"Recently got an iPhone and now I am addicted to checking out apps and playing storm8 games. Is there a 12 step for this?" - Storm8 customer

1. How social gaming habits are formed: Storm8’s “iMobsters” Jimmy Chen • habits.stanford.edu • Spring 2010

2. What are social games? Role-playing games with social interaction between players Fundamentally text-based Rewards users for opening the application frequently. Game elements “recharge” Motivation for playing is to outperform peers Usually played through Facebook or iPhone – iMobsters is available for free in the Apps Store

3. Why do social games matter? Profitable – Zynga, Playdom, Storm8, and others have become multi-million businesses Addictive – once the habit is formed, these games become a significant time investment accessed several times daily New – social games have only become popular over the past few years. It’s easy to trace habit formation by comparing how people approached games before social games

4. How is the habit formed?

5. How is the habit formed? Green Dot Purple Span Gray Span Blue Path

6. 1. Download/play for the first time Player hooked in by attractive opening graphics, word of mouth, or placement A Green Dot behavior – only done once Trigger: seeing an advertisementAbility: game is freeMotivation: game looks fun

7. 2. Early 5-10 minute play sessions Player is guided through an easy path of actions to get him started in the game world Player is constantly rewarded/complimented for doing trivial tasks Player develops some sort of attachment to the game in this phase, ~1-2 days A Purple Span behavior, as the behavior of playing the game increases over a period of time Trigger: push notifications, and thinking about the gameAbility: game is downloaded and always availableMotivation: want to outperform peers

8. 3. Mid-game 2-3 minute play sessions Players choose a “strategy” to pursue in the game and spend time (~7 days) implementing that strategy Playtime decreases as players get more used to the features and interface A Gray Span behavior, as behavior decreases over a period of time Trigger: push notifications, and thinking about the gameAbility: game is downloaded and always availableMotivation: want to outperform peers – by strategically outmaneuvering them

9. 4. Player reaches a routine Once the player reaches a certain level, most game interactions become maintenance of the character, to be done at regular intervals – i.e. optimally, once every four hours Player may develop a daily routine for maintenance, like playing for 5 minutes while sitting on the toilet or before bed This is a true “habit” – a Blue Path behavior done from now on Trigger: attached to another habitAbility: game is downloaded and always availableMotivation: want to maintain character, or to reach an arbitrary goal in the game

10. Lessons from this model? Make the initial Green Dot behavior easy. The game is easy to download and advertised prominently. Captivate to create a Purple Span. The early stages of the game are filled with action and positive feedback. Make the Blue Path easy. Game mechanics promote doing familiar behaviors indefinitely at frequent time intervals.

11. Disclaimers and Uncertainty These conclusions are drawn from a combination of reading Storm8’s promotional material and from my own personal experiences, so others may experience the game differently. Certainly others may find that the game does not become a habit for them – but why? This is an open question and perhaps fodder for future discussion Jimmy Chen • habits.stanford.edu • Spring 2010