designing social network games with soplay heuristics

Designing Social Network Games with SoPlay Heuristics

Janne PaavilainenSoPlay Project ManagerGame Research LabGame Research LabUniversity of Tampere, Finland

MindTrek 2010 Conference Workshop8th October 2010, Tampere, Finland

Accessibility Interruptability Continuity Discovery Virality Narrativity Expression Sharing Sociability Competition

Who am I?Personal information

Janne Paavilainen (Ms.Econ.)SoPlay project manager, games researcher, lecturer, part-time entrepreneurSocial games, usability, playability, user experience, design & evaluation, heuristics

[email protected]

+358 400 473 650

@rojola

http://www.facebook.com/rojola

Game Research Lab, University of Tampere, Finlandhttp://gamelab.uta.fi

SoPlay IntroductionGames research project

SoPlay – Research on games and play in social mediahttp://soplayproject.wordpress.comTwo year research project, Jan 2009 – Dec 2010

Study of implicit and explicit games and play in social web 2.0Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Wikipedia, IRC, Forums, 4chan, Flicr…

Currently focusing on Facebook and social money gamesDeveloping theories and models for researchers and developers

The buzzword is social playability

SoPlay IntroductionGames research project

Some examples from research questionsWhat is social playability?What are the qualities of good social network games?What is the role of sociability in online money games?

Funding by Tekes, UTA and industry partnersFunding by Tekes, UTA and industry partners

SoPlay Research TeamThe four musketeers

Professor Frans Mäyrä, scientific [email protected]

Janne Paavilainen, project managerGame design and evaluation, heuristics, user experience

Jaakko Stenros, researcherThe border between games and ordinary [email protected]

Jani Kinnunen, researcherNew social forms of online money games [email protected]

Publications and PresentationsTheory and practice on social games and development

Gaming, Communicating, Sharing – Users and Their Experiences in Social Games (2010) Paavilainen, J. Games Convention Online 2010. Leipzig, Germany.

Critical Review on Video Game Evaluation Heuristics: Social Games Perspective (Forthcoming) Paavilainen, J. Future Play 2010. Vancouver, Canada. (in process).

Playing the System. Using Frame Analysis to Understand Online Play (Forthcoming) Stenros, J. Future Play 2010. Vancouver, Canada. (in process).

Social Interaction in Games (Forthcoming) Stenros, J., Paavilainen, J. & Mäyrä, F. In Sotamaa, Lugmayr, Franssila, Näränen, Vanhala (Eds.) ACM Academic MindTrek 2009: Everyday Life in the Ubiquitous Era. International Journal of Arts and Technology (in process).

Comparing Two Playability Heuristic Sets with Expert Review Method – A Case Study of Mobile Game Evaluation (Forthcoming) Paavilainen, J., Korhonen, H. & Saarenpää, H. In Lugmayr, Franssila, Näränen, Sotamaa & Vanhala (Eds.) Media in the Ubiquitous Era: Ambient, Social and Gaming Media, IGI Global (in process).

The Many Faces of Sociability and Social Play in Games (2009) Stenros, J., Paavilainen, J. & Mäyrä, F. MindTrek. Tampere, Finland.

Expert Review Method in Game Evaluations: Comparison of Two Playability Heuristic Sets(2009)Korhonen, H., Paavilainen, J. & Saarenpää, H. MindTrek. Tampere, Finland.

Publications and PresentationsSocial money games

Verkkorahapelaamisen muodonmuutos (2010) Kinnunen, J. Terveyden ja hyvinvoinnin laitos (THL), Raportti 12/2010. Helsinki. (trans. Transformation of Online Gambling)

Verkkopelit sosiaalisena toimintaympäristönä (2010) Kinnunen, J. In Meriranta, M. (Ed.). 2010. Mediakasvatuksen käsikirja. Unipress, Kuopio. (trans. Networked Games as Social Environment)

Action and Character in Social Online Gambling (2010). Kinnunen, J. Gambling, Entertainment, and Finance. Visby, Sweden.

Convergence of Online Gambling and Social Media (2010). Kinnunen, J. EASG 8th European Conference on Gambling Studies and Policy Issues. Wien, Austria.

Playful Money and Games in the Internet (2010) Kinnunen, J. ACS Crossroads Conference. Hong Kong, China.

Interconnectedness of Gambling and On-Line Communities (2009) Kinnunen, J. NAGS 19th Annual Conference. Canberra, Australia.

Player Experiences in and Around Social On-Line Gambling (2009) Kinnunen, J. 14th International Conference of Gambling and Risk Taking. Lake Tahoe, USA.

Towards Social Internet Gambling? (2009) Kinnunen, J. The Big Picture, Gambling in Perspective. 7th Conference of SNSUS. Helsinki, Finland.

Participant introductionWho are you... and what are you doing here?

Short introduction of participantsWho are you?What do you do?Why are you here?

Complete the following sentences...Complete the following sentences...

”I will be happy at the end of the workshop if...”

”I will be furiously mad at the end of the workshop if...”

Workshop IntroductionWhy are we here?

WorkshopHeuristic approach for designing social games for Facebook platformSoPlay project aims to develop design and evaluation heuristics for this domainThis workshop is one step for validating and refining the current heuristic set

Participant Take-awayKnowledge of the dynamics of social network games Knowledge about SoPlay heuristics and how to use them in designKnowledge how to design social network game concepts

The workshop aim is a win-win situation!The workshop will be partly video recorded for research purposes

Workshop Timetable & Structure10:15 – 10:45 Introduction to workshop and participants (30 min)10:45 – 11:30 Introduction to social games and SoPlay heuristics (45 min)11:30 – 13:00 Design Exercise (90 min)13:00 – 14:00 Lunch break (60 min)14:00 – 15:00 Design Exercise (60 min)15:00 – 16:00 Presentation, evaluation and discussion (60 min)15:00 – 16:00 Presentation, evaluation and discussion (60 min)16:00 Workshop closing

We’ll have short breaks now and then

Timetable subject to change as-we-work

Social GamesA brief introduction

Social GamesThe term is a misnomer, games have always been socialCan be found in online social networks like Facebook, MySpace and TwitterPlaying with your friends, but still massively single player gamesCasual game design principles, focus on accessibility and asynchronicityCasual game design principles, focus on accessibility and asynchronicityGame services, not stand-alone products per se (”eternal beta”)Metrics-based iteration, close feedback loop between user and developer Early emphasis was on virality, (was) especially powerful in FacebookQuality has gone up a lot, social games have evolved since the beginningFreemium business model, free to play, double currencyRun by (formerly) ”unknown” companies such as Zynga or PlayfishThere is not much sociability in them

Social GamesPictures speak for themselves

Examples of various social games by Zynga, PopCap, Digital Chocolate, EA...

Social Games Player Attitudes Some notes from the SoPlay user interviews

Social games are played for killing time, filling gaps and relaxationSimplicity is accessibility, but simple becomes boring eventuallyThe audience has matured, more complex social games are neededDue the vast audience, there are also reachable niche marketsTwo main motivators, novel game mechanics or good social aspectsTwo main motivators, novel game mechanics or good social aspectsWhen game expands too much, grinding becomes boring (accelerators!)When friends are quitting the game, the player will soon followEnthusiastic social gamers care for exclusive contentReciprocity (gifts) is a two way sword due massive spammingQuality of games is not high enough currently for players to pay for themUsability and ease of access is the key factor for impulsive buying

HeuristicsShortcuts for being awesome

Heuristics are used in many fields and used in different waysDerived from the Greek word ”Εὑρίσκω” for “find” or “discover” Psychology, philosophy, law, human-computer interaction…

Heuristics in human-computer interactionTen heuristics for usability (Nielsen)Heuristic evaluation

Heuristics are notStandards or guidelines which pinpoint issues in great detail Be-all-end-all as they can be neglected when there is a good reason

Challenges with heuristicsHeuristics are based on existing knowledge from a systemToo abstract of high-level heuristics lose their usefulness (”Easy to learn, hard to master”)Too detailed or low-level heuristics

Nielsen’s Usability HeuristicsFew examples

Visibility of system statusThe system should always keep users informed about what is going on, through appropriate feedback within reasonable time.

Flexibility and efficiency of useAccelerators - unseen by the novice user - may often speed up the interaction for the Accelerators - unseen by the novice user - may often speed up the interaction for the expert user such that the system can cater to both inexperienced and experienced users. Allow users to tailor frequent actions.

Aesthetic and minimalist designDialogues should not contain information which is irrelevant or rarely needed. Every extra unit of information in a dialogue competes with the relevant units of information and diminishes their relative visibility.

SoPlay HeuristicsDesign and evaluation tool for social games

SoPlay heuristics are used as ”mindset shortcuts” for examining a social game from different perspectivesSoPlay heuristics are based on the research done in the SoPlay project and influenced by other social network/games researchers and designers

Game Design for Social Networks: Interaction Design for Playful Dispositions (Järvinen 2009)Game Design for Social Networks: Interaction Design for Playful Dispositions (Järvinen 2009)§ Facebook Applications and Playful Mood: the Construction of Facebook as a “Third

Place” (Rao 2008)Building the Foundation of a Social Future (Ventrice 2009)

SoPlay heuristics were first presented in Future Play conference, Vancouver, in May 2010

Critical Review of Video Game Evaluation Heuristics: Social Games Approach (Paavilainen 2010)

CORESHARING CONTINUITY

Theme

SG1 - AccessibilityMaking the game easy to approach, understand and play

Design question examples

Does the game feature easily approachable TITLE and THEME?Does the game feature quick, short and inspiring TUTORIAL?Are the CORE MECHANICS easily understood?Is the INTERACTION LOOP fun?Is the INTERACTION LOOP fun?How to make the LOADING TIME as short as possible?Is this game FUN in under 2 minutes of game play?

How would these design questions be addressed in your social game concept?What would be the result of addressing these items poorly?What other aspects could be associated with Accessibility?

FarmVille, FrontierVille, Bejeweled Blitz, Cafe World, Safari Kingdom

SG2 - InterruptabilityTaking advantage of asynchronous, spontaneous and irregular play sessions

Design question examples:

Can the game play be STOPPED at any point?Are the gameplay tasks SHORT?Does the gameplay support BREAKS?Is returning to the game REWARDED somehow?Is returning to the game REWARDED somehow?

How would these design questions be addressed in your social game concept?What would be the result of addressing these items poorly?What other aspects could be associated with Interruptability?

Mafia Wars, Parking Wars

SG3 - ContinuityProviding continuous game world which attracts the player to come back


Does the game provide an interesting permanent game world, which fosters CONTINUOUS play?How the game advances while the player is OFFLINE?Are there multi-layered REWARD mechanisms?Are the both short and long term GOALS presented?Are the both short and long term GOALS presented?Does the gameplay promote PROGRESS with every click?Are there BADGES, ACHIEVEMENTS, LEVELS, EXPERIENCE or similar progress indicators present?

How would these design questions be addressed in your social game concept?What would be the result of addressing these items poorly?What other aspects could be associated with Continuity?

FrontierVille, Bejeweled Blitz

SG4 - DiscoveryProviding new experiences, content and surprises


What is the new EXPERIENCE provided for the player?How can the game pleasantly SURPRISE the player?What could be the NEW components generated later in the game’s life cycle?What are the UNLOCKABLE components available to the player?What are the UNLOCKABLE components available to the player?Are there items with different COMMONNESS like common, rare, unique?Are there more ADVANCED game mechanics for the player to discover later?

How would these design questions be addressed in your social game concept?What would be the result of addressing these items poorly?What other aspects could be associated with Discovery?

Treasure Island, Pirates Ahoy!, Millionaire City

SG5 – ViralitySupporting viral growth in the player’s social network


What are the means for promoting the game VIRALLY in the social network?How are viral actions REWARDED in the game?

How would these design questions be addressed in your social game concept?How would these design questions be addressed in your social game concept?What would be the result of addressing these items poorly?What other aspects could be associated with Virality?

Safari Kingdom, FarmVille

Note: The power of the viral channel has decreased a lot since the introduction of social games. Before the latest Facebook policy change, viral channel provided 1/3 of new players while cross-promotion and marketing provided the 2/3.

SG6 – NarrativityCreating in-game and off-game narratives that elicit curiosity


What are the in-game actions that launch IN-GAME narratives to the player?What are the in-game actions that launch OFF-GAME narratives to feed?How are CALL TO ACTION principles used?How are the small achievements presented as BIG WINS?How are the small achievements presented as BIG WINS?Does the game tell a STORY to the player?

How would these design questions be addressed in your social game concept?What would be the result of addressing these items poorly?What other aspects could be associated with Narrativity?

FarmVille, Castle Age, FrontierVille

SG7 – ExpressionSupporting self-discovery, customization and virtual spaces


What are the methods for allowing the player to feel UNIQUE in the game?How the player can brag about his/her ACCOMPLISHMENTS?Can the player CHEER for other’s performances?Is the player able to SHOW his/her virtual space?Is the player able to SHOW his/her virtual space?

How would these design questions be addressed in your social game concept?What would be the result of addressing these items poorly?What other aspects could be associated with Expression?

Yack Attack!, Social City, Nightclub City, Pet Society

SG8 – SharingCollaborating with friends by gifting and boosting


What are the components or resources that can be shared via GIFTING to friends?How the player can BOOST friends? What are the REWARDS for gifting and boosting?

How would these design questions be addressed in your social game concept?What would be the result of addressing these items poorly?What other aspects could be associated with Sharing?

Mafia Wars, FrontierVille

SG9 – SociabilitySupporting sociability among friends in the game dynamics


How the player can use his/her social network as an ASSET in the game?Can the player gain new FRIENDS through the game?Are there TASKS that require collaboration?Are there CONFLICT mechanics present?Are there CONFLICT mechanics present?Can the player INTERACT with others than friends?

How would these design questions be addressed in your social game concept?What would be the result of addressing these items poorly?What other aspects could be associated with Sociability?

Castle Age, Bubble Island, Mafia Wars

SG10 – CompetitionPromoting playful social competition with others


How can the player COMPETE against his/her friends?Can the player COMPARE his/her performance in a flexible manner?What RANKING features does the game support?How is the player REWARDED for climbing the ladder?How is the player REWARDED for climbing the ladder?

How would these design questions be addressed in your social game concept?What would be the result of addressing these items poorly?What other aspects could be associated with Competition?

Bejeweled Blitz, Mafia Wars

Design ExerciseStructure and timetable

The purpose of the design exercise is to produce social game concepts for Facebook platform

The design exercise will be done in two parts11:30 – 13:00 Part I11:30 – 13:00 Part I14:00 – 15:00 Part II

Step-by-step procedureChoose an existing AAA title to work withDesign the five Game Fundamentals of your social game conceptAddress SoPlay heuristics to your game conceptsWork on the five aspects from the Business Perspective viewpointShort presentation at the end of the day

Game Fundamentals SoPlay Heuristics Business Perspective

Theme and core Accessibility Acquisition

Gameplay description Interruptability Retention

Interaction loop Continuity Referral

Offline mechanic Discovery Monetization

Game resources Virality FollowingGame resources Virality Following

Narrativity

Expression

Sharing

Sociability

Competition

Choose GameGame Fundamentals

SoPlay HeuristicsSoPlay HeuristicsBusiness Perspectives

Presentation

Choose one AAA game title to use as a base for your social game concept.

You can also select some other title, if you are not familiar with these ones.

Civilization- Turn based strategy game

- Develop your civilization from stone age to space age

- Build cities, wonders and units

- Research technology- Research technology

- War and diplomacy against other civilizations

- Romans, Babylonians, German, Americans etc…

- Multiple ways to win the game

- Typical 4X game: Explore, Expand, Exploit, and Exterminate

Final Fantasy- Japanese console RPG game

- Group of heroes battling against great evil

- Player is represented by a protagonist

- Various other characters with capabilities

- Real-time adventure on game world / map- Real-time adventure on game world / map

- Quests, side quests

- Turn-based combat

- Magic and technology, old and new

- Character development through experience

- Weapons, spells, items, potions…

Starcraft- Real-time strategy game

- Three races battle in distant future

- Terran, Protos, Zerg

- Each race has unique units and strategies

- Terrans are all-rounders- Terrans are all-rounders

- Zergs are many, cheap but fragile

- Protos are effective and expensive

- Base building

- Resource management, minerals & gas

- Tier based unit construction

- Most successful RTS multiplayer game

Halo- First-person shooter

- Science fiction theme

- Player is ”Master Chief”, unique warrior

- Destroy aliens who threat the mankind

- Fast paced combat game- Fast paced combat game

- Various weapons and vehicles

- Shield and health

- Special items

- Popular multiplayer shooter for Xbox 360



Presentation

Game FundamentalsBasic building blocks for your social game concept

1 Game theme and core – Short description what the game is about

2 Gameplay description – Main high-level features of the game

3 Interaction loop – Basic interaction loop patterns in the game

4 Offline progress mechanic – How asynchronicity is used in the gameplay

5 Game resources – Resources in the game used by the player

Theme and Core, Gameplay Description

Theme and core contain basic information from the gameWhat the game is about?What the player does in the game?

Gameplay description goes deeper into game mechanicsGameplay description goes deeper into game mechanicsWhat are the various actions player does in the game?What are the main features of the game?

Interaction Loop

Interaction loop is a pattern of clicks, which make the game progressExamples from various social games

Plow ; Seed – Grow – Gather (FarmVille)Clear – Build ; Rent – Collect (Millionaire City)Battle – Collect ; Locate – Search (Pirates Ahoy!)Battle – Collect ; Locate – Search (Pirates Ahoy!)Action – Collect (FrontierVille)Do job --- Level Up! – Allocate points (Mafia Wars)Plow ; Seed – Grow – Gather – Feed (Happy Habitat)Play set – Manage club (Nightclub City)Nest ; Egg – Feed – Free – Fix (Safari Kingdom)Click cow (Cow Clicker)

Offline Progress Mechanic

Offline progress mechanic is key part of the asynchronous gameplayIt determines how the game progresses when the player is offlineTwo major styles

Appointment, actions require time to be completed, e.g. growing in FarmVilleEnergy, action require energy to to be completed, e.g. doing jobs in Mafia WarsEnergy, action require energy to to be completed, e.g. doing jobs in Mafia Wars

§ Energy is refilled when time passes

Some social games only feature one styleAppointment in FarmVilleAppointment in Millionaire CityEnergy in Perfect Warrior

Many games feature mix of bothIn FrontierVille actions require energy, growing is based on timeIn Mafia Wars actions require energy, income is based on time

Game Resources

Game resources (along with energy) restrict how much player can do in one play sessionOne of the most common resource is in-game money (double currency)

Coins and Farm Cash (FarmVille)Millionaire Dollars and Millionaire Gold (Millionaire City)Millionaire Dollars and Millionaire Gold (Millionaire City)Safari Coins and Safari Cash (Safari Kingdom)

Resources can be generated by time, or by manipulating game componentsMoney increases as time passes (Mafia Wars)Collect money from rents (Millionaire City)Sell goods for money (FrontierVille)

Choose gameGame FundamentalsSoPlay HeuristicsSoPlay Heuristics

Business PerspectivesPresentation

SoPlay HeuristicsPart I

1 Accessibility – Making the game easy to approach, understand and play

2 Interruptability – Taking advantage of asynch, spontaneous and irregular play sessions

3 Continuity – Providing continuous game world which attracts the player to come back

4 Discovery – Providing new experiences, content and surprises

5 Virality – Supporting viral growth in the player’s social network

SoPlay HeuristicsPart II

6 Narrativity – Creating in-game and off-game narratives that elicit curiosity

7 Expression – Supporting self-discovery, customization and virtual spaces

8 Sharing – Collaborating with friends by gifting and boosting

9 Sociability – Supporting sociability among friends in the game dynamics

10 Competition – Promoting playful social competition with others



Presentation

Business PerspectiveKeeping it real

1 Acquisition – How the player’s attention is gained and invited into the game?

2 Retention – How the player is hooked in the game and made to come back?

3 Referral – What are the driving forces for the player to invite others to join?

4 Monetization – What is sold for the player and how? Why the player would pay?

5 Following – How to build a sustainable customership with the player?



Presentation

PresentationGive a short presentation of your social game concept

Present your social game concept’s fundamentalsTell us about the theme, core gameplay, interaction loop etc.

How each SoPlay heuristic was addressedWere there heuristics that you did not address?Did you come up with new design questions related to some heuristics?Were there any specific or novel features you would like to emphasis?Did you bring something outside of the scope of the heuristics?

Did you find credible answers to the five business perspectives?What was challenging in designing the concept?What is your overall opinion from the design process?

DiscussionWhat have we learned today?

What did you think about the design process in general? How would you improve the process?Did you learn something new today?Were you able to build solid social games concepts? Did your concepts suffer from ”blank” spots which were not covered today?What was most challenging in the design process?What was most challenging in the design process?

Did the heuristics help you to design? What heuristics you considered to be useful or useless?Which heuristics could be merged?Do you currently use any kind of heuristics in your own design work?Do you see problems with heuristics?Did you feel that some issues were not addressed by the process/heuristics?

QuestionnairePlease leave feedback!

Thank You!

Janne PaavilainenSoPlay Project Manager

Game Research LabGame Research Lab

[email protected]

+358 400 473 650

http://www.facebook.com/rojola

http://twitter.com/rojola

designing social network games with soplay heuristics

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