! It’s a movement. Hardcore games have some of the most memorable gameplay moments in existence but many contain large barriers of entry that seriously limit their audience. Social and casual games have the opposite problem. They are great at getting players to where the fun is and they do it as smoothly as possible, but keeping players there is difficult because the concepts are overly simplistic or exploitative. There exists something in the middle of these two extremes and this is the place mid-core aims to take us. But where exactly?
Continue reading
