Game Thinking Fundamentals

Game Thinking
innovate smarter & build deep engagement  
with design techniques from hit games

Is this you? I want to…
• reduce churn and engage my
customers over time
• test my ideas on the right people and
ﬁnd product/market ﬁt
• get better innovation outcomes for my
team with a proven process that’s
created real-world success

Amy Jo Kim, Ph.D. 
Game Designer, Startup Coach,  
Author, Educator

I help startups, game studios & global brands
build deep engagement from the ground up

I’ve worked on a diverse set of
innovative worldwide hits

Some teams I worked with created breakthrough hits 
Others didn’t cross the chasm

What’s the diﬀerence between  
teams that succeed & fail?

The double-diamond approach
how to design a product that people want & use

Game Thinking
5 steps to product/market ﬁt

Game Thinking
Step 1: Hypothesize
articulate your product strategy
and prioritize your assumptions

Game Thinking Quotes
“The best way to
have a good idea is
to have lots of ideas.”
Linus Pauling
Scientist
Don’t fall in love with your ﬁrst idea

Stage
Kill
Gate
Concept Bank
Kill
Gate
Kill
Gate
Stage
Stage
Stage
Stage Gate Theory

Plan your experiment with the MVP Canvas

Covet Fashion Elevator Pitch V1
We are developing a F2P mobile game based on real-world fashion
To help fashion-loving gamers play dress-up with designer clothes
Using our knowledge of F2P gaming and female gamers e

Build Your Dream Closet
Collect designer clothes ! dress for gala events !  
build a lust-worthy closet of stunning outfits

Discover Your Personal Style
Glamorous Trendsetting Understated

MVP Canvas BEFORE
Young women
(18-30) who play
mobile fashion
games
Aspirational
dress-up in
designer fashion
PLUS celebrity
stylist advice

MVP Canvas BEFORE
Young women  
(18-30) who play
mobile fashion
games
Aspirational  
dress-up in designer
fashion PLUS
celebrity stylist advice
F2P co-op game
with real-world
fashion content
and hot trends
Vogue alternative
– stay up-to-date
on fashion by
playing – not just
looking

MVP Canvas BEFORE
Young women  
(18-30) who play
mobile fashion
games
Aspirational  
fashion PLUS
F2P co-op game with
real-world fashion
content and hot
trends
Vogue alternative –
stay up-to-date on
fashion by playing –
not just looking
F2P game experience
Existing, addressable
audience for fashion
games
Like/Dislike metrics
via interviews with
hardcore fashion
gamers

MVP Canvas BEFORE
Young women  
(18-30) who play
mobile fashion
games
Aspirational  
fashion PLUS
F2P co-op game with
real-world fashion
content and hot
trends
Vogue alternative –
stay up-to-date on
fashion by playing –
not just looking
F2P game experience
Existing, addressable
audience for fashion
games
Like/Dislike metrics
via interviews with
hardcore fashion
gamers
Young women
want a mobile
game based on
real-world fashion
PLUS access to a
celebrity stylist

Game Thinking
Step 2: Empathize
identify your hot-core customers and
learn about their needs, habits and frustrations

“Build something just a
few people want - even
if most people don’t get
it right away”
Paul Buchheit
Partner, Y-Combinator
Find your early hot-core customers

Have you ever
listened to the
wrong
customers?

Finding the right customers 
can determine whether you
thrive - or fail

This innovative
gaming platform
didn't make it
across the chasm

This innovative
mobile game
turned into an
evergreen hit

Innovation diffusion theory
EVERETT ROGERS, 1961

Crossing the Chasm
GEOFFREY MOORE, 1991
HASM

Crossing the Chasm
GEOFFREY MOORE, 1991
HASMSTART NOT

Who to listen to - & who to ignore?

don’t rely on
friends & family

or people in
your ultimate
target market

How do we actually do this?
MVP Test
Speed Interview

Super Fan Funnel
MVP Test
Speed Interview
Screener
x

Super Fan Funnel
MVP Test
Speed Interview
Screener

Super Fan Funnel
MVP Test
Interview
Screener

Super Fan Funnel
Playtest
Interview
Screener

Let’s see how
successful innovators  
ﬁnd & leverage SuperFans

your super-fans are
SPECIFIC to your project

rhythm action nerds
who know the basics

simulation enthusiasts
who love to make things

Lego-loving families who
enjoy sharing photos

Mobile-centric  
fashionistas

How did the Covet
Fashion team
identify & leverage
their Superfans?

bVisionary Leaders
Superfan Screener

If you want to cross the chasm…

Early
adopters
Start Here

Early
majority
Expand when ready

Game Thinking
Step 3: Design
sketch out how your customer
experience will evolve over time

Upgrade your user, not
your product… make
people better at something
they want to get better at.
Kathy Sierra
Author, Headﬁrst Series
Make your customers more awesome

Mastery Path
MASTERY
HABIT-BUILDING
ONBOARDING
DISCOVERY
What is this? Is it right for me? 
What’s the value proposition?

Mastery Path
MASTERY
HABIT-BUILDING
ONBOARDING
DISCOVERY
How do I learn the ropes?  
How do I start giving & getting value?

Mastery Path
MASTERY
HABIT-BUILDING
ONBOARDING
DISCOVERY
What urge pulls me back?
What am I getting better at?

Mastery Path
MASTERY
HABIT-BUILDING
ONBOARDING
DISCOVERY
What skills & knowledge have I mastered?
How can I leverage that?

Case Study
skill-building
feedback
repeatable,
pleasurable
activity
progress &
investment
cues &
triggers
cues &
triggers
internal
situational
external
engaged
MASTERY
HABIT-BUILDING
ONBOARDING
DISCOVERY
skill-building
feedback
repeatable,
pleasurable
activity
progress &
investment
cues &
triggers
cues &
triggers
Learning
Loop

Mastery Path
skill-building
feedback
repeatable,
pleasurable
activity
progress &
investment
cues &
triggers
cues &
triggers
internal
situational
external
engaged
MASTERY
HABIT-BUILDING
ONBOARDING
DISCOVERY
skill-building
feedback
repeatable,
pleasurable
activity
progress &
investment
cues &
triggers
cues &
triggers
Learning
Loop

Discovery is for Visitors
Social discovery
via friends and
colleagues

Onboarding is for Newbies
Learn the
ropes with a
friendly bot

Habit-building is for Regulars
Customized
group chat with
emojis, bots,
and integrations

Mastery is for Enthusiasts
Launch a channel,
program a bot,
integrate your app

Build something people love
Create an experience
that gets better as
your customers
become more skillful
MASTERY
HABIT-BUILDING
ONBOARDING
DISCOVERY

Capture Key Insights about Customer Habits & Needs
When _________
I want to ______________
so I can ______________
trigger
activity + goal
Job Stories
desired outcome

Fashion Browser
stay up-to-date on fashion trends
Co-Creator
shop & dress with a buddy
Armchair Stylist
tell other people how to dress

Fashion Browser
Existing Habit
“When I’m tired after a long day at work, I
want to kick off my heels, flop on the couch, &
immerse myself in a beautiful aspirational
world of high fashion. I just wish it could be
customized more to me and my taste.”

Co-creator
Existing Habit
“Patti told me to put these shoes and belt
together with this outfit – I’d never think of
that combo, but it TOTALLY works.
I need her advice all the time.”

Armchair Stylist 
Existing Habit
“I LOVE to get my friends together at my
place before heading out, so I can critique
their outfits and tell them how to dress better.
Those girls NEED me :-)”

Armchair Stylist 
Habit Story

Game Thinking
Step 4: Playtest
bring your core functionality to life by
testing with high-need early customers

“In a loop, you’re
learning a skill &
updating your mental
model. That’s what
leads to player delight.”
Dan Cook
co-founder, Spry Fox Games

What’s the right MVP  
for your engaging product?
MVP Test
Speed Interview

Operant
Conditioning
AKA  
Skinner Box?

X
Operant
Conditioning
AKA  
Skinner Box?

MVP Test
Speed Interview
Skill-building
makes customers
more awesome

“Fun is just another
word for learning.”
Raph Koster
author, A Theory of Fun

“ﬁnding the fun” =
building engagement from the inside out

skill-building
feedback
repeatable,
pleasurable
activity
progress &
investment
cues &
triggers
cues &
triggers
internal
situational
external
engaged
MASTERY
HABIT-BUILDING
ONBOARDING
DISCOVERY
skill-building
feedback
repeatable,
pleasurable
activity
progress &
investment
cues &
triggers
cues &
triggers
Learning
Loop
Learning Loop
makes customers
more skillful

identify your
core social actions

all updates &
messages read
read & respond
to updates
customize your
communications
& channel
FOMO —
check updates
FOMO —
check updates
TRIGGER
ACTIVITY

all updates &
messages read
read & respond
to updates
customize your
communications
& channel
FOMO —
check updates
FOMO —
check updates
SIMPLE
FEEDBACK

all updates &
messages read
read & respond
to updates
customize your
communications
& channel
FOMO —
check updates
FOMO —
check updates
PROGRESS
TRIGGER

Common Testing Artifacts
prototype your product with increasing ﬁdelity

Concept Scenarios
storyboard people using your product over time

3-Part Playtest Script
warmup, test artifact, debrief

Game Thinking
Step 5: Validate
distill your test results and
create your product roadmap

“You can use an eraser
on the drafting table or
a sledgehammer on the
construction site.”
Frank Lloyd Wright
Architect
Test your ideas early, in rough form

Putting it all Together
What to build? Who to listen to? At what dev stage?

Game Thinking Roadmap

MVP
BETA
LAUNCH
EXPANSION
ONBOARDINGDISCOVERY HABIT-BUILDING MASTERY

MVP
BETA
LAUNCH
EXPANSION
ONBOARDINGDISCOVERY HABIT-BUILDING MASTERY
START HERE

MVP Test
Speed Interview
How do (the best) game designers
build and tune their MVP?

we imagined living out a rock star fantasy…

and started by tuning & iterating a single song

we imagined a doll house come to life…

and started with tiny world-building experiments

we imagined a cooperative dress-up game…

and piggy-backed our ideas onto existing habits

Style Feed for Fashion Browsers
I love seeing what’s
new, going through my
closet, putting together
outfits – it’s the perfect
way to unwind after a
long day

Shared Closet for Co-creators
I love raiding my friend’s
closet to borrow shoes
for my outfit — it’s like
real life, only better
Patti’s Closet
OPEN
SLOT
OPEN
SLOT
Tops Bottoms Shoes Bags Jewelry Scarves IntimatesDresses
23 
items

is for Enthusiasts
Discover Your Style
Attend an Event
Make a Collection
Browse Your Stream
Covet Fashion Journey to Mastery

Invites
Waiting
Browse New
Content
Dress for the Event
Get Social Feedback Raid your friend’s closet
Browse your Style Feed Choose an Invitation
Covet Fashion Core Learning Loop

Everett Rogers
Scientist, Bell Labs
Playtesting
Progression
who do you listen to?
at what dev stage?

Early Majority
Closed Beta
Friends & Family
Team &  
Department
typical
play-testing
progression

Early Majority
Closed Beta
Friends & Family
Team &  
Department
Super-fan
Community
super-fan
play-testing
progression

What will Game Thinking do for you?
• Create a high-learning MVP* for exactly the right customers
• Build an experience people come back to, again and again
• Improve your innovation outcomes
*Minimum Viable Product

Stage
Kill
Gate
Concept Bank
Kill
Gate
Kill
Gate
Stage
Stage
Stage
Prototype to Learn

Stage
Kill
Gate
Concept Bank
Kill
Gate
Kill
Gate
Stage
Stage
Stage
don’t fall in love with an idea;
fall in love with
solving a problem & learning
from your customers
Prototype to Learn

want more?
gamethinking.io/playbook

Game Thinking Fundamentals

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