The goal of any mobile game or app is to encourage monetization and user retention. To achieve this goal, certain steps need to be taken. Understanding the ins and outs of retention and monetization strategies before developing your game can help you save effort, time, and having to rework your concept. Some tips that will help you achieve mobile game or app success can be found here.
Encourage Users to Take Breaks
While it may seem counter-intuitive to design a game that encourages the players to stop playing after a while, enabling players to put the game down for a bit is essential. This is important for the size and health of your players. Regular breaks encourage retention, justify push notifications, fosters a habit in the game, and discourages cases of burn-out.
The primary goal of game designers is to create an experience that is so engaging your players do not want to put the game down. When successful, players can get into the “zone” and spend hours enjoying it. However, for freemium games, this can be good and bad. As the player binges the game, they will get burned out – regardless of how amazing it is. In the short-term, you get better engagement, but this may lead to them reaching the end of the available content faster than they should.
By encouraging your players to take a break, you avoid these issues. This means you keep game players coming back – again and again.
Use Intent During the Design Process
When you design your game, be sure to keep the economy in mind. Methods for retaining and monetizing player-ship cannot be an afterthought during the design process. When you pitch a game and build your prototype, write down the mechanics in your game and what will work well in the virtual economy.
Modular art assets, consumables, item or character upgrades, and life systems may be found in your games. If the designers remember this during the game’s construction and coding, it may save a lot of time because you do not have to rework the entire system to integrate these items to help turn a profit. Remember – while you fail to plan, you have planned to fail.
Appeal to Everyone’s Inner Collector
Everyone likes to own things. They like the ability to collect them and arrange them, then go back and look at them. When you allow your players to do this through your game, you will increase user retention. This is especially the case if they have to overcome difficult challenges to get the items.
It would help if you considered putting a trophy system or gallery in your game. By offering a collection of things, it is possible to encourage a higher level of retention.
Designing a Game That Player’s Love
When it comes to designing a quality game, you have to keep an array of factors in mind. With the information here, you are on your way to achieving success and appealing to your players.