The toolbox approach to F2P game

designNicholas Lovell

#f2ptoolbox

Early stage

Late stage

Game design

Frameworks and toolboxes

A disclaimer

Nobody knows anything

1. The funnel

A

M

R

Acquire

Retain

Monetise

Keep monetising

ARM yourself

• Hoping for the best is not good enough, you need to ARM yourself– ACQUISITION: How do I get people through the door

cost-effectively?– RETENTION: How do I keep people coming back for

more?– MONETISATION: How do I build money-making

strategies into gameplay• Acquisition and monetisation are important• Retention is the most important, by far.

2. The pyramid

• The Core Loop is the beating heart of your game

• The Retention Game is what keeps players playing

• The Superfan Game is where the Superfans live

3. The Curve

PRICE

Demand

Revenue opportunity

Marketing opportunity

What AAA asks

“How can I get customers who don’t

want to spend $60 to spend $6?”

What F2P asks

“How can I get customers who do want to spend

$60 to love spending $600, or $6,000?”

There are many different toolboxes

• 4. The Hero’s Journey (read The Writer’s Journey by Christopher Vogler)

• 5. The psychology of marketing (read Influence, the Principles of Persuasion, by Robert Cialdini)

• Any number of game design books (e.g. A Theory of Fun, Raph Koster, or A Book of Lenses, Jesse Schell.)

Here are some of my tools

Conclusion

• Use frameworks and tools that you find useful• Have some for design AND some for business• Find them from anywhere:– Psychology– Writing– Marketing– Economics

• Or just borrow mine

Thank you@nicholaslovell@gamesbrief

www.gamesbrief.com

www.f2ptoolbox.com#f2ptoolbox