Player Engagement

This blog originated as a research “white paper” about player engagement in video games. I see a close similarity between arcade and mobile games, even though one is pay-to-play and the other is free-to-play. They both must quickly command engagement or lose player interest.

What you may not realize, “engagement” is the magic that fuels the best games you’ve ever played. Where the skill you learned and the challenge presented was so motivating that you couldn’t stop playing. You were hooked.

Thanks for stopping by!

We consume in snackable bites

 

6 Responses to Player Engagement

  1. Gary Stark says:

    Hey Jerry!

    Just a quick note to say hi. I heard someone playing Headhunter by 242 Front and it reminded me of you, believe it or not. You probably don’t remember, but you introduced me to that song back when we were doing videogames. Can’t even remember why. Anyway, just wanted to say hi.

    Gary Stark

  2. Bud says:

    Did people scream and moan at the 25c monetization of Arcades back in the day, like they do about Freemium today?

    I certainly notice the connections and similarities of gameplay and “monetization” of freemium when compared to arcade games. But I’m curious if the buzz and complaints are similar too.

    • Jerry Momoda says:

      Players didn’t “complain” about $.25, but they did at $.50 and $1.00. At that time there wasn’t a public format to “complain”, but players voted with their quarters (and dollars). It is the single most accurate and honest tool to measure how players feel about a game. To be expected, at each incremental jump there was a period of resistance.

      With freemium, it’s not surprising that players “complain” by not spending on something they initially got for free. That’s where the monetization models contrast each other. In arcade games, you have to “pay to play”.

  3. Admiring the time and effort you put into your website
    and in depth information you provide. It’s awesome to come across a blog every once in a while that isn’t the same out
    of date rehashed material. Wondrful read!
    I’ve saved your site and I’m adding your RSS
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  4. Celia says:

    I believe what you said made a bunch of sense. But, consider this, what if you
    composed a catchier title? I ain’t saying your information is not
    solid, but suppose you added something to possibly grab
    folk’s attention? I mean Player Engagement – is kinda vanilla.
    You should peek at Yahoo’s front page and see how they write post headlines to grab people to click.
    You might add a related video or a pic or two to
    grab readers excited about what you’ve got to say.
    In my opinion, it would make your blog a little livelier.

    • Jerry Momoda says:

      Yes, I agree with your comments. When I started the blog, “engagement” was an often used buzzword in the trade. Originally the blog was aimed at those working in the game business, but over time I expanded on my target audience. That said, I’ll take your suggestions into consideration. Thank you.

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