Amy Jo Kim, CEO of Shufflebrain, gave a talk at Game Developers Conference 2010 and focused on the web-meets-gaming world (called metagame design). This is the practice of applying game-like reward and feedback systems to non-game applications for the purpose of driving loyalty and engagement. This slide deck (embedded below) focuses on three levels of metagame design: points tables, feedback and rewards, and viral outreach. She also reviews the pros and cons of metagame reward systems like levels, badges, leaderboards, spotlights, and quality ratings. AJK was kind enough to post those slides online for the community — thank you!

Metagame Design – Presentation Transcript

  1. MetaGame Design Reward Systems that Drive Engagement Amy Jo Kim CEO, Shufflebrian
  2. What is a Metagame?
  3. Using out-of-game info or resources to affect in-game decisions Gaming definition
  4. Layering an rewards system onto an existing activity
  5. Metagames are Everywhere
  6. Collecting Complete Collections — Gain Status, Access, $$
  7. Behavior Chart Collect Stickers – Earn Privilege or Prize
  8. Karate Develop Skill – Earn Rank, Prestige, Powers
  9. Scouting Complete Tasks – Earn Badges, Rank, Prestige, Powers
  10. Frequent Flyer Programs Spend Money – Earn Points – Redeem for Flights
  11. Arcade Spend Money – Earn Points – Redeem for Items
  12. Text RPG Complete Missions – Earn Points – Redeem for Items
  13. Contest/Raffle Take Action – MAYBE Win Item
  14. Contest/Raffle Take Action – Maybe Win Item
  15. Tournament Play Sport – Enter Tournaments – Earn Ranking/Trophies Leagues & Teams are part of this
  16. Tournament Play Sport – Enter Tournaments – Earn Ranking/Trophies
  17. So how do you design a Metagame?
  18. Metagame Design Framework Viral Outreach Feedback & Rewards Points
  19. Metagame Engagement Loop Post updates, give gifts, send taunts Get feedback, earn rewards Take actions, earn points
  20. Act React Customize Create Earn Spend Step 1: Assign points to actions Viral Outreach Feedback & Rewards Points
  21. Which ACTIONS earn points?
  22. Which REACTIONS earn points?
  23. 3 Types of points
    • Experience Points (XP) – earned directly via players’ actions – track & reward socially/economically useful player actions
    • Skill Points (Score, Rank) – earned via interacting with the system – based on mastery of the activity or game
    • Influence Points (Rating, Reputation) – earned via the actions of other players – proxy for quality/reputation/influence – track & reward socially valuable contributions & actions
  24. Is your points system tracking skill, experience, or both?
  25. Is your points system assigning ratings to people or objects?
  26. Can you Spend your points?
  27. Levels Leaderboards Roles Reputation Missions Challenges Achievements Collections Step 2: Add Feedback & Rewards Viral Outreach Feedback & Rewards Points
  28. Levels are shorthand for participation and achievement
  29. Leaderboards identify, motivate and reward your most devoted players
  30. Social Leaderboards drive competition and enable missions
  31. Leaderboards can cause problems – don’t be afraid to remove/hide/change
  32. Missions tell players what to do next
  33. Mission-driven engagement loop Post updates, give gifts, send taunts Get feedback, earn rewards Accept Mission Update Mission List Take actions, earn points
  34. Reputation and Ratings track quality/skill + motivate contributions
  35. Achievements provide short-term goals + sense of progression
  36. Motivate newbies with easy-to-earn rewards
  37. Motivate power-users with scarce resources
  38. Motivate contributors with a rating system
  39. Updates Gifts Sharing Invites Step 3: Grow through Viral Outreach Viral Outreach Points Feedback & Rewards
  40. What are the ‘social moments’ in your game?
  41. Competition Bragging, Taunting, Challenging
  42. Cooperation Sharing, Helping, Gifting
  43. Self-Expression Check out my character/outfit/farm/page
  44. Case Study: Farmville
  45. XP + coins earned by completing tasks
  46. Customize your character
  47. purchase seeds
  48. Plant & Harvest Crops
  49. Help Neighbors
  50. Design & Develop Your Farm
  51. Buy exclusive items with $$$
  52. Tutorial introduces pts, levels, rewards
  53. Earn coins, level up, buy more stuff
  54. Leaderboards facilitate social interactions
  55. Achievements come early & often
  56. Achievements displayed as collections
  57. Achievements displayed as collections
  58. Help your neighbors, then brag about it
  59. Many opportunities for self-expression
  60. Gifting pulls people into the game
  61. Case Study: Stack Overflow Technical Q&A site w/crowd-sourced moderation
  62. Ask/answer good questions to build Reputation
  63. Leaderboards for Reputation score
  64. Earn badges by performing basic site tasks
  65. Question: why no viral outreach?
  66. 5 Tips for Designing a Compelling Metagame:
    • Create a coherent experience that unfolds over time
    • Define a points system (XP, social pts, redeemable pts) that supports your purpose and audience
    • Introduce feedback and rewards that motivate newbies, enthusiasts, and contributors
    • Design rewards that players will be eager to share
    • Use “game pacing” to grant rewards over time

See Amy Jo Kim’s profile on GDC 2010.

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