Transcript
Cycles, Rituals and Unconscious in modern
free-to-play games
Aleksey Rehlov | External Producer
Players don’t know, why they do it
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Unconscious
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Sigmund Freud
Habits and rituals
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Konrad Lorenz
Classic game cycle
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Process
Progress
Efforts
Refill
Thinking
The result of cycle forming
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Rolling Retention
After Before
The result of cycle forming
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Day
Ratio of After to Before
Example of cycle forming daily quests
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The main attributes of a cycle
• Frequency usually decreases during time
• Complexity usually increases during time• Adding new cycles
• Cycles substitution
• Expending cycles
• Duration usually increases during time
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Adding or substituting a cycle
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Process I Progress Process II
Examples
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CSR Racing Summoners War
Expending a cycle
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Process I
Progress Process II
Progress
Examples
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Ez Pz RPG Heroes Shop
Ritual
• Ritual is a symptom of addiction
• Cycle creates a ritual
• Special events in a cycle help to create a ritual
The easier and clearer a cycle and the more “cyclic” and “ritualic” life of a player, the easier to form a ritual.
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Addiction forming stages
Light dedication
Dedication
Addiction
Bonding
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Addic
tion
Time
Addiction Stages
Light dedication
Dedication
Addiction
Bonding
The process of a cycle learning
• Information intussusception;
• Information understanding, ideas appearing;
• Consolidation and developing of knowledge, skills forming;
• Practical application of received knowledge and skills;
• Reaching of mastering limits.
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When cycles have to be changed?
• The cycle is mastered or became boring
• The cycle doesn't give a progress feeling
• The cycle was developed only for the first sessions
• The cycle doesn't make necessary monetization level anymore
• The cycle motivates to leave the game at the certain time
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Cycles Ideology
• The base cycle has to be simple and clear for understanding
• Game mechanics have to help to support the cycle:• Daily quests• Strong differentiation between game modes• Management of a cycle length• Ability to make very own cycle on the late game stages
• Changing the cycle, when a player is tired or mastered it
• Integration of monetization and advertisement into the game cycle
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The Advice
Do not leave the cycle development to the end of the project.
The scheme of cycles has to be developed simultaneously with all other main elements, such as monetization, core gameplay,
etc.
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Cycles, Rituals and Unconscious in modern free-to-play games
Questions?Aleksey Rehlov | External Producer
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