four keys to fun baychi slides 100n081109

www.xeodesign.com© 2008 XEODesign, Inc.

XEODesignPutting Emotion into Play

®

™

The Four Keys to Fun: Designing Viral Distribution Without Spamming Your Friends

Nicole Lazzaro, President

XEODesign, Inc.

BayCHI August 11, 2009

XEODesignPutting Emotion into Play

®

™

Follow my research on Twitter: @NicoleLazzaro

Twitter: #BayCHI

Putting Emotion into Play ™

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XEODesign

The 4 Keys to Fun

Winner Best Game 2007

Tilt the first iPhone accelerometer game

Play Improves Quality of LifeBring people together

Vision Games in 2020

Egypt: Mankala

Massively Social Online GameMSOs use fun to drive social distribution

CuriosityFiero

ExcitementRelaxation

Amusement

The 4 Fun KeysPaint Engagement w/ Verbs

Naches

Schadenfreude

Generosity

Coordinate Action

Inside/Outside Social Grouping Twitter

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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Fiero Curiosity

Relaxation3. Serious Fun: Creating Value

Amusement4. People Fun: Socialize

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


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The 4 Fun KeysDesign over 30 emotions from gameplay

Hard FunFiero

People FunAmusement

Easy FunCuriosity

SeriousFunRelaxation

emotion < choice < mechanic > choice > emotion

whitepapers: xeodesign.com


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The 4 Keys to Fun

Engaging interactions inspire curiosity,

stimulate the senses, structure social

interaction, and work towards a goal.

• Hard Fun of Challenge and Mastery• Easy Fun of Exploration and Role Play• Serious Fun to Create and Express Value• People Fun for the Excuse to Hang Out with Friends

QuickTimeª and aDV/DVCPRO - NTSC decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

1. Hard Fun = Fiero \o/


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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 FunChallenge and mastery

Super Monkey Ball Tilt

The Keys to Viral Distribution

Gameplay Appeals to Everyone

Social Features People Fun

Tilt Factor Gameplay Increase # of Players

Monetization Connect the dots

Simple GoalClear Role

Connect

Friends

Messages

Social Tokens

Actions

Feedback


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Tilt FactorUse Hard Fun goals and points to coordinate individual actions to everyone interacting

Microchannels

Simple + MobileOver the Shoulder Play

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

• 250,000 visits

Simple + MobileOver the Shoulder Play

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 invites5 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


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1. Hard Fun and Tilt Factor

Increase the number of players by

keeping game mechanics simple,

mobile, and frictionless.

• Temptation is to add features and take advantage of friends• Mistake to spam friends to max installs and create illusion of

social capital• Play to edges of network vs. deepening social bonds

2. Easy Fun = Curiosity


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2. Easy Fun: Imagination Creates Curiosity

choices novelty fills attention choices• iconic situations• explore• experiment • fool around • role play• ambiguity • detail • fantasy • uniqueness

feelings• curiosity• surprise• wonder • awe

Easy Fun

Simple + Small = ViralKoi Pond

Appealing + Easy Participation Puzzle Pirates, LostZombies.com


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2. Easy Fun Gameplay for Everyone

Offer small, simple, and appealing gameplay

with drop dead simple participation.

* Single concept

* Simple mechanic

* Easy contribution

• "Everything should be as easy as placing a sticker" #Little Big Planet

• Don’t require standing on your head to play• Address usability issues to get off the starting block

3. Serious Fun = Excitement / Relaxation

Create and Express Value

Swiffer and Bejeweled

Goal: to collect all you can

• Feedback• Enhanced sense of

progress


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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


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3. Serious Fun Create Value

Change how players think, feel,

behave. Let them express their

values.

• Gameplay: enhance gameplay w/o buying advantage• Social Features: create more fun with friends• Connect gameplay, social features, and Tilt Factor to

monetize game.

4. People Fun = Amusement + Social Bonding

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

• ConnectIt Takes 2

• FeedbackDraw Circles

• 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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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 McGonagall's GDC slides

Wonder and ConnectionOcarina: Easy Fun and People Fun

People Fun

QuickTimeª and a decompressor


Serious Fun Emotions from Theme: Tilt Viral Distribution ties Social Mechanics and Global Play and changes the real world


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People Fun Feeling of being closer creates social fabric between people

Friendship ≠ Capital $≠ Facts

Winner Best Game 2008

TattleTalz.com

How does he feel?


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The Relationship is the Messagesharing social tokens brings us closer together

PX Mechanics• schadenfreude• gratitude• reciprocity• trust• Embarrassment• “Cool” is a social

emotion

Share interestsExpress values Explore identities

Create bondsInside jokes Amusement


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Target Social Emotions

@ RT

DM

#iPhone

Personal Hype Quotient


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•Friendship•Compare•Sending messages

•Saving environment

Top Facebook Apps use People FunGratitude, Schadenfreude, Naches

•Rich choices between players•Competition•Cooperation•Gifting•Mentorship


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Actions: Maple Storysocial interaction creates value


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4. People Fun and Social Features

Share ≠ Spam: Offer features that

create social emotions to weave

social bonds between players.

• People Fun has more emotions than other 3 keys combined• Social marketing creates shared experiences not “eyeballs” • Make game part of making / maintaining friends• Game is the message passed between friends• Social features = game’s voice into player’s realities

CuriosityFiero

ExcitementRelaxation

Amusement

The 4 Fun KeysPaint Engagement w/ Verbs

Naches

Schadenfreude

Generosity

Coordinate Action

Inside/Outside Social Grouping Twitter

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

ImagineTogether

QuickTimeª and a decompressor



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World at nightMassively Social Online GameMSOs use fun to drive social distribution

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