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Dori Adar presents: 
How to Make People 
Love Your Game 
In 90 seconds (or less) 
5 min 
read! 
A High Quality Deck!
Whether you’re going steady, 
friends for the weekend, 
or just making out in the bathroom...
We all have relationships with our games.
But we only have so much time and patience 
for new friendships.
So no matter how profound, 
beautiful or fun your game is
Only 20% of games make it 
past the first play session.
Hi. My name is Dori Adar. 
I make games for living. 
doriadar@gmail.com @ Dori Adar
And I wanna get your game ready for the most 
important event of its life.
The First Date
Part 1 
First Impression 
Be Casual
The player launches your game for the first time. 
Put on your best smile. Your 1st date begins.
You have less than 3 minutes to get the user hooked 
or at least interested.
The player must go through your 1st game loop 
to completion in the first session.
Here’s how some games do it: 
Splash 
screen 
Loading 
screen 
Cover Booster 
Intro clip Map pop up Tutorial 
Gameplay Reward 
page
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
The trick is to skip unnecessary steps.
Spider Man Unlimited (Gameloft) 
Splash 
screen 
Loading 
screen 
Straight into the 
action with minimum 
explanations. 
Cover Tutorial 
page 
Gameplay Reward
Epic reward-killing 
a boss in the 
first gameplay. 
Splash Tutorial Gameplay Reward 
screen 
Loading 
screen 
Cover 
page
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
Core loop time: 90 seconds
Spider Man Unlimited doesn’t let the player die during the 
tutorial, so completing the loop is inevitable.
Good call, Spidey!
Monument Valley (US TWO) 
Splash 
screen 
Loading 
screen 
Tutorial Gameplay 
Splash + loading screens 
combined. No cover page! 
Cover 
page 
Reward
Splash 
screen 
Loading 
screen 
Dive into the first puzzle. 
Tutorial Gameplay 
Cover 
page 
Reward
Splash 
screen 
Loading 
screen 
Cover page as a beautiful 
reward. 
Tutorial Gameplay Reward 
Cover 
page
Core loop time: 25 seconds
Flappy Bird (Dong nguyen) 
Splash 
screen 
Cover 
page 
The surprising “game over” is the 
reward in Flappy bird. 
Tutorial Gameplay Reward
Core loop time: 10 seconds
Sure, the smaller the game the less amount of time 
it takes to complete the first loop.
But even if your game has what it takes 
to be considered “marriage material”
Do not say it on your first date. 
Be casual.
Part 2 
The Date 
Know when to leave
We feel anxious when are interrupted 
in the middle of something.
Stop a song in the middle 
and you’ll be singing it in your head all day.
(I actually have the perfect song for you 
at the end of this deck, so you can try it!)
Stopping session “in the middle” will get the player 
to play the game more frequently.
This means that your game has to tell the user 
when to stop playing.
Candy Crush Saga, among others, 
uses the “Energy” method, AKA lives.
There are more elegant ways, however, 
to signal the player to leave the game.
Boom Beach has a very clear “end session”: 
No enemies on the map.
Monument Valley uses chapters for clear start and 
end sessions.
And in this game (Cow Evolution), after 2 mins of cow-merging 
there’s just nothing to do until the next money batch.
To sum it up: keep the date short and leave the 
player wanting more.
Part 3 
The Pursuit 
Be Classy!
You should call after the first date. 
Just don’t beg.
The key here is to push the right trigger 
at the right time.
This depends on when your player is accustomed to 
playing and what he considers a reward.
Push notifications will work better when 
personalized.
Using the player name, level, or current mission can 
do wonders to players’ retention.
Better yet, be funny. Be seductive.
I never got a booty notification from a game, 
but I’d sure love to! 
Ahmm..
Whatever you do, be sure to track these campaigns. 
Push notifications are not to be dismissed.
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.
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!
Why must I be 
seductive, 
manipulative, and play 
all those...games?? 
Yes, Game. What 
do you want???
Why can’t I just be…. 
ME?
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!

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How to make people love your game in 90 seconds or less

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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!