A Plea For The Social Core Gamer Alexandre Mandryka gamewhispering.com

The Social Core Gamer Has experience Knows games Not afraid by challenge Actually likes it Currently underserved Quite the blue ocean Not afraid to spend Most likely owns technology Also quite social

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Jordan Mechner (80s) KaratekaPrince of Persia

3 teams Planning phase Perma-death

3 team members XTOS replaced planning Regenerative health

SimplificationAccessibility

“What we did in terms of 'depth' was not satisfactory for some consumers. This time, we would like consumers to be satisfied”

Traits ATraits B Environment SurviveDie Behavior ABehavior B Environment Discourage Encourage Die

Really all about chemistry Dopamin ReceptorsEmitters Triggering events Pleasure Complicated chain of reactions

But because we don’t really care Triggering events Pleasure Triggering events We can just abstract most of it out Things happening

Results of environmental pressure What the human race is good at is likely to be a source of pleasure … Cognition Learning Bigger reward than expected Achieving goals Pleasure Exercising Relaxation Coupling Dopamin-rewarded activities Endorphin-rewarded activities Socializing Giving birth Raising kids Oxytocin-rewarded activities It’s also likely to be good for us

The ‘function’ of games Games should provide a safe environment for us to become stronger, faster, smarter Let us experiment without risk

Pleasure Centers Psychological Biases Perception of probability Estimation of time length Self-validation...

Clinical studies on MMO addiction Limited rewarding activities Short action/reward cycle Small action, big reward High addiction potential

Why is Diablo worse than crack? Limited rewarding activities Short action/reward cycle Small action, big reward High addiction potential

Motivation VS Addiction Triggering events Pleasure Triggering events Things happening

Study: Money as a motivator? Study: Money as a motivator? Autonomy Competency Purpose ++ Long term Engagement

The Situation Geek is chic Current gamers are underserved Intrinsic motivation is not only ethical But also the best way to engage customers long term Non-gamers evolve into gamers

(Note how XCOM resonates with the early Rainbow Six games)

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TimeStamina

The Social Core Gamer  Don’t apply the business models directly  Demonstrate depth with free access  Monetize access to more depth  Offer more control over the game  Think of platforms as support to an experience  Core Gamers are valid a audience for new models  There are many of them  Casual gamers become proper gamers  They are underserved  Technology is ready for deep connected experiences