creating an mso: viral emotions and the keys to social play, gdc china 2009

www.xeodesign.com© 2008 XEODesign, Inc.

XEODesignPutting Emotion into Play

®

™

Creating an MSO: (Massively Social Online Games)

Viral Emotions and the Keys to Social PlayNicole Lazzaro, President

XEODesign, Inc.

GDC China October 13, 2009

XEODesignPutting Emotion into Play

®

™

Follow me on Twitter: @NicoleLazzaro

Twitter: #gdcchina

Putting Emotion into Play ™

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The 4 Keys to More Emotion

Winner Best Game 2007

Tilt the first iPhone accelerometer game

Massively Social Online Gameuse fun to drive social distribution

Imagine


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MSO’s Drive emotions through FMAFinal Score: Emotions that Drive Play PX Potential Score

MSO (8) MMO (5)

+ Adding Friends+ Spread viral + Social Calculus

Friends- Adding Friends Low

- Spread Low

- Social Calculus Low

+ Messaging Open+ Structure Casual- Feedback+ Personalize

Messages

- Messaging Closed

+ Structure Immersive

++ Feedback

- Personalize

+ Actions and States Unlimited Open

+ Asynchronous

- Replay (except email)

- Deepening Ties

Actions

- Actions and States Limited Closed+ Synchronous+ Replay- Deepening Ties

MSO Design Principles

PXEmotion from Play

Vision: Gaming Together Bring people together

Games in 2020

Egypt: Mankala

Emotions from social play: People Fun - Rayman

Fish Tank1

Player Choice and Curiosity from Easy Fun

Fish Tank 3

Player Choice and Curiosity from Easy Fun


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Fiero Curiosity

Relaxation3. Serious Fun: Creating Value

Amusement4. People Fun: Socialize

1. Hard Fun: Accomplishment 2. Easy Fun: Imagination

CuriosityFiero

ExcitementRelaxation

Amusement

The 4 Fun KeysPaint Engagement w/ Verbs

Naches

Schadenfreude

Generosity

Coordinate Action

Inside/Outside Social GroupingTwitter

FacebookFlickr WikipediaBrain Age

Wonder

Surprise

FrustrationFocus Attention

Reward Accomplishment

Challenge and Mastery

Imagination

Express Values

Adventure

Discovery

Figure Out

Bejeweled

The Sims

Create Value

Basketball

Halo

Myst

Mob Wars

Who Has theBiggest Brain?

Farmville

Grand Theft Auto

Personalize

GrowNiche Interests

Hard Fun Easy Fun

Serious FunPeople Fun

Putting Emotion into PlayXEODesign

Diner Dash - emotions

NPC emotions as game mechanic - Diner Dash


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iPhone - Emotion ProfilePX Profile

Emotions create the iPhone experience

• Stroke• Share• Tap• Talk • Hold• Music

Emotions•Wonder•Curiosity•Friendship•Amusement


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The 4 Fun Keys30 emotions from gameplay

Hard FunFiero

People FunAmusement

Easy FunCuriosity

SeriousFunRelaxation

emotion < choice < mechanic > choice > emotion

whitepapers: xeodesign.com


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choices• goals • challenge• obstacles• strategy• power ups• puzzles• score• levels• monsters

feelings • fiero• frustration• boredom

modified from “Flow” Csikszentmihalyi

player choice rewards effort

Hard Fun: Mastery>FieroEasy Fun: Novelty>Curiosity


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Hard Fun: Super Monkey Ball Challenge and mastery

FieroLanguage of ChoiceQuickTime™ and aDV/DVCPRO - NTSC decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

Emotion from Hard Fun: Fiero \o/


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2. Easy Fun: Imagination Creates Curiositychoices novelty fills attention choices

• iconic situations• explore• experiment • fool around • role play• ambiguity • detail • fantasy • uniqueness

feelings• curiosity• surprise• wonder • awe

Easy Fun

Tilt: an adventure in 1.5 dimensions


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Serious Fun: Brain Baths, Tap Tap RevolutionChange how you think, feel, and behave


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Serious Fun: Motion X PokerCompletion Collection and Matching Mechanics

Competition People Fun

People Fun

QuickTime™ and a decompressor


Wonder and ConnectionOcarina: Easy Fun and People Fun


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Keys to Social Play4 Steps to Create Emotions that Drive MSO Viral Distribution

1. Gameplay Everyone

* Simple* Appealing* Participation

2. Social Features People Fun

* Social Emotions* Match PX Profile * Build Trust

3. Tilt Factor Increase # of Players

* Simple* Mobile * Frictionless

4. Monetization Free

* Social goods + services* Enhance gameplay* MTX 10% pay

PX


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PX

1.GameplayEveryone


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Simple and Short Games

A

B

Technology Adoption Curve

Number of players Mass Market

Diffusion of Innovation, Everett RogersCrossing the Chasm, Geoffrey Moore

Smaller, still tasty fish!

Time

The Social Web

15% 70% 15%

DICE 2007

Simple + Small = ViralKoi Pond


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Appealing Fantasy

Area Under the Curve Matters

number of players

A B C

D

Type of Challenge

Wanna play?

DICE 2007

Participation is EasyPuzzle Pirates, LostZombies.com

MSO#1: Simple Appealing Participation


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PX





2.Social FeaturesSocial Emotions

More than Chat


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• Shared interests• Express values• Explore identities• Create bonds• Inside jokes

– Amusement

The Relationship is the Messagesocial tokens and shared experiences bring us closer

MSO: 3 Laws of Social Playfor viral social games (this is what we do know) this is what the play will look like

Friends Messages Actions

1. ConnectIt Takes 2

2. FeedbackDraw Circles

3. Social Tokens symbolic in nature that increases in value with use

stupid

shutup

dope

hotness

sloth

poke

pwn

share

link

frag

compare

Lazzaro GDC 2008


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Personal Hype Quotient

Do you play “follow the leader” to increase your personal hype quotient? What would encourage idea exchange?


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Twitter Features Targets Social Emotions

@ RT

DM

#gdc09


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Match PX ProfileTop Facebook Apps

1: Slide Brand 21,410,050 11%

2: Top Friends 2 19,091,190 9%

3: Super Wall 18,918,652 8%

4: Bumper Sticker Footer 10,892,138 11%

5: (Lil) Green Patch 5,671,964 33%

• Friendship• Compare• Sending messages• Saving environment• Poker


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People Fun Feeling of being closer creates social fabric between people

TattleTalz.com

Winner Best Game 2008


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Friendship ≠ Moneywhy social capital must die

• Like oil and water don’t give you $100 to drive me to the airport

• More give more have• Reverse interest• “Money is there for

when friendship cannot take care of it.” Jerry Michalski

Yes this is an ad!

How does he feel?

Blight

Serious Fun Emotions from Theme: Tilt

Mushroom Soil

Backgrounds with Emotions from 3 Keys: Tilt

Viral Distribution ties Social Mechanics and Global Play

and changes the real world


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People Fun: Pet SocietyGratitude, Schadenfreude, Naches

Rich choicesbetween players

CompetitionCooperationGiftingMentorship


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People Fun: Photo Tag

AmusementPersonalizeTeaseSocial Tokens

http://apps.facebook.com/supertagphotos/


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Build Trust Between players and their friends

PX Mechanics• schadenfreude• gratitude• reciprocity• trust• embarrassment


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People Fun Emotionshow social bonds form during player experience (PX)

Choices• cooperate• compete• communicate• mentor• lead• perform• spectacle• characters• personalize

Emotions• schadenfreude• envy• love• gratitude• generosity• elevation• inspire• excite• ridicule• embarrass

PX Profile


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People Fun Emotionshow social bonds form during player experience (PX)

Choices• compete• gifting,

helping, forced grouping

• transparency, identity, risk, repeat interaction

• silliness, dancing*

Emotions• schadenfreude• gratitude• reciprocity

• trust

• embarrassment

PX Profile

*See Jane McGonigal’s GDC slides and Nintendo keynote on DSI camera games


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MMOMSO

Lazzaro GDC 2008

MSO#2: Social Emotions, Match PX Profile, Build Trust


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PX





3.Tilt FactorIncrease # Players

Small simple social games


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Tilt FactorMicrochannels

Simple

• 10 sprites• 2 web pages• 1 YouTube video• 1.5 dimensions• No buttons

• 250,000 visits

MobileOver the Shoulder

youtube.com/xeodesign

Tilt: an adventure in 1.5 dimensions


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Frictionless: TattleTalzNumber of steps reduces gameplay, Twitter more viral than FB but less permanent

Login

1.Discover 2. Sample 3. Play 4. Invite 5.Convert 6. Retain

Invite

Accept

AddTTLAddTTL

Tweet #TTZ x2

Login for more points

invites

accept

actives

Your results may vary. ;)

free to play

pay

Facebook15 Individual invites6 steps

Twitter2 posts

1 step to playAlready tweeting

need trust

need feedback

15:2 (13%)

1:25 (2,500%)

1:200 (20,000%)player friend

6 stages of adoption for viral games

10%Move to next step


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Funnel: Photo TagMore Clicks = Fewer Photos

MSO#3: Simple Mobile Frictionless


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PX





4. MonetizationFree to Play


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Actions: Maple Storysocial interaction creates value

MSO#4: Social Goods and Services, Enhance Gameplay, MTX 10%


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PX

Features to build now 1. Gameplay

Everyone* Simple* Appealing* Participation



Imagine

Together



Fun with all 4 Keys

Hard Fun Easy Fun

Serious FunPeople Fun


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The 4 Fun KeysEveryone has fun playing

Hard FunFiero

People FunAmusement

Easy FunCuriosity

SeriousFunRelaxation

emotion < choice < mechanic > choice > emotion

whitepapers: xeodesign.com


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World at night

Tag! You’re it!Make your next game Massively Social and Online!

Nicole LazzaroEmail: [email protected]

Twitter: @NicoleLazzaro

White papers and slides:

xeodesign.comSlideshare.com/NicoleLazzaro

Coming Soon! TiltWorld.com

creating an mso: viral emotions and the keys to social play, gdc china 2009

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