Gamification patterns can significantly improve user acquisition, engagement, and retention. Some key tactics include: 1) Designing the first experience to be fun and rewarding to acquire users and reduce bounce rates. 2) Using badges, achievements, and social features to engage users and encourage 2-4x longer sessions. 3) Implementing constraints, resource management, content updates, and social obligations to create multiple goals and retain users long-term. Regular players may continue playing for months or years with these strategies.

1. Ha c king Ga m ific a tion
Bing Gord on, KPCB
@b ing fish @kp c b

2. Why Ga m ify?

3. Ga m e p a tterns a re the new norm a l
2 -10x im p rovem ent
Acquire Enga ge Reta in

5. Dec a d es of Ga m ing

6. Acquire

7. First Five Sec ond s Acquire
“ I a m sm a rt—this is w ha t I exp ec ted .”
“ First” Ma tters
First Session
“ This is fun—w ha t I exp ec ted , only b etter.”
“ I know w ha t I a m d oing —a nd I like it.”

8. Acquire
“ First” Rules
• Win first, w in fa st
• Give them a rea son to return
• Send invites (if you love it)

9. Acquire
The Orig ina l “ Touc h”
Pinb a ll Construc tion Set 1983

10. The New “ Shelf” Acquire

11. Acquire
10:1

12. Acquire
Just a s in SEM…
The la nd ing sc reen
is everything .

13. Acquire
Red uc e b ounc e b y 90%
Before insta ll: After first five sec ond s:
Sketc h w ha t you Is this w ha t you
exp ec t to see… exp ec ted ?

14. Acquire
Fra m es Are Wine La b els

15. Acquire
Interfa c e is the Eng ine
NASCAR “ d ra ft m eter” : 2x

16. Acquire
Interfa c e Toys Work
Wa nts a nd fea rs sp inner of Sim s 2

17. Acquire
“ Op t in” Com p lexity
Op en style m enus of Sim Golf

18. Acquire
FB Profiles = Soc ia l
15M not 1M for Zyng a Poker

19. Acquire
Friend Ba r Mec ha nic
70M, not 2M for Fa rm ville

20. Acquire
Vira lity: The New Ma rketing
Inc entives Invites
Virtua l g ood s Inc ented invites
Ga m es: im b ue va lue in VG -- 4 -10x (w a tc h for TOS!)
Inc ented insta lls +25%

21. Acquire
Vira lity: The New Ma rketing

22. Ta ke Aw a ys Acquire
10x Touc ha b le “ b ox”
90% Bounc e red uc tion
» I feel sm a rt
» Win first, w in fa st
2x Interfa c e = eng ine
4-10x Vira l d esig n

23. Enga ge

24. Wow !!!
1x first tw o sessions Enga ge
Good !!
1 to 3x first session
Desig n Bea ts
Yuc k!
0x first session
Oh F*# @!
Never

25. Enga ge
Wither Fa c tor
First Suc c essful Tim e Pressure

26. Enga ge
Id entity
The Most Prec ious Asset

27. Enga ge
Who Are You?
Build a Profile: Id entity, c a reer sc ore key.

28. Enga ge
Like Going Out
Ta ke 30 m inutes

29. Enga ge
Pow er of Persona liza tion
Tig er Wood s Golf: +50%

30. Enga ge
Live Life in Levels

31. Enga ge
Show Num b ers

32. Enga ge
Ba d g es Rule
• I ha ve 600+
• 2x hours/ w eek
• 75% fem a le, a vera g e
a g e 42

33. Enga ge
Trop hies Ma tter

34. Enga ge
Yea rning for Rec og nition
Sim City: 20,000 up loa d ed c ities
“ They a ll look the sa m e!”

35. “ Aileen City is suc h a g rea t p la c e to live. The p a rks a re
Enga ge
b ea utiful a nd the hig hw a ys a re never ja m m ed .
Com e to Aileen City!”
UGC Text # 1
1% upload | 25% download
“ Joe City is a tow ering sp ec ta c le of g la ss a nd c onc rete. It is not just a
c ity, it is a n ec onom ic d yna m o!”
“ You ha ve to w a tc h the c itizens to und ersta nd Jennville. They shop ,
they b ustle, their houses a re p erfec t.”

36. Enga ge
Co-Op Crushes
Com p etition 3:1

37. Enga ge
Gifts 30x Bra g s

38. Enga ge
Pa rty of 5
20 - 30% p rod uc tivity g a ins

39. Enga ge
Desig n Princ ip les
• Va lue w ha t you m a ke, va lue w ha t you ea rn
• Golf c ourses should look ha rd , p la y ea sy
• 90% of p la yers a re 90% of the w a y
• Constra ints a re fun
• Exp erts fa il fa st; everyone else w ins fa st, w ins first

40. Enga ge
Ta ke Aw a ys
2x Grea t sec ond session
View a b le p rofiles
Ba d g es, a c hievem ents
Num b ers, sta ts for 10-25%
4x “ Invest” a nd a void “ w ither”
UGC for 25% of p la yers
Soc ia l ob lig a tion for 25% of p la yers

41. Reta in

42. Reta in
Multip le, Pa ra llel Goa ls
Prob a b ilistic , too.
Lessons from the Skinner Box.
2 c urrenc ies (La s Veg a s)

43. Reta in
Look Ahea d
Will she c om e b a c k? When?
Wha t w ill she d o in the sec ond session?
Will she b e p la ying a m onth from now ?
Wha t w ill she exp ec t?

44. Reta in
“ Pinc h”
Resourc e Ma na g em ent in Fa rm ville

45. Reta in
Constra ints & Qua ntity

46. Reta in
Pre-Announc em ents Hug e
World of Wa rc ra ft -- 0% c hurn
from level 35-40, 55-60 (m ount,
eld er g a m e)
Pre-reg ister a t reta il -- 10-20% of
first w eek sa les

47. Reta in
Content Up d a tes Sell
Correla ted to q ua lity

48. Reta in
Ma d d en Footb a ll
• 70% rep ea t if “ g a m e of the yea r”
• 30% rep ea t p urc ha se if “ liq uid AI is
w ha t’ s running d ow n their leg s”
Content Up d a tes Sell
The Sim s exp a nsions
• 16 exp a nsions, 50M units
• 60% ARPU inc rea se

49. Reta in
Soc ia l Ob lig a tions Loc k-In
• Ma d d en
– “ You c a n’ t c onvert the w hole fra ternity.”
• Guild s
– Ap p ointm ent g a m ing
– Peer p ressure a nd p rivileg es
– Ma rria g es (a nd d ivorc e)
• Async hronous: 4x m ore tha n sim ulta neous

50. Reta in
Ma g ic Num b ers
Tw itter Fa c eb ook
• 40% 1 m onth retention • 20 friend s
• 90%-ish m onthly retention if 10 • 70% “ long term ” retention
follow ers

51. Reta in
Virtua l Assets : 3x Fa c tor
Ultim a Online
House ow ners - 3 yea rs

52. Ma d d en seq uels Reta in
• 2x for hig h q ua lity
• Use “ NPS” (Net Prom oter Sc ore)
• % rec om m end - % w ho w ould n’ t
Qua lity Ma tters
Meta c ritic .c om
• 80 - 85 = Top 50
• +50 -100% for ea c h +5 p oints

53. Desig n Princ ip les Reta in
• Show num b ers
• Look a hea d
• Pinc h
• Constra ints a re fun
• Pre-Announc em ents
• Content up d a tes sell

54. Reta in
Ta ke Aw a ys
Do the Ma th

55. • 4x: Pinc h a nd “ look a hea d ” g a m e m ec ha nic s
Reta in
• 100%: Pre-a nnounc e (for a m onth)
• 50%: New c ontent, if sa m e q ua lity a s orig ina l
Ta ke Aw a ys
• 20%: Soc ia l struc tures:
– 90% less c hurn for p la yers w ho a re “ w ell-g uild ed ”
• 15%: Virtua l a ssets
– 67% less c hurn for p la yers w ho a re “ w ell-c a stled ”

56. New Med ia , New Rules
“ The b est w a y to keep som eone p la ying
forever is to ha ve them p la y tod a y.”
-- Bing