What does being “Free to Play” actually mean? Hands on answers to the following questions: What the heck is a KPI? Who needs to care about KPIs? Examples of designing for KPIs Do’s and Don’ts List of resources

3.  What does being “Free to Play”
actually mean?
 What the heck is a KPI?
 Who needs to care about KPIs?
 Examples of designing for KPIs
 Do’s and Don’ts
 List of resources

4.  What does free to play mean?
 A commitment to run Games as a Service
 What are Games as a Service?
 Games which are DESIGNED to be monitored
and optimized post launch, using analytics to
inform data-driven design decisions, with a
goal to optimized KPIs
 What the heck is a KPI?
 One of many very dry abbreviations used in
the F2P industry.
 Key Performance Indicator. A series of
metrics every service-orientated company
(and their potential investors) uses to
measure performance.
 Gathered using analytics sotfware
 Like what?
 Retention, Conversion, Monetization
 And in games
 MAU/DAU, ARPU, ARPPU, CPA/CPI (k-factor)
 And more
 Add more metrics as possible to suit your
needs
 Data = power
 Beware ‘paralysis by analysis’

5.  Who needs to care about KPIs?
 EVERYONE!
 Designer – will create loops to create
great KPIs
 Product manager – will interpret data
returned by those features and make
decisions for improvements based on
team bandwidth.
 CEO – P&L overview

6.  Retention
 How many people who installed the game
played it again?
 After how long?
 How many times?
 Associated KPIs (MAU/DAU/Engagement)
 Conversion
 How many people x did y?
 “Saw an ad and installed the game”
 “Played the game and bought something”
 Associated KPIs (Monetization)
 Monetization
 ARPU (Average Revenue Per User)
 ARPPU (Average Revenue Per Paying User)
 What did they buy?
 After how long?
 Did they spend more than once?
 How frequently?
 Total spend?
 Play style?
 K-Factor/Cost Per Acquisition
 How much does it cost to get 1 player?
 CPA
 How many ‘free’ players will a paid-for player
bring me?
 K-factor

8.  Emotionally engaged players
 Value proposition
 Pay to progress
 Pay to win
 Pay for access

9.  In game marketing
 Give them what they want; know
when they want it
 Know thy player

10.  Know thy player’s friends

11. 
 Look at what works
 Iterate!
 Consider if a mechanic is
appropriate for YOUR game
 Start designing features for
KPIs from the beginning

Redesign the wheel
Think a F2P mechanic will
automagically work in your
game
Throw it in at the end

12. Reading list
 Deconstructor of Fun
 Game Analytics blog
 Mobile Dev Memo
 Henric Suuronen
 Dubit Platforms
 PlayHaven
 Gamesparks blog
 Adrian Crook
 Nicholas Lovell/Gamesbrief
Free-to-Play glossary
- http://www.wavedash.net/2010/04/t
he-secret-glossary-of-social-games-
analytics/
- http://www.superrewards.com/blog/
game-developement-terms-metrics/