Video Game Guides

I recently wrote a guide for League of Legends, which can be viewed here.

Guides are a unique piece of literature and I had fun writing my first one. It's a way to share your experience of a game with others, and is aimed towards improving others' experiences.

It was a new exercise for me as I've never written something like it. The classic literature elements are all there. It is essentially and informative piece, but there is little support for citations. There is room for passion, and it comes out as you describe your experience.

Writing a video game guide is something I recommend to anyone who thinks they have a unique perspective of a game and wants to share that. In terms of video game development, I think it is important for a game to have social aspects. I cannot play a game that is not social, because it makes me feel lonely. If a game does not have social elements in-game, I think a good alternative is through forums where people can share their experiences with others.

The Zynga AMA

This post is devoted to my analysis of this Reddit Ask Me Anything by a Zynga Developer.

2 currencies - 1 can be earned in game easily and can unlock most content. Easy reward to give players. The other could be earned in tiny amounts, and bought in large amounts. The most successful games were fun without the second currency, but made plaeyrs always want it.

I love that they mention this. This is my favorite part of a Freemium model to analyze.

various things over time - serve the game in limited bites, and make the player come back for more. this will create a lasting relationship with the customer, which is vital since players very rarely pay anything on the first day they play a freemium game.

This quote connects so much with my previous blog post.  Making the player come back for more is closely tied in with the two currency model. This is accomplished by slowly rewarding them with currency over time.

I partially disagree with the second half of this quote. Getting a player to pay for the game doesn't have to be through repeated and throttled play. Zynga games benefit from the gated gameplay through energy/stamina/require x number of friends, but that isn't the only way to do it. For example, League of Legends is free to play and allows for unlimited play. This makes the second currency more invisible to those who don't wish to pay. This is an important component towards making a game whose intrinsic value is within the gameplay itself.