Your game has to form a relationship with the gamer in SUPER SPEED. See here how to prepare it to the most important meeting of its life- the first date. Read more at www.doriadar.com

1. Dori Adar presents:
How to Make People
Love Your Game
In 90 seconds (or less)
5 min
read!
A High Quality Deck!

2. Whether you’re going steady,
friends for the weekend,
or just making out in the bathroom...

3. We all have relationships with our games.

4. But we only have so much time and patience
for new friendships.

5. So no matter how profound,
beautiful or fun your game is

6. Only 20% of games make it
past the first play session.

7. Hi. My name is Dori Adar.
I make games for living.
doriadar@gmail.com @ Dori Adar

8. And I wanna get your game ready for the most
important event of its life.

9. The First Date

10. Part 1
First Impression
Be Casual

11. The player launches your game for the first time.
Put on your best smile. Your 1st date begins.

12. You have less than 3 minutes to get the user hooked
or at least interested.

13. The player must go through your 1st game loop
to completion in the first session.

14. Here’s how some games do it:
Splash
screen
Loading
screen
Cover Booster
Intro clip Map pop up Tutorial
Gameplay Reward
page

15. Here’s how some games do it:
Booster
pop up Cover Gameplay Reward
page
Too long!
Appears too late!
Splash
screen
Loading
screen
Intro clip Map Tutorial

16. The trick is to skip unnecessary steps.

17. Spider Man Unlimited (Gameloft)
Splash
screen
Loading
screen
Straight into the
action with minimum
explanations.
Cover Tutorial
page
Gameplay Reward

18. Epic reward-killing
a boss in the
first gameplay.
Splash Tutorial Gameplay Reward
screen
Loading
screen
Cover
page

19. Tutorial Gameplay Reward
Intro clip comes after the gameplay, as a
part of the reward for killing the boss.
Result: Less users skip the video.
Intro clip

20. Core loop time: 90 seconds

21. Spider Man Unlimited doesn’t let the player die during the
tutorial, so completing the loop is inevitable.

22. Good call, Spidey!

23. Monument Valley (US TWO)
Splash
screen
Loading
screen
Tutorial Gameplay
Splash + loading screens
combined. No cover page!
Cover
page
Reward

24. Splash
screen
Loading
screen
Dive into the first puzzle.
Tutorial Gameplay
Cover
page
Reward

25. Splash
screen
Loading
screen
Cover page as a beautiful
reward.
Tutorial Gameplay Reward
Cover
page

26. Core loop time: 25 seconds

27. Flappy Bird (Dong nguyen)
Splash
screen
Cover
page
The surprising “game over” is the
reward in Flappy bird.
Tutorial Gameplay Reward

28. Core loop time: 10 seconds

29. Sure, the smaller the game the less amount of time
it takes to complete the first loop.

30. But even if your game has what it takes
to be considered “marriage material”

31. Do not say it on your first date.
Be casual.

32. Part 2
The Date
Know when to leave

33. We feel anxious when are interrupted
in the middle of something.

34. Stop a song in the middle
and you’ll be singing it in your head all day.

35. (I actually have the perfect song for you
at the end of this deck, so you can try it!)

36. Stopping session “in the middle” will get the player
to play the game more frequently.

37. This means that your game has to tell the user
when to stop playing.

38. Candy Crush Saga, among others,
uses the “Energy” method, AKA lives.

39. There are more elegant ways, however,
to signal the player to leave the game.

40. Boom Beach has a very clear “end session”:
No enemies on the map.

41. Monument Valley uses chapters for clear start and
end sessions.

42. And in this game (Cow Evolution), after 2 mins of cow-merging
there’s just nothing to do until the next money batch.

43. To sum it up: keep the date short and leave the
player wanting more.

44. Part 3
The Pursuit
Be Classy!

45. You should call after the first date.
Just don’t beg.

46. The key here is to push the right trigger
at the right time.

47. This depends on when your player is accustomed to
playing and what he considers a reward.

48. Push notifications will work better when
personalized.

49. Using the player name, level, or current mission can
do wonders to players’ retention.

50. Better yet, be funny. Be seductive.

51. I never got a booty notification from a game,
but I’d sure love to!
Ahmm..

52. Whatever you do, be sure to track these campaigns.
Push notifications are not to be dismissed.

53. How to Make It Through Your First Date
First Impression
The gamer must go through the first loop to completion!
The Dates
Excuse
me….
Sessions should be designed to leave the gamer hungry for more.
The Pursuit
The right time + the right trigger + personalization. Monitor your
campaigns.

54. Did you find this deck useful?
Care to share it with your friends?
Email doriadar@gmail.com if you have any questions.
I’d love to hear from you!
Dude! I have a
question!

55. Why must I be
seductive,
manipulative, and play
all those...games??
Yes, Game. What
do you want???

56. Why can’t I just be….
ME?

57. Because you give yourself away for FREE,
that’s why.
(Wanna hear your song? It’s on the next slide)
* Thank you Sarah Keyes and Meital Harel for helping me out with this deck!