IndieFalcon Project Report

M1 Consultancy | MBusiness | December 6, 2015
IndieFalcon
VIRAL MARKETING PROJECT REPORT

Contents
1.) Executive Summary – Pg 2
1.1) Outline of Project – Objectives, Methods and Goals – Pg 3
2.) Analysis of mobilegames market (Size, Profitability) – Pg 4-9
2.1) Analysisof the top 3 grossing mobile-games(Free with In-App
Purchases) – Features and Format – Pg 9-15
2.2) Analysisof top game similar to ‘Smash Rally’ – Featuresand Format
Pg 15-16
3.) Primaryresearch – SurveyMonkeyquestionnaire aimed at what
people respond to most regarding viewing mobile gameadvertisements
i.e. Type of Advertisement and Advertisement Content – Pg 16-24
4.) Analysis of Interviewwith Tom Brock (Lecturer for Sociology –
Specialising in the SocialPsychology behind Games) – Pg 25-27
5.) BibliographyPg 28-29

1.) Executive Summary
From the report we have produced it has been made clear that there is a definite market
for Indiefalcon to enter into and be successful. Especially within the IAP market as this
represents 76% of the UK revenue share for apps, this looks to remain the dominant
overall revenue stream in the gaming industry. Another beneficiary to Indiefalcon is that
IAP’S like smash rally and other popular games such as clash of clans are and will remain
popular, this is due to the raise in IAP’S, consumers are becoming more aware of these
type of games. Looking back to 2014 free apps with the option for in-app purchases
accounted for 90% of revenue in the iOS App Store.
One of Indiefalcon’s essential project objectives was to try to encourage female’s users to
form an interaction with Smash Rally and break the industries stereotype that only male
gamers would be interested in these sort of games. After analysing of our findings, we
found that female downloaders are more likely to be influenced by word of mouth over
any other form or marketing, we feel with the right marketing approach this would be
possible to achieve as the more attention the game draws, the more people will talk
about it.
After analysing the results of our online questionnaire, we found we had positive
feedback and were able to gain valued opinions from those within the clients stated
target audience. This included people of the right age who are using mobile games and
are also highly active on social media. What we found from the results of our survey is
that they mirrored the findings from the independent research and that both sets of
results had a positive correlation.
Finally, after careful analysis of our project objectives and with the use of our
independent and secondary research, we have identified that there is a clearly defined
market ready for Indiefalcon to enter. Using our research, Smash Rally is set to be a
success and help build a brand for Indiefalcon that consumers will be aware of and
provide a platform of success for future projects as well as this one.

1.1) Outline of Project – Objectives, Methods and Goals.
 Provide IndieFalcon with a detailed report of our research into the size of
the mobile gaming market, the features and design of the most popular
mobile games and what elements make them successful.
This element of the report will be covered in two areas of the report;
2.1) This area of the report will look at the size and profitability of the mobile gaming
market, it will cover a number of areas including; Size, Type of gaming and Gender of
players amongst others.
2.2) This will look at the top-grossing mobile games and analyse the features within them
that make them shareable and the common elements that they share in terms of
advertisement.
2.3) This area of the report will look at games similar to ‘Smash Rally’, it will cover the
features, look and feel of the game and how it marketed itself. This will give IndieFalcon
an idea of how games similar to ‘Smash Rally’ have become successful.
 A detailed approach of what type of viral campaign would work best for
IndieFalcon.
This element of the report will be covered in area 3.1 of the report;
3.1) This area of the report will cover our primary research in the form on an online
questionnaire, this will again be aimed at the target audience and will look at what
mobile gaming advertisements people respond the best - Video of Gameplay with
Description, Interactive Advertisement (Personalise Ads) or Playable Segment of the
game itself.
 Provide instructions on the best way to implement our strategy.
This element of the report will be covered in area 5 of the report;
5) The final element of the report will summarise all of our findings and advise on the
best way to market ‘Smash Rally’ on its launch, features to consider that have the
possibility to enhance its share ability and provide an overview into the gaming market in
which ‘Smash Rally’ is entering.
 Provide all the market research we’ve done to support our claims, in a
detailed report and presentation.
In addition to providing sources, this report will also provide additional research in the
form of interview summaries with 2 gaming development professionals.

2.) – Detailed analysis of the mobile gaming market (Size,
Profitability & Gender gap)
Snapshot of WorldwideMobile-Appsmarket size
 Worldwide Mobile revenue is expected to overtake console gaming in 2015
 It’s estimated that the mobile gaming industry reached $25 billion in worldwide
sales in 2014. That’s almost double (42%) over 2013.
 In the US ages 35-44 were the biggest spenders, they averaged $6 per person, per
month.
 It’s expected that worldwide revenue from smartphone and tablet titles will
continue to grow, reaching $30.3 billion in 2015.
(Mintel, 2014)
Snapshotof the UK Mobile-Appsmarket size
 UK mobile gaming market worth £545million, 21.2 increase from 2013
 Free apps with in purchase represent 76% of the UK revenue share for apps
 Apples best was candy crush developed by King, which reached 500million
installations on mobiles and Facebook.
(Mintel, 2014)
Mobile-App marketfocused on free-appswith in-app purchases
 Consistent growth of tablet devices and the maturation of the smartphone
market means revenue from apps and in-app purchases continues to grow.
Mintel estimates a market size of £719 million in 2014, up 52% on the £472
million observed in 2013.
 In-app purchases continue to dominate revenue. Some 92% of Google Play Store
and 90% of Apple App Store revenue in the UK in July 2014 came from free apps
monetised through in-app purchases.
 iOS and Android remain the most fertile ecosystems when it comes to apps. The
Apple App Store and Google Play Store both have about 1.2 million apps in as of
June 2014. This is approximately four times the volume of apps as the next largest
competitor, the Windows Phone Store.
(Mintel, 2014)

Mintel estimates that the sale of apps and the value of in-app purchases across the Apple
and Google app stores will total £719 million in 2014. This is a 52% increase on 2013’s
figure (Mintel, 2015).
The sustained growth of the market is thanks partially to the continuing growth of tablet
sales in the UK. Low cost devices like the Tesco Hudl, for instance, bring app-accessibility
to a greater proportion of consumers. Devices like the successful Kindle Fire are sold at
cost in order to encourage a long tail of application and content purchases
(Mintel, 2015).
Enormously popular games funded by in-app purchases (IAPs) – like Clash of Clans –
remain popular. Their widespread use will continue to drive revenue as more consumers
are exposed to and become familiar with the in-app purchases through which they
monetise themselves (Mintel, 2015).
Free apps with theoption for in-app purchases accounted for 90% of revenue in the iOS
App Storein the UK in July 2014, and 92% of Google Play Storerevenue. The Figure below
only accounts for revenue from the purchase of apps and revenue from IAPs; revenue
from free apps monetised through adverts are not included (Mintel, 2015).

This enormous proportion of revenue coming from IAPs is striking when compared to the
actual split of free and paid apps in the major app stores. Only 57% of the apps in Apple’s
store, as an example, are free (with or without IAPs) (Mintel, 2014).
Key analysis: Mintel’s Smartphone and Tablet Gaming – UK – April 2014 report estimated
that games revenue will account for approximately 80% of total app store revenue in the
UK in 2014, thanks to the increasing prominence of games featuring in-app purchases. As
of the time of writing for instance, the two top grossing apps on the Apple App Store
were IAP-based games Clash of Clans and Candy Crush Saga. Only five apps in the iOS top
50 grossing do not, as of the time of writing, include IAPs. Two of these were games
eschewing the IAP model, one was the UK Driving Test companion app, and the
remaining two were utilities for iOS 8 (Mintel, 2014).
IAPs are most commonly associated with the modification of gameplay mechanics (such
as, for example, paying in order to skip some waiting time). However, they can also be
used to grant access to restricted content. This means many apps are now using them as
a way of providing consumers with a free demo version of the app, containing the ability
to pay through IAPs in order to unlock full functionality at a later point (Mintel, 2014).
The IAP classification on app stores does not differentiate between these two different
types of implementations. The former type – IAPs as gameplay modifier – may become
less popular over time, as players become fatigued by constantly needing to pay in order
to enjoy games. The latter version though – IAPs as content unlocker – is unlikely to fade
in prominence (Mintel, 2014).
Thanks to this multi functionality, the dominance of IAPs looks set to continue. This
means the timing of Smash Rally’s release could be perfect if marketed properly, the

opportunity for it to become a successful mobile-app with IAP’s is very real (Mintel,
2014).
Which marketing channelworks best for mobile applications
Mintel’s research shows how app store ratings is only the third most influential factor
when it comes to downloading apps; some 37% of mobile users rank it in in their top
three, while just 12% rank it as their number one influence. The most important factor
for consumers was recommendations from friends or family members, with 22% rating
this as their number one influencer (Mintel, 2015).
Mintel’s Influentials Trend reveals how the consumer has become an important piece of
the PR machine, leading marketers to spend money courting influential groups, such as
young Millennials, who are the most likely to spend money and be high-frequency
downloaders. One thing to note though is that while this group are more technologically
adventurous than their peers, they are likely to be harsher critics if met with poor quality
first editions of apps, so it can be a good idea to beta test on a select group before
releasing it to the wider population (Mintel, 2015).
This shows that beta-testing will be an integral part of the pre-launch research, this is
something that Smash Rally will benefit greatly from when a beta clip is available as it will
give IndieFalcon some real-world pre-launch feedback from the age-group they are
looking to target (Mintel, 2015).

Mobile Gaming gender split
* Female downloaders more likely to be influenced by word of mouth *
A study conducted in September 2014 found that 52% of gamers are women. Of those
surveyed, 33% listed their favorite game genre to be Trivia/Word/Puzzle. It goes without
saying that mobile and casual gaming has contributed to the steady rise in female
gaming. However, in that same study it was discovered that 56% of female gamers have
played on a console and 68% have played online (Mintel, 2014).
While men tend to be influenced more than women by app descriptions in the app store
(44% versus 39%), women tend to be more influenced by word-of-mouth
recommendations than men are (51% versus 42%). This may explain the rapid spread of
single player and arcade games (e.g. Candy Crush Saga, FarmVille) which is found to be a
more popular genre among women than men in general (Mintel, 2014).
App descriptions in the app store are the second greatest influencing factor for app
downloads; some 42% rank it in their top three, while 16% rank this as their number one
influencer, showing the tendency for many users to make up their minds based on
research done via the app store. This highlights the importance of clear descriptions and
instructions, as well as high-quality screenshots which capture key in-app moments
(Mintel, 2015).
This information highlights the clear need for Smash Rally to make sure it’s description is
clear and concise in the app-store, whilst also not being too monotonous. It also
highlights the need to ensure that the marketing through mediums like social media are
appropriate to the audience and take the primary research into consideration if
IndieFalcon is to ensure it attracts the female fan-base it would like to.
* Men most likely to be high-frequency downloaders *
As seen in the Market Size, Segmentation and Share section of this report, paid apps are
not the primary revenue generator in the app world; freemium apps account for over
nine tenths of the revenue generated in the iOS App Store and the Google Play store.
Mintel’s consumer research finds that some 64% of consumers download at least one
free app per month to their mobile device, while 39% download two or more per month
(Mintel, 2014).
Around a tenth of mobile users are what can be described as high frequency free app
downloaders (four or more free apps downloaded per month) for smartphones and
tablets, rising to 14% and 19% for men aged 16-34 on each respective device. While
brands should generally target young men to drive app downloads, spread word-of-

mouth reviews, and to increase instances of ratings on the app store, they should also
note that usage for some genres of apps is gender-specific. In the gaming world for
instance, Mintel’s Smartphone and Tablet Gaming – UK – April 2014 found that while
men tend to be the key target group for most app genres, women are more likely to play
single player and arcade games on their mobile device (Mintel, 2014).
2.1) - Analysis of the top 3 grossing mobile games –
Features and Design.
The games this report will be focusing on are free apps that provide the option of In-App
purchases, these are often referred to as ‘Freemium’ games.
Freemium games can be defined as a business model, predominantly in the technology
services sector, where the basic services are provided free of charge while more
advanced features must be paid for (Forbes, 2013).
Game1: Clashof Clans
Business Insider magazine states that “In 2013, its development studio, Supercell, raked
in $892 million in revenue, and the app can bring in up to $5.15 million per day”
(Business Insider, 2014).
Clash of Clans has been the No.1 Mobile-Gaming App since taking top spot from candy
crush saga in 2013 (ThinkGaming, 2015)
Clash of Clans, by numbers:

Word from the CEO – Ilkka Paananen said, “The best way to make money in mobile
gaming is to stop thinking about making money. Think about fun instead” (Forbes, 2013).
Clash of Clan- Features
The game revolves around the idea of fortifying a base, defending it from invading
players and their clans, and raiding the bases of others in order to gain resources and
start the whole process over again. The gameplay is highly addictive, and because logging
off means leaving your base wide open for a raid, the game's top players stay glued to
their screens.
This is something to think about when developing the final stages of ‘Smash Rally’, if
there is a way we can develop features that make logging off detrimental to the
gameplay this will increase player returns.
Clash of Clan- Format
 Very bright colours, 3D characters with numerous modifications available through
use of in-app purchases.
 Starting from basic village, point of the game is to build into fortress through use
of game-play points and in-app purchases.
 Raise your own army (Sense of personalisation) – different characters available.
 Battle against players worldwide (Global Leaderboard).
 Ability to publish scores via social media.
 Offers 2 different types of gameplay (online battling and a campaign mode) this
gives users an offline option as well as an alternatively to playing other people.
Waysthiscouldbeadopted to suitSmash Rally:
 Live leaderboard – Real-time online score tracking (Players won’t want their scores beaten
so will constantly try and improve their own records)
 Equipment rusting – An idea our project team has come up with, the longer a player leaves
the game the more rust builds up on the player’s equipment i.e. Cars, Bikes and Gear. It will
then hinder lap times etc. for a number of races, this would hopefully give players an
incentive to keep visiting the game.
 Alternatively, you could an an in-app purchase such as a ‘Rust-Resistor’ spray that they can
buy and use, this also allows you the opportunity to use badge updates to intermittently
pop up on the phones home screen to let users know their equipment is rusting. This will
keep the game at the front of player’s mind.

Game2: Gameof War–FireAge
Game of War – Fire Age took the second spot away from Candy Crush Saga within 3
months after its release in 2013, since then through the use of upgrades it has
consistently sat in the top 3 of top grossing ‘Freemium’ games (ThinkGaming, 2015).
Game of War – Fire Age, by numbers:
Word from the CEO - “With Game of War we wanted to take the company to the next
level and be really ambitious, we decided to build some things that had never been done
before”.
Gameof War– FireAge- Features
Game of War’s unique feature is their advance social chance system, this element is a
mechanical ‘turk-like’ translation system (System that translates the different languages
i.e. English, German, French etc being used into different languages) in exchange for
virtual currency rewards. That helps Game of War have really interactive play with a
proper critical mass of users who can talk to each other, even if they don’t speak the
same language. The in-game chat system helps Game of War get manage slang and
gamer speak, which a third-party translation system probably wouldn’t handle correctly.
If say, 50 players translate the same words in the same way, then the game will start
using that translation automatically.

This is another area ‘Smash Rally’ could look at, this would be better placed as a future
addition as the point of it is to allow players across a number of countries interact with
each other.
Gameof War– FireAge- Format
 Large scale, multi-player 2D platform game, brightly coloured and attractively
designed.
 Ability to talk and strategise with players all over the world, 1 on 1 chats and
global chat forums.
 Ability to publish scores via social media.
 Ability to forge alliances with other players to attack armies, this provides players
with a sense of responsibility. They are less likely to leave the game if it means
letting down people they have forged friendships with in the game.
- This could be adapted for Smash Rally by adding a racing team element, like F1 or
Moto GP in the real world Smash Rally could havean individual global leaderboard
and a teamleaderboard. This will encourage players to invite friends to the game,
thus increasing player count and shareability.
Waysthiscouldbeadaptedto suitsmash rally:
 This could be developed into an open player forum used concurrently with the leaderboard,
players could chat, exchange tips and show off their equipment.
 Players could use their own personalised players as their avatar for the chat forum, this would
provide them with an identity. This would also provide a highly interactive element to the game.

Candy Crush Saga
Candy Crush Saga is possibly the most prolific of all the ‘Freemium’ mobile apps, having
exploded onto the scene 3 years ago is still the 3rd highest grossing mobile app on the
app store with 93 million daily users. King Digital (The makers of Candy Crush Saga) have
just sold the company to Activision Blizzard for a reported $6 Billion (Forbes, 2015).
Candy Crush Saga, by numbers:
King Digital CEO Riccardo Zacconi stated in an Interview with US-based Entrepreneur
Magazine that the secret to Candy Crush Saga’s success was simple, he stated:
“We design all of our games so that within a minute or two of playing, you’ll understand
the basics. As you progress through them, you will find that we have provided enough
additional challenges and twists to keep it fun, but not so hard that you want to stop
playing the game altogether. We call it bitesize brilliance – the perfect way to spend three
minutes of free time” (Entrepreneur.com, 2014)
Candy Crush Saga- Features
The premise of Candy Crush is relatively simple, the aim of the game is to match three
candies of the same colour. The psychology behind the games addictive nature though is
something that keeps users coming back, a similar strategy, if implemented correctly
could hugely benefit benefit ‘Smash Rally”. The game allows the player to win and pass
levels with ease, giving a strong sense of satisfaction.

These accomplishments are experienced as mini rewards, releasing the neurochemical
dopamine and tapping into the same neuro-circuitry involved in addiction, reinforcing
our actions. Despite its reputation as a pleasure chemical, dopamine also plays a crucial
role in learning, cementing our behaviours and training us to continue performing them
(Guardian, 2014).
Candy Crush is essentially a game of luck, your success dependent on the array of colours
you have randomly been given rather than your swiping skills. This means that the
reward schedule becomes unexpected: this means the user will lose more often than
they win and they never know when the next triumph will come. Rather than
discouraging the user from playing, this actually makes the game even more enticing
than if we won easily (Guardian, 2014).
This strategy is known as a variable ratio schedule of reinforcement and is the same tactic
used in slot machines; you can never predict when you’re going to win, but you win just
often enough to keep you coming back for more. This has been cited as the success
behind the game, although the makers refute this claim and state that it is the games fun
and simple nature that keep players coming back for more (Guardian, 2014).
Waysthiscouldbeadopted to suitSmash Rally:
 Although Smash Rally is a game of skill more than luck, it is the applied psychology of
addictiveness that ensures a games long-term success. Smash Rally could look to offer some
form of daily incentive or prize draw to keep players coming back, this could be done in a
spin-the-wheel platform for example where the users finish a daily level and get the chance
to win some new equipment or in-game points. This should then keep them in the game
after the draw as they are more likely to want to try out their new equipment rather than
just leave straight after.
 Another way Smash Rally could adopt this tactic in a sense could be through providing
incentives for people who invite their friends through the game, adding a friend through the
game could provide them with bonus points to use in the form of ‘Gambling on a race’. This
could be better the bonus points they’ve received in a double-or-quits scenario against the
player they have invited, or, alternatively against the computer in the form of a level ‘Boss’.
This would provide an incentive for them to invite new player, further enhancing their
marketability.

Candy Crush Saga- Format
 Brightly coloured design, easily to follow instructions
 Simple gameplay that can be grasped in minutes
 Short-burst gameplay, quick levels allow bite-sized time killing
 Online leaderboards to see how your friends are doing
 Game can be played on mobile and desktop
(App-Store, 2015)
2.2) - Analysis of the top grossing mobile game (Similar to
Smash Rally) ‘Bike Race’ – Features and Design.
Bike Race is ranked number 8 on the IOS app-store top-grossing racing games, it is the
app-store game of the year in 15 countries and has 100+ million users (AppStore, 2015)

BikeRace– Features& Format
The premise of Bike Race is very simple, the aim of the game is to race your bike through
different levels collecting points through doing jumps and loops. It uses a number of
different addictive game elements seen in all the top-grossing games, such as;
 Offering both single player career and multiplayer modes
 Multiplayer mode allows you to play friends
 Global scoreboard to see how you fair against players all over the world
 Closed network scoreboard to see how you compare with your friends
 Facebook published scores allowing users to ‘show-off’ their scores on social
media
 In-app purchases allow players to progress more quickly through the game, this
will give them the feeling that if they spend money in the app they will jump
ahead of their friends.
The similarity between the features and design of Bike Race and the top-grossing mobile
games show that there is a correlation in their success. It shows us that it is these
inherently addictive features that make a game so successful and shareable, elements
such as challenging friends through multi-player leaderboards publishable through social
media add to the competitiveness that push users to keep playing, talking and sharing
these types of games.
Perhaps the easiest way to gain a self-marketing fan-base is by utilising the technique of giving
away add-ons that users would normally have to pay for if they ‘invite’ their friends to play the
game on social media. This is a technique all the top-grossing games have opted for, although
some users argue this technique puts them off playing a game. Either way this technique still
has them talking about it whether it is in a good way or not, any publicity is good publicity is the
notion this technique adheres to. It cannot be denied that this gets mobile games circulating
and if a game starts to gain traction, the more opportunity there is to offer users the chance to
claim free add-ons if they successfully invite their friends to join.

3.) Primary research – SurveyMonkey questionnaire aimed
at what people respond to most regarding viewing mobile
game advertisements i.e. Type of Advertisement and
Advertisement Content.
This SurveyMonkey questionnaire was primarily designed to engage IndieFalcon’s target
audience and gain an understanding from them on what type of advertisement they feel
they respond to the most, the type of content within those advertisements that they
enjoy seeing and whether or not word of mouth really is that important.
We started off by defining our audience, this is done by defining the gender and age of
our audience. We asked to questions to ascertain this;
As you can see from the results, the majority of the people that answered our
questionnaire (76.47%) were women. This is beneficial to IndieFalcon as a prime area you
are trying to encapsulate is women, if we are getting a strong response via our survey it
shows young females are engaged on social media.

The next important piece of information we needed in defining our audience was their
age, as discussed in our original meeting with IndieFalcon the target audience for Smash
Rally was millennia’s up to late 30’s.
As you can see from the results over 85% of our survey perfectly hit the age range Smash
Rally is aiming for, this is promising as it shows that the target audience IndieFalcon is
trying to engage is the most active on social media. This shows that well placed
advertisements on the the right platforms will reach the intended audience.

The next element we wanted to focus on was the power of word of mouth advertising,
we wanted to know were people of our intended audience likely to download a game if
their friends had recommended it to them. As you can see in section 2.1 sub-heading
‘which marketing channels work best’ of the report, Mintel suggests that word-of-mouth
advertising is the biggest influencer in someone downloading a new app. We wanted to
find out from our survey if this was a similar feeling amongst our audience.
The results here show us that this is in fact the case when it comes to advertising, as you
can see just over 85% of the people we surveyed said that they would download a game
if a friend had recommended it to them. This further demonstrates the power of friend
recommendations and word of mouth advertising, if IndieFalcon can produce a game
that gets people talking then the proof is evident that it is this type of advertisement that
will ensure its success in terms of downloads.

The next thing we wanted to find out was which social media people used the most, we
did this by focusing our survey down to the 3 biggest in terms of user base. These were
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, we also chose these platform as they all allow for
advertisements within them. This is what came back.
This was a surprising result to us, as you can see from the survey people heavily favoured
Facebook as their preferred social media platform. This indicates that Facebook should
be a prime focus for IndieFalcon’s advertising as this is the most prevalent amongst its
target audience.

The next element we looked at was the type of advertisement people responded to the
most i.e. Advertisement banner, Sponsored Advert within their feed or a celebrity
endorsement through a status or a tweet. This is how the results looked;
As you can see we asked people the rank the results in order of 1-3, 1 being the most
likely they would respond to and 3 being the least they would respond to. As you can see
the result that came out on top with the highest average of 2.07 was the sponsored ad
within a users newsfeed, with advertisement banners followed closely behind in 2nd.
Although banners had 1 more 1st place ranking than sponsored ads, it loses it average
due to having fewer 2nd place rankings.

Due to Facebook being the most popular social media platform that our users are engaging
with and sponsored ads being the marketing channel that they respond to best, we have
looked into how much it would cost to create a sponsored ad for smash rally within
Facebook.Thecost of the creation of the advert is free, Facebook work on a Pay-Per-Click
(PPC) model, this means that whilst the ad creation is free everytime someone clicks on
your ad (Which would link them to the site where you can download the app) it would cost
IndieFalcon $1 (Facebook, 2015). Fromthe results of our survey and the other research we
have conducted, we know this would be a valid marketing method to use for Smash Rally.
Following on from this information we wanted to ask a question that would compliment
these results, we wanted find out what would be the best content to contain within the
advert to ensure people who view it actually do respond to it. We did this by asking the
type of content they would most like to see;
If IndieFalcon choose Facebook Ads as part of their marketing material, the content of
the ad is going to need to also be focused. As you can see from the results, Smash Rally’s
target audience have said the type of advertisement they are most likely to respond to is
a Short video of the actual gameplay with a description of the game. This is the clear
favourite with not only the highest 1st ranking but also the highest overall average, 2nd to
this is the playable segment.

Concluding our survey, we asked people whether or not they took into consideration
ratings and reviews of apps in the app-store, this would give us an indication of reviewer
power and whether encouraging people to review the app would help. This is how it
looked;
This result didn’t provide us with a definitive view of whether investing time in gaining
reviews in the app store will boost downloads specifically, it did show that the majority of
people, even if it is just a slight majority do take into consideration ratings and reviews.
Subsequently, investing some amount of time in encouraging people to review the app
will be beneficial should the reviews be positive.

In conclusion, this survey has been very beneficial in the information is has provided us.
We have found that:
 Women as well as Men download mobile gaming apps
 IndieFalcon’s target audience are most active on Social Media
 Facebook is the preferred social media platform
 People are far more likely to download a mobile game if it has been
recommended to them by a friend
 Sponsored Ads are the preferred method of Advertisement for the user
 In terms of Ad content people are most likely to respond to a short video of the
actual gameplay accompanied by a description of the game itself.
 Users do pay attention to app store ratings and reviews

4.) - Analysis of Interview with Tom Brock (Lecturer for
Sociology – Specialism in the Social Psychology of Gaming).
An interview was arranged with Tom Brock, who is a Sociology
lecturer specialising in the social psychology behind games.
Tom Brock is a member of staff at the Manchester metropolitan
University; he has a very strong knowledge of the psychology
behind creating games that have a drawing effect on the
audience.
“Developersthatacknowledge the psychological
aspectsof gamesand do notunderestimate theirimportance willbe the
most successful” (Brock, 2015)
Academic and professional qualifications
 Fellow of the Higher Education Authority, 2014.
 Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Authority, 2013.
 Ph.D. Sociology and Social Policy, University of Durham, 2012.
 MA. Social Research Methods, University of Durham, 2008.
 BA (Hons). Combined Honours in Social Science (Psychology and Sociology),
University of Durham, 2007.
Tom Brocklooks mostly at the social psychology of games, for example what is it that
makes people download them in the first instance, the addictive nature and elements
that ensure people keep playing them and how to breach the relationship between
psychology and the social nature of gaming.
Microtransactions - ‘Freemium’games
In-app purchases that allow players to progress through the game quicker than users
who choose to not pay, this is one of the key tools in generating revenue within mobile
games. Developers include in-app purchasing systems that allow users to buy additional
items and features, they do this to feed off a player want for achievement and progress.
While micro transactions are a staple of the mobile app market, they are also available on
traditional computer platforms such as Valve Corporation’s Steam platform.

Free-to-play games that include a micro transaction model are sometimes referred to as
"freemium". "Pay-to-win" is sometimes used as a derogatory term to refer to games
where paying for in-game items can give the player an advantage over other players,
particularly if the items cannot be obtained by without paying.
Payed-app vs‘Freemium’ Micro-transaction model
The objective with a free-to-play micro transaction model is to get more players into the
game and provide desirable items or features that can only be obtain by purchasing
them, these will then enable the user to progress through the game faster than the free
play platform would have enabled them - it is hoped that in the long term the profits
from a micro transaction system will outweigh the profits from a one-time-purchase
game.
Items and features available through micro transaction can range from cosmetic (such as
decorative character attire) to functional (such as bikes and tools). Some games allow
players to purchase items that can be acquired through normal means, but some games
include items that can only be obtained through micro transaction.
PurchasingPower
IndieFalcon will also need to know how much purchasing power Smash Rally’s audience
will have, using a micro transaction based game there is a worry that if the audience is
too young (Under 18) they would have to ask their parents permission before the are
able to buy an in-app purchases. This can be a hindrance to Smash Rally’s income model
if not managed correctly, the way for Smash Rally to avoid this would be to ensure the
game is designed for adults (18+) whilst ensure it keeps its fun design and gameplay.
As the designer you need to ask yourself;
 Who is the audience?
 What purchasing power do they have?
 Do micro transactions work with the audience you are targeting?

Psychologybehind gameaddiction
Games are not something that are inherently addictive, not everyone find gaming
addictive and when you start talking about ‘true addiction’ you are starting to venture
into personal psychology. To create a successful game the element that it will need to
have are a; clear and strong narrative behind it, it needs to have a clear mean and
purpose and it also needs to provide a sense of progress and achievement to the user.
Most addictive games contain an ‘RPG’ element to them, this draws on the prospect of
character progression with the ability to unlock features that will help you progress
through the game quicker.
Differentiation
The way to differentiate Smash Rally from its competitors is by ensuring there is
personalisation within the game, this can be achieved by ensuring as many things in the
game can be customised to individual player specifications. This will enable to game to be
as monetised as it possibly can be, also as a player the last thing a user wants is to feel
like somebody else. Customisation psychology is a very important element to game
design. This is what IndieFalcon will need to bear in mind when finishing the
development of Smash Rally.
Ways this could adapted to suit Smash Rally;
 Smash Rally could introduce a ‘World Championship’ style race, this would be an online-
multiplayer race between all users. This would draw attention from the existing user
base, also it would provide a marketing opportunity as Smash Rally could run a
campaign on the lead up to the event and offer small discounts on the in-app purchases
available. This would provide Smash Rally with a spike in revenue and new downloads
which could then be nurtured for future events.

Bibliography
Dredge, S. 2013. Clash of the clans 2013 most lucrative gaming app data shows. The
Guardian. [Online]. 18 December. Available from:
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/dec/18/android-ios-app-revenues-
research
Supercell. 2015. Clash of Clans. [Online]. [Accessed 9 December]. Available from:
https://thinkgaming.com/app-sales-data/1/clash-of-clans/
Tweedie, S. 2014. Why 'Clash Of Clans' Is So Incredibly Popular, According To A Guy Who
Plays 16 Hours A Day. Business Insider. [Online]. 25 September. Available from:
http://www.businessinsider.com/why-clash-of-clans-is-so-popular-2014-9?IR=T
Cutler, K. 2013. A Year in the Making, Machine Zone Launches Game of War, An
Impressively Large MMO For iOS. Tech Crunch. [Online]. 25 July. Available from:
http://techcrunch.com/2013/07/25/machine-zone/
Nelson, B. 2013. The 'Freemium' Model: Top Flaws and Potent Fixes. Forbes. [Online]. 23
July. Available from: http://www.forbes.com/sites/brettnelson/2013/07/23/the-
freemium-model-top-flaws-and-potent-fixes/
Fortune. 2013. Why King is worth $6 Billion, but Other Gaming Companies Aren't.
[Online]. [Accessed 3 November]. Available from: http://fortune.com/2015/11/03/king-
digital-activision-blizzard/
Entrepreneur. 2014. Candy Crush CEO: If You Don't Get Why We Are Worth $7.6 Billion,
Then Play Our Game. [Online]. [Accessed 12 March]. Available from:
http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/232144
Smith, D. 2014. This is what Candy Crush Saga does to your brain. The Guardian. [Online].
1 April. Available from: http://www.theguardian.com/science/blog/2014/apr/01/candy-
crush-saga-app-brain

Mobile Device Apps: market size, segmentation and share. [Online] [Accessed OCTOBER
2014. Available from: http://academic.mintel.com.ezproxy.mmu.ac.uk/display/720319/
Mobile Phone and Tablet Apps: openness with sharing data with apps. [ONLINE]
[Accessed October 2015]. Available from:
http://academic.mintel.com.ezproxy.mmu.ac.uk/display/753473/
Mobile Phone and Tablet Apps: number of free apps downloaded. [Online] [Accessed
October 2015]. Available from:
http://academic.mintel.com.ezproxy.mmu.ac.uk/sinatra/oxygen/print/id=753468

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