Abstract. Sammanfattning

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2 Abstract Thepurposeofthispaperistostudytop0earningNordicmobilegamesinordertopinpoint whatitisthatmakesthemprofitablefromtheperspectiveofthegamedeveloper.this studyseekstoidentifytheseelements,sothattheinformationcanbeusedasareferenceto produceprofitablemobilegamesinthefuture.thequestionthatdrivesthisstudyis, whichfactorsmakeupaprofitablemobilegameaccordingtotop0earningnordicmobile gamecompanies? (Toanswertheproblemstatement,thestudymainlyemploysqualitative interviewsofrepresentativesfromtwonordicgamedevelopmentcompanies,kingand Rovio,aswellarepresentativefromTheSwedishGamesIndustry.Asmallquantitative studyonusercommentsfromthesecompanies mobilegameswasperformedtosupport theinterviews.ourfindingsshowthatawell0implementedbusinessmodelaswellasa properlytargetedaudiencearemostcrucialforhavingaprofitableapplication.however,in orderforamobilegametobeprofitable,itmustfirstbepopularamongplayers,which entailsthatitmustbefunandeasilydiscoverablebypotentialusers. Sammanfattning Syftetmeddennauppsatsärattstuderademestlönsammanordiskamobilspelenföratt sättafingretpåvaddetärsomgördemlönsammaurspelutvecklarensperspektiv.denna studiesyftartillattidentifieradessafaktorer,såattinformationenkananvändassomen referensförattproduceralönsammamobilspeliframtiden.denfrågasomdriverdenna studieär,"vilkafaktorergörettlönsamtmobilspelenligtdemestlönsammanordiska mobilspelsföretagen?"förattbesvaraproblemformuleringenanvänderstudienfrämst kvalitativaintervjuermedrepresentanterfråntvånordiskaspelföretag,kingochrovio, samtenrepresentantfråndataspelsbranschen.enlitenkvantitativstudieomanvändarnas synpunkterpådessaföretagsmobilspelutfördesförattstödjaintervjuerna.våraresultat visarattenvälimplementeradaffärsmodellsamtenkorrektmålgruppärmestavgörande föratthaenlönsamapplikation.menförattettmobilspelskakunnablilönsamt,måstedet förstvarapopulärtblandspelarna,vilketinnebärattdetmåstevararoligtochupptäckbart avpotentiellaanvändare.

3 ( Table&of&Contents& 1.(Introduction (Background (Relevant(Work (Purpose(and(Target(Audience(for(This(Study (Problem(Definition Subquestions (Constraints (Theory (The(Game(and(its(Elements Dynamics Mechanics Components Aesthetics (The(Experience Flow Fun (Marketing GoingViral (Business(Models (Method (Study(1:(Interviews InterviewMethod SamplingofInterviewees (Study(2:(Reviews(of(Particular(Mobile(Games(P(The(Players (Point(of(View Process (Results (Results(from(the(Interviews Briefexplanationoftheprocessbehindgamedevelopmentfromthegameideauntilitis releasedtothemarket Arethereanyelementsthataremoreimportantthanothersandifso,whichones?Why? Arethereanyspecificrulesforgamedesign? Whatfactorsmustbeincludedforamobilegametobecomesuccessfulandprofitable? Whatisthemostsuccessfulandprofitablemobilegameyourcompanyhasdeveloped? Whataudiencedidyouhaveinmindwhencreatingit? Whichelementsinthesuccessfulgamehavemadeitsosuccessful?Whatfactorsdoyou considertohavebeenessentialforthisgame?... 14

4 4.1.7Howhaveyoumarketedthesuccessfulgame?Andwhatbusinessmodelisused? Tellusaboutalessprofitablemobilegamethatyourcompanyhasdeveloped.Whatare thecommonfactorsbetweenthetwogames? Arethereanydifferencesbetweenthelessprofitablegameandthetop0earninggame? Howwasthegamemarketedandwhatbusinessmodelwasusedinthelessprofitable game? (The(Google(Play(and(App(Store(Reviews CandyCrush AngryBirds AmazingAlex TheCroods DistributionofPositiveandNegativeComments (Discussion (Answers(to(Problem(definition BusinessModel Targeting (Answers(to(Subquestions Whatareconsideredimportantfactorsforthegametobepopular(highnumberof downloads)? Howdoesahigh0earningmobilegamedifferfromalessprofitablegamefromthesame company? (Method(Criticism NumberofInterviewees Interviews ReviewStudy LiteratureCriticism (Conclusion (Bibliography (Appendix (Transcribed(interviews JohannaNylanderInterviewsResponsibleforSocialIssuesforSwedishGameIndustry JohannaNylander0Swedishversion PatrickLiuInterviewsCreativeDirectorforRovio TommyPalmGameGuruforKing (Collected(Data(from(the(Small(Study(of(User(Comments(in(App(Stores CandyCrush0King AngryBirds0Rovio AmazingAlex0Rovio TheCroods0Rovio Allcomments... 68

5 1.(Introduction This%chapter%gives%a%brief%introduction%to%the%phenomenon%of%mobile%applications%and%games.% Furthermore,%it%includes%the%problem%formulation,%its%subquestions,%and%the%constraints%that% this%study%implements.% 1.1(Background Today,smartphonesandtabletsareseamlesslyintegratedintooureverydaylives.Itisnot uncommontoseepeopleonthemetro,inrestaurants,andotherpublicplacesabsorbedin theirsmartphonesortablets,catchinguponthelatestnews,postingpicturesoninstagram, orenjoyingaquickroundofsudoku.inseptember2013,gartner,anamericaninformation technologyresearchfirm,claimedinapressreleasethatthenumberofapplications(apps) downloadedworldwidenearlydoubledfrom64billionin2012to102billionin2013 (Gartner,2013).Gameshavebeenalargecontributortothisphenomenon.Accordingto researchconductedbycanalysinnovember2012,gamesaccountfor145ofthe300top applicationsofapple sappstoreand110ofthe300topappsingoogle splaystore (Canalys,2012). Consideringthenumberofapplicationsbeingdownloadedinthelastyears,itmaybe reasonabletoassumethattheappmarketisreachingitssaturationpoint.however,aneu reportconductedbygigaomresearch,atechnologynewsandanalysisfirm,maintained thatthecontractionoftheappmarketisnotlikelytohappeninthenearfuture.gigaom forecastedthatthemobileappmarketwillonlycontinuetoexpand,estimatingthat revenueswillincreasefrom 17.5billionin2013to 63billionby2018(Mulligan&Card, 2014).Consideringthecurrentgrowthofthemobilegamingindustry,itwouldbeboth relevantandinterestingtoresearchthefactorsthatmakeupprofitablemobilegames,from thepointofviewofspokespersonsfromsuccessfulnordicmobilegamescompanies. 1.2(Relevant(Work Mostofthepriorresearchthathasbeendonehasfocusedoncomputerorotherconsole games.however,areportaboutkeysuccessfactorsofmobilegameshasbeenwrittenby HyunJungParkandSang0HoonKim.TheyhavetakenaBayesiannetworkapproachtothe subject,whichmeanstheyhaveidentifiedthesekeyfactorswithhelpofprobability calculations.theywroteaboutfourdifferentcategories:product(thegame),marketing, consumerandcompetition(park&kim,2011,p.1355).thethreetopfactorsindicatedby theirresearchweretargeting,ortheaccuratedefinitionofthetargetgroups,whichmeans makingaproductfitthetargetedcustomersaswellaspossible,brandawarenessofthe gameandcompany,andfinally,thecustomers willingnesstopay. OurstudytakesintoconsiderationthefourcategoriesofParkandKim sresearch. 1

6 However,thefocusduringtheinterviewsisonthecategoriesthatarewithintherangeof influenceofthedeveloper,thatis,theproduct,marketingandbusinessmodel,andnotthe consumernorthecompetition.thisisduetothefactthatthedevelopercannotcontrolthe competitionortheconsumer. 1.3(Purpose(and(Target(Audience(for(This(Study Thepurposeofthispaperistopinpointwhatitisthatmakestop0earningNordicmobile gamesprofitablefromtheperspectiveofthegamedeveloper,andifthereareanycommon elementsthatareessentialformakingagameprofitable.thisstudyaimstoidentifythese elements,sothattheinformationcanbeusedasareferencetoproduceprofitablemobile gamesinthefuture. Therefore,thisstudyisofinterestforothergamedevelopershopingtodevelopprofitable mobilegames.theresultscanhelptoguidethemonwhatiscrucialtoincludewhen creatingagame,aswellasgivehelpfultipsastowhatisrecommendedtoincorporatein thegame. 1.4(Problem(Definition Whichfactorsmakeupaprofitablemobilegameaccordingtotop0earningNordicmobile gamecompanies? 1.4.1(Subquestions( Whatareconsideredthemostimportantfactorsforthegametobepopular(high numberofdownloads)? Howdoesahigh0earningmobilegamedifferfromalessprofitablegamefromthe samecompany? 1.5(Constraints Oneofthereasonsgamedevelopersproducegamesistogeneraterevenues.Todosothey mustdevelopagamethatpiquesthegamer sinterestenoughsothattheyarewillingtopay forin0apppurchasesorthegameitself.inthisstudy,profitabilityisthereforethechosen measureofsuccess. AccordingtoanindependentstudyconductedbyGigaomResearch,Nordiccompanies King,Rovio,andSupercellwereamongthefivetop0earninggamedevelopersinEuropeand theus(mulligan&card,2014).therefore,thisstudyfocusesonthesenordicmobilegame companies. Anadditionalconstraintisthatthisstudysolelyincludesmobilegamesthatarereleasedto Google splaystoreandapple sappstore.thereasonforthisistonotovercomplicatethe 2

7 processofreviewinguserratings.therefore,onlyonestorefromeachplatformwillbe reviewed.microsoftwindowsappshavenotbeenincluded,askingandsupercelldonot developanygamesforthewindowsplatform. 3

8 2.(Theory( In%this%section,%theory%collected%from%the%literature%search%is%presented.%The%games %various% components%are%explained%to%introduce%relevant%aspects%that%according%to%different%authors,% should%be%included%in%games%in%order%to%deliver%an%optimal%experience%for%its%users. 2.1(The(Game(and(its(Elements KevinWerbach,aprofessorattheUniversityofPennsylvania,claimsthatgamescanbe seenthroughthreelenses:thegameitself,theelementsthatmakeupthegame,andthe player sexperience.theplayer sexperienceisoutsidetherealmofthegame.theroleofa gamedesigneristocontroltheelementsofthegameinordertoproduceanexperiencefor theuser(werbach2014). Werbachalsostatesthatthetwogoalsofthegamedesigneraretogettheplayerintothe gameandtokeepthemplaying.thefirstgoalreferstohowtomakethegameenticing,as wellasmakingthegameeasyandsimpletogetinto.werbach(2014)referstothisas onboarding.thesecondgoalisaboutcreatinganexperiencefortheplayersthatwillkeep themengagedforlongerperiodsoftime. JesseSchell(2004,p.37)inThe%Art%of%Game%Design%definesgamesas aproblem0solving activity,approachedwithplayfulattitude. Thisdefinitionaddressesboththechallenging, goal0drivenaspectofagame,aswellastheimportantqualitythatgamesareplayed willfullyandforthepurposeofhavingfun. Werbachoffersaframeworktoapproachtheelementsofgamedesign.Hemaintainsthat gamesconsistofthreeelements:dynamics,mechanics,andcomponents(werbach2014). Schell(2004,p.43)offersasimilarframework,butincludesaestheticsasoneofthese components.itisimportanttonotethatnosingleelementismoreimportantthanthe othersandthattheyeachhaveequalpotentialtoaffecttheoverallexperienceoftheplayer (Dynamics Werbachexplainsthatdynamicsarethebig0pictureaspectsorhiddenstructureofthe game,including: Constraints:Inordertomakethegameinteresting,constraintsareimposedonthe userstolimittheirfreedom,therebyforcingthemtomakemeaningfulchoices. Emotions:Gamescanproduceemotionsinusers.Gamedesignerswantto implementemotionalreinforcementstokeepplayersengrossedintheirgames,such ascreatingasenseofaccomplishmentinusers. 4

9 Narrative:Narrativereferstothestructurethatpullsthepiecesofthegame together.itcanexplicitlymanifestasastoryline,butisnotlimitedtoit. Progression:Werbachclaimsthatitisimportanttogivetheplayertheopportunity toimprove,thatis,thattheplayersmaystartinoneplaceandthroughplayingthe game,theycanprogressfurtherinthegame. Relationships:Byrelationships,Werbach(2014)meanshowpeopleinteractwith eachother,whetheritbeasfriends,teammatesoropponents (Mechanics Werbachdescribesthemechanicsas theelementsthatmovetheactionforward. Inother words,mechanicsarethetoolsthatcanbeusedtogettheplayerinthegametogofrom onestatetoanother.someexamplesofthesearechallenges,objectives,chance, cooperation,competition,feedback,transactions,turns,win0states,andrewards.for example,accordingtosaundersandnovak(2007,p.22),feedbackisvitalincommunicating whatishappeninginthegameandtheplayers progresstowardsgoals.itisimportantto notethatnotallmechanicsareusedallthetime,anditisnotonekindofmechanicthatis thedeterminingfactor(werbach2014) (Components Componentsarethespecificwaystoachievetheabstractconceptsthatdynamicsand mechanicsrepresent.forexample,inordertomakeachallengeinagame,thegame designercanimplementbadgesthatareavisualrepresentationofaplayer sachievement. Otherexamplesofcomponentsarebossfights,collections,contentunlocking, leaderboards,levels,quests,points,virtualitems,andteams(werbach2014) (Aesthetics Aestheticsarehowthegamelooks,soundsandfeels(Schell2004,p.43).Itincludesthe userinterface,theartisticstyleofthegraphics,themusic,thecolorpaletteandtypography (SaundersandNovak2007,p.38).Alltheseelementscreateanatmosphereinthegame. AccordingtoSchell(2004,p.43),aestheticsareveryimportantbecausetheyhaveadirect relationshiptoaplayer sexperience. 2.2(The(Experience Experienceiswhattheplayerfeelswhenplayingthegame(Werbach2014).When designinggames,thegoalofthedesigneristocreateanexperiencethatholdstheplayer s focusaslongandintenselyaspossible.whensomethingcapturestheuser scomplete attentionforalongperiod,theyaresaidtoenteramentalstateofsustainedfocus, pleasure,andenjoymentreferredtoasflow,atheorydevelopedbymihaly Csikszentmihalyi(Schell2004,p.118). 5

10 2.2.1(Flow( Csikszentmihalyi stheoryofflowisatheoryofenjoyment,andmorespecifically,itfocuses onthefeelingofimmersionthatpeoplecanexperiencewhenperformingatask.thetheory explainsboththeprerequisitesforthecreationofflow,aswellastheeffectsthat characterizeflow(csikszentmihalyi1990).someofthekeycomponentsforcreatingan activitythatputstheuserintoaflowstatearecleargoals,nodistractions,directfeedback aftereveryaction,asenseofcontrol,andasustainedlevelofchallenge(schell ). Keepingplayersimmersedinthegameismadepossiblethroughgivingfeedbacktoplayers abouthowclosetheyaretotheirnextgoal,whichdrivesthemtocontinueplaying (SaundersandNovak2007,pp.23024,30).Theeffectsofflowaredescribedasafusionof actionandawareness,alossofself0consciousness,adistortedsenseoftime,intense concentration,andasensethattheactivityisintrinsicallyrewarding(schaffer2009). Figure1illustratesagoalofthegamedesigner,whichistomatchthelevelofchallenge withthesupposedskillleveloftheuser.thatiswhylevelsareeasierinthebeginningand increaseindifficultyasthegameproceeds.thegamedesignermuststrikeabalance betweenprovidingenoughchallengetokeeptheplayerfrombeingbored,andmakingthe gametoodifficult.thisistoavoidmakingtheplayerstopplayingduetofeelingsoffailure, hopelessnessandanxiety(csikszentmihalyi1990).thegamedesignershouldalsotake intoconsiderationthatbadlyimplementedaesthetics,suchasdistractingmusicandlackof usability,candisturbtheuserandcauseittolosefocus.therefore,well0executed playability,whichistheuser0friendlinessofagraphicalinterface,isalsoessential (SaundersandNovak2007,p.35). Figure1: TheRelationBetweenDegree%of%Challenge(Y0axis)andSkill%Level%(X0axis)inCsikszentmihalyi s ModelofFlow 6

11 2.2.2(Fun AnothertheoryofenjoymentiscalledtheThe%Four%Fun%Keys%Model%of%Enjoyment(Lazzaro 2004).Itisacomprehensivemodelforunderstandingtheneedsoftheplayersandwhy theyplaygames.differentplayersplayfordifferentreasons,andlazzarohasnarrowed thesereasonsdowntofourmaincategories,calledfunkeys. Thefirstiscalledhard%fun.Itreferstothepleasurethatisattainedfromthepursuitofa goal.confrontingchallengesandovercomingobstaclesthroughcreativityandstrategy drivetheplayer,whoisrewardedbyasenseofaccomplishmentandimprovement.the secondkindoffunissoft%fun.hereplayersaredrivenbyastrongsenseofcuriosity. Ambiguity,incompleteness,anddetailcreateanimmersionexperienceforplayers.This kindofenjoymentisnotaboutwinning,butratherexplorationandtheexcitementfor adventure.thenextkeyiscalledalteredstatesorserious%fun.itreferstothenotionof games%as%therapy.playerswhoenjoythiskindoffunattributeittothemovementfromone mentaloremotionalstatetoanother.avoidingboredomandescapingrealityaretwo examplesofthis.thefinalfunkeyisthepeople%factor.manypeoplederiveenjoymentfrom playingwithothersinsideoroutsidethegame.thiskindoffunischaracterizedby opportunitiesforplayercompetition,cooperation,performance,andspectacle(lazzaro 2004). 2.3(Marketing Onestrategyishavingamarketingbudgetgreaterthanthedevelopmentcost.Thisisrisky butwhensuccessfulitcanresultinahugeincome(mccarthyetal2005,p.171).this strategyisusedbyelectronicarts,adominantplayerinthepcandconsolemarket (McCarthyetal2005,p.167).Itmanagestogetitscustomerstokeeppurchasingtheir games.thisisoftenduetothefactthatconsumerswouldratherbuywhattheyarefamiliar withsincetheyknowwhattheyaregetting. Sincemostplayersdonotusetheinstructionsmanual,thebestwaytoattractawiderange ofplayersincludingcasualgamers,istoimplementintuitiveandsimpleinstructionsinthe interfaceofthegame(saundersandnovak2007,p.24).casualgamestargetageneral audienceanddonotrequiremuchdedicationorspecialskills Going(Viral ThedefinitionofsomethinggoingviralaccordingtoMcCarthyetal(2005,p.171)isthatit ispassedfromindividualtoindividualandintheendreachesahugecrowd.viral marketingisoneofthemosteffectivewaysofadvertising,butitisariskystrategyanditis impossibletoknowifitisgoingtobesuccessfulornot.atthesametime,itiseasyfor advertisementstobeintrusiveandangerpeople,whichcancreatebadwilltowardsthe brand. 7

12 2.4(Business(Models Successfulbusinessmodelsformobilegamesincludeapp0purchases,advergamingandin0 app0purchases.app0purchases,alsocalledpremiumreferstopayingforthegamebefore downloadingit.advergamingisacombinationofadvertisingandgamingwhere advertisementsareincludedinthegameinterface.thein0apppurchasesmodel,alsocalled freemiumorfree0to0play,meansallowinguserstoplaythegameforfree,whilecharging playersforextraandoptionalfunctionality,aesthetics,andcontent(feijoo,gómez0 Barroso,Aguado,&Ramos2012,p.217). Mulliganclaimsthatatthemomentthemostprofitablebusinessmodelforallapplications istheapp0purchasemodel.however,itispredictedthatin0app0purchaseswillbringin greaterrevenueinthecomingcoupleofyears(mulligan2014,p.16) Anotherformofrevenueismerchandising,orthesaleofmemorabilia,suchasclothes, stuffedanimals,backpacks,andtoys,tonameafew. 8

13 3.(Method The%methods%used%in%this%study%are%presented%here.%They%include%the%inductive%method,%and% interview%methods,%and%the%methods%used%to%categorize%the%reviews%of%the%users.% Thisstudyisbasedupontheinductivemethod,whichencouragesnothavingahypothesis beforeconductingtheresearch(flick2007,pp.11012).accordingtotheinductivemethod, knowledgeisproducedbycollectingfactsthatprovidethebasisforconclusionsand theories(flick,2007,p.11).itisimportanttonotethattheknowledgethatiscollectedis evidencetosupporttheprobabilityofaconclusion;itisnotabsoluteproofofatheory. 3.1(Study(1:(Interviews( Theintentionoftheinterviewsconductedinthisresearchwastoaskmobilegame developmentcompanieswhattheybelievearethemostimportantelementsincreatinga profitablemobilegame,inregardstoitsgameplay,marketingandbusinessmodel.they werealsoaskedtocompareatop0earningmobilegamewithalessprofitablegamethat theircompanyhasdeveloped,inordertogainfurtherinsightintotheessentialfactorsfor definingamobilegame spotentialforgeneratingprofits (Interview(Method Interviewsareamethodusedinqualitativeresearch,wheretheemphasisliesinanalyzing thesubjects personalaccountsandexperiences.thesecanlaterbeanalyzedtodevelop modelsortheories,aswellastodescribeandexplainsocialissues(flick2007,p.ix). Theintervieweesdidnotreceivethequestionsbeforehand.However,theywereinformed aboutthetopicsthatwouldbebroughtup.theinterviewsweresemi0structured;wehad anagendaofquestions,thequestionswereopen0endedinthesensethatthesubjectscould answerfreelywithintheframeworkprovidedbyourquestion.thiswasduetothefactthat themorestructuredtheinterviewwas,theeasierthelateranalysisoftheinterviewresults wouldbe(kvale1996,pp ).inotherwords,thepurposeofstructuringthe interviewswastomakepossiblecomparisonsbetweenthedifferentinterviews. Kvaleadvisesresearcherstostarttheinterviewbyspecifyingthepurposeoftheinterview tothesubject.healsorecommendsleavingroomtotheintervieweetoaskanyquestions beforestartingtheinterview,aswellasbeforeconcludingit(kvale,1996,p.128).finally, Kvale(1996,p.129)recommendssettingasidetimeaftertheinterviewstorecalland reflectontheinformationcollected.theinterviewsadheredtotheserecommendations.a coupleofdaysaftereachinterview,collectednoteswerecompiledandsoundrecordings weretranscribed. 9

14 3.1.2(Sampling(of(Interviewees TheresearchincludesrepresentativesfromNordicmobilegamecompaniesthathave createdprofitablemobilegames.inastudyconductedbygigaomresearch,thenordic mobilegamecompaniesking,rovioandsupercellwereamongthetop05earninggame developersineuropeandtheus(mulligan&card,2014).theintentionwastointerview allthreeofthesecompanies,butwhencontacted,supercelldeclinedtoparticipateinthis studyduetotimeconstraints.however,patrickliufromrovioandtommypalmfrom Kingbothagreedtoparticipateintheinterviews.AspokespersonfromtheSwedishGame Industry,JohannaNylander,alsotookpartinthestudy.TheSwedishGameIndustryisan organizationthatrepresentsthegamingindustryinthepress(swedishgameindustry 2014). 3.2(Study(2:(Reviews(of(Particular(Mobile(Games(P(The(Players (Point(of(View( Inordertosupportthefindingsofthequalitativeresearch,thisstudyalsoincludesa quantitativeaspect,whichcomprisesofananalysisofthereviewsofthesuccessfulandless successfulgamesmentionedbypatrickliuandtommypalm.thisisdoneinordertoadd anotherperspectivetotheviewpointsofthemobilegamingcompanies.themethodof combiningbothqualitativeandquantitativeapproachesiscalledtriangulation(flick2007, p.43).itservestopromotethequalityofqualitativeresearch,aswellasprovidenewways ofcomparison (Process Thesamplingmethodusediscalledstratifiedsampling,whichmeansthepopulation,inour casethepoolofreviews,isdividedintogroups,appstoreandplaystore(leviand Lemeshow,Chapter5).Thisisdonesothatreviewsfromeachappstoreareproperly representedinthesample.thefirst100reviewsthatareshownwhenenteringeachofthe appstoreshavebeenusedinthisstudy.inotherwords,200reviewsfromeachgamehave beencategorized.theywerereadandcategorizedaseitherpositiveornegative. Furthermore,thecommentsinthereviewsweresortedaccordingtosimilaropinionsand thereaftercategorizedintothreemaincategories:gameplay,businessmodel,and marketing.allthereviewsthatcomplainedaboutbugshavebeendiscounted,because althoughtheyareanimportantaspectoftheplayer sexperience,theyarenotintentionally implementedbythegamedevelopers. 10

15 4.(Results The%results%of%this%study%are%presented%in%this%chapter.%First,%the%relevant%findings%from%the% interviews%will%be%presented,%followed%by%the%results%of%the%categorization%of%the%user%reviews.%% 4.1(Results(from(the(Interviews In%this%section,%the%results%from%the%interviews%are%presented.%The%questions%are%written%in%the% order%that%they%were%posed%to%the%interviewees.%the%questions%are%written%as%a%title,%and%the% different%answers%of%the%interviewees%follow%each%question.% 4.1.1(Brief(explanation(of(the(process(behind(game(development(from(the(game(idea( until(it(is(released(to(the(market PatrickLiuofRoviostatesthataftertheyhaveanideatheybelievein,theystartbuilding prototypestotestthegameinternallytoseeifthegameideaisgood.thenitistestedon consumerusers.aftertheproductionphase,thegameisreleasedonasmallscaletosee whatelementsofthegameworkwellorbadly,andwhetherornotthecompany sbackend canhandletheamountofusers.afterthegamepassesthisstage,itisfullylaunchedonthe intendedmarkets. King sgameguru,tommypalm,explainsthattheytesttheirnewideaandtheactualgame mechanics,whicharemadeasasimplegameinflash,inanearlystageofthegame developmentprocess.theydosotoseeifthegameworkswellonitsaudienceandifit does,theycontinuedevelopingandmakingalargergameoutofit. PalmcontinuesbysayingthatKingisalsospecialinthesensethattheyfocusonmaking cross0platformgames,whichmeansthatthegamecanrunonseveraldifferentplatforms suchasmobiles,tabletsandcomputers.theimmenselypopulargamecandycrushwas firstmadeasasinglelevelin2011,andwaslaterincorporatedintofacebookwith100 levelsin2012.thepopularityrose,anditbecameoneoffacebook slargergameswith millionsofdailyactiveusers(dau).candycrushwasthenreleasedformobilesandhas nowhundredsofmillionsofplayers,whichisperhapsthemostplayedgameintheworld (Are(there(any(elements(that(are(more(important(than(others(and(if(so,(which( ones?(why? AccordingtoLiuatRovio,thefirststageofhavingauniqueideaisthemostcrucialstagein thegamedevelopmentprocess. TommyPalmclaimsthatoneofthemajorproblemareasisforthegametobediscovered. Digitaldownloadshavenoshelfspacelikeintheregulargamestore.Thedevelopersofthe appcannotinfluenceforexampleapple sappstoresinceitisthestaffoftheappstore whodecideswhichappstofeature. 11

16 AccordingtoPalm,CandyCrushandFarmHeroSagahavebeenabletofindtheirown audience,whichisoneofthekeysbehindtheirsuccess.thishasbeenmadepossiblesince CandyCrushwassopopularonFacebook,whichhasviralelements.Theplayercansee whichoftheirfriendsareplayinganditiseasytoinviteotherstojoin.becausesomany alreadyplayedcandycrushontheweb,assoonasitwasreleasedtotheappstoreand GooglePlay,manydownloadedthegametotheirsmartphones.ThatishowCandyCrush reachedthetopchartssoquickly (Are(there(any(specific(rules(for(game(design? AtRoviotherearenoofficialrulesthatthecompanyfollows,butratheralistoffourtofive pointsthatgamedesignersfocusonduringthecreationprocess.thisisinordertodecide whatkindofgamethecompanywillmake.forexample,roviowillnevermakeamilitary shootinggame. AccordingtoTommyPalm,thereareclearpatternsfoundinsuccessfulgames.Amobile gamecanbecomplexandchallenging,butthegameneedstostartoutwithsimplefirst stepssothattheplayercaneasilyandquicklyunderstandhowitworks. ConsoleandPCgamesareverydifferentfrommobilegames,accordingtoPalm.Theplayer, havingspentover500swedishcrowns(ca. 55inMay2014)topurchasethegame,has morepatienceforcomplexrulesanddoesnotgiveupeasilywhentryingthegameinorder togethisorhermoney sworth.onthemobileplatformhowever,itisverydifferent;most gamesarefree0to0playandtherearecountlessnumberofgamesavailableinappstores. Palmclaimsthatitisimportanttobeabletocatchtheplayerquickly.Becauseofthis,itis essentialtohaveathemethatappealstopeopleandtodeliveranenjoyableandinteresting experienceinthefirstfewseconds0andinthatway,keeptheplayer sinterest. King sofficeinstockholmhasover15peopleworkingondataanalysis.it simportantto see,forexample,wheremanyplayersgetstuck.ifaparticularlevelistoodifficult, somethinghastobedone.thatisalsoanewaspectformobilegamesincomparisonto oldergenerationconsolegames0thegamedeveloperskeepworkingonthesamegameand updateit.candycrushhas500levelsandthereisateamworkingonmoreatthismoment (What(factors(must(be(included(for(a(mobile(game(to(become(successful(and( profitable? AccordingtoLiu,therearetwofactorsthatareofhighestpriority:acleartargetaudience andaneffectivebusinessmodel.liustatesthatthetargetedaudiencedetermineswhothe gameismadeforanddecidesevenwhattypeofgameitis.asthereisnouniversalor objectivedefinitionofagoodgame,liuclaimsthatitisimportanttomakethegameof goodqualityfortheintendedtargetaudience.byaqualitygame,liumeansthewhole 12

17 experienceofthegame.inotherwords,knowingyouraudience,theirneedsandwishes, contributesgreatlytowhetherornotthegamewillbeperceivedaspolishedandofgood qualitybythetargetaudience. Liucontinuesbysayingthatwhenitcomestothebusinessmodel,atthismomentinthe mobilegamingindustry,thefreemium,oralsocalledthefree0to0playmodel,isvery popular.thisisbecausetoday smobilegameusersalmostexpectgamestobefree,and 95%ofallrevenuesfrommobilegamescomefromfreegames.Therefore,ifoneusesthe app0purchasebusinessmodel,oneisonlytargeting5%oftherevenuepie. InRovio scase,however,theyareinauniquepositionduetothefactthattheirbrandisso strong.inthatsensetheyhaveotherfinancialgoalscomparedtoamoretraditionalapp gamedevelopmentcompany.rovioworksonbuildingandstrengtheningtheirbrandso thattheycansellmoremerchandiseandclothing.theyevenhaveahollywoodfilmand cartoonseriesintheworks.inotherwords,intheircase,evenifthegamesthemselvesdo notgenerateprofitslikeothertop0sellinggames,theyhaveothersourcesofincome,sothe gamesservetocontinuallystrengthentheirbrandawarenessamongconsumers. King spalmclaimsthatacleartrendatthemomentisthepopularityoffree0to0playgames. Inthepast,gameswerepurchasedbyuserswithoutgettingachancetotestthem.Now gamedevelopersearnrevenuesthroughin0app0purchases,wheretheplayercanplaythe gamefreeofchargeandthenchoosetobuyobjectsinthegame.therefore,thegame developersneedtoknowwhattheycanchargefor.kingdecidedtoneverstopaplayer completely,thatis,aplayercancompleteall500levelsofcandycrushwithoutpayingany money.however,sometimesaplayerneedstowaitiftheydonotwanttopay.thishas proventobeasuccessfulmethodforking.palmcontinuesbysayingthattheconsumers willseemoreofthein0app0purchasesmodelinfuturegame.healsoclaimsthatthisisa bettermodelandmorefairforplayersanddevelopers,sincetheplayercantrythegame withoutactuallypayingforitbeforehand. AccordingtoJohannaNylander,whoisresponsibleforpolicyaffairsattheSwedishGames Industry,thepaymentmodelisthemostimportantfactorforsecuringagame s profitability.oniphone,everythingissoldviaitunestowhichacreditcardneedstobe connected,evenwhendownloadingafreeapp.thisisnotthecaseongoogleplay,where onecandownloadfreeappswithoutconnectingacreditcard.inthepast,googlehaddrives wheretheysoldgoodappsmuchcheaperjusttogetpeopletomaketheirfirstpurchase andtherebygettingthecustomertoconnecttheircreditcard.withaconnectedcreditcard, itiseasiertomakepurchaseswithinappsandtobuyapps.sincehavingalinkedcredit cardisnotarequirementonandroid sappstores,therearemorefreegamesongoogle Play stopcharts.freegamesareanimportantstepping0stone,openingthedoorsforthe 13

18 freemiummodel. Nylandercontinuestosaythattomakealotofmoney,thefreemiumpaymentmethodis thebestanditisoneoftheessentialelementsagameneedstohavetomakethegame profitable.atthemomentthetopgamesonthetopgrossingchartsusethefreemium model.however,nylanderpointsoutthatonecanstillhaveasuccessfulgamecompany thatchargesforappsinamoretraditionalway,butonewillnotgetthegiganticsuccess thatispossiblewiththefreemiumgamemodel.thefreemiumgamesusuallyhaveinfinite, orclosetoinfinite,gameplaywhereonecanbuyobjectsinthegame.freemiumgames oftenrequirethisinfinitegameplaybecauseyouneedtogetpeopletoinvestbothtimeand moneyinthegame,whichisdifficulttocombinewithagamethatendsrelativelyquickly. Premiumgamesthatcost7022Swedishcrowns(ca inMay2014)mayhavea shorterlifespan,sincetheyareusuallyfuninthebeginning,butafterthenoveltyofthe gamewearsout,thereisnotmuchleft.( Anotherfactorthatisnecessaryformakingagamesuccessful,accordingtoNylander,isthe funfactor0thegameneedstobefun.thosearethetwomust0havesforgames:the freemiummodelandfun.thegameshouldalsonotbetoodifficult.therearealsosome othercommonfactorsingames,forexamplesocialfunctionslikefacebookconnect.thisis usedtoseewhichofone sfriendsareplayingthegameinordertochallengethem,asinthe caseofquizkampenorwordfeud,ortoaskforextralivesandcomparehighscores,likein CandyCrush (What(is(the(most(successful(and(profitable(mobile(game(your(company(has( developed?(what(audience(did(you(have(in(mind(when(creating(it? Rovio smostsuccessfulgameisstilltheoriginalangrybirds.spreadoutoverallofthe AngryBirdsgames,ithasover2billiondownloads.Liuarguesthatitisprobablythe world smostdownloadedgame. CandyCrush,createdinStockholm,isKing smostsuccessfulgame,anditisaso0called casualgame.palmclaimsthattheytriedtocreatethegamesothatitappealstoasmany peopleaspossible.ingeneral,theyneverincludeviolenceintheirgames.aninteresting observationfromking ssideisthatthetestingismostlyperformedbywomenbetween250 55,sinceitistheywhoplayonKing swebsite.testingisthusconductedonthatgroup.if thegamehasbeenpopularandhasworkedwellforthem,ithasalsoshowntoworkgreat forthewholefamily (Which(elements(in(the(successful(game(have(made(it(so(successful?(What( factors(do(you(consider(to(have(been(essential(for(this(game? InthecaseofAngryBirds,Liubelievesitisthegame suniqueand bizarre visualidentity thathasmadeitsoappealingtousers,astheactualgameplayisnotrevolutionaryinitself. 14

19 Roviohassucceededinpackagingthegameideawiththevisualidentityinsuchawaythat itfeelsfresh.itisverysatisfyingtoteardownbuildings,todestroythings.additionally, everythinghappenssofast,andthegameisverysimple;thereisnoextrastorylineorgoal theplayerisworkingtowardstomakethegameinterestinginthoserespects. AccordingtoPalm,somefactorsthathavebeenimportanttoCandyCrush ssuccessarethe availability,thesocialfactorandthefactthatcandycrushisstillunderdevelopment.by availability,palmmeansthatcandycrushisfreetodownload,easytolearnandtherearea lotofdifferentplatformstoplayiton.thereisahighchancethataplayercanplaycandy CrushwhetheritisonaMac,PCoronanAndroidphone.Theabilitytoeasilyswitch betweendifferentdevicesandstillplaythesamegamehasbeenessentialforthegame. Thishasmadethelifespanofthegamesolongthatitallowspeople,eveniftheyhave startedatdifferenttimes,totalkaboutittogetheroutsideoftheactualgame.palmthinks thatthisisabigneedamonghumans.hecontinuesbysayingthatoneofthekeyfactorshas beentheviralelementsthatareintegratedintothegame.thecandythemehasworked verywell,ashasthegamemechanismtomatchthree (How(have(you(marketed(the(successful(game?(And(what(business(model(is( used? Rovio scaseisveryunique.theysucceededinbecomingoneoftheworld smost recognizablebrandswithinthreetofiveyears.liuclaimsthatthisispartlyduetoluck; Roviocameoutwiththerightkindofgameontherightplatformattherighttime.Angry BirdswasreleasedatatimewhentheAppStorewasrelativelynewsoitbecamethe de0 facto standardfordownloadablegamesintheiphone.duetothis,roviocouldgain momentum.afterthat,theyhavenotusedtraditionalmarketingtechniques,butrather haveperformed crazystunts thatgainattention.forexample,roviotookoverred SquareinMoscowforRedBird sbirthday(acharacterinangrybirds),andsentangry BirdsouttoMarsinacooperationwithNASA. AngryBirdswasapremiumgamewhenitwasfirstreleasedin2009.Thefree0to0play modelhasonlygainedabigfollowinginthelastcoupleyears,butbeforethattime,paid gameswerethestandard.inthatsense,rovioisverynewtothefree0to0playmodel,and hasasofnowreleasedtwogames,thecroodsandangrybirdsgoasfree0to0playgames. AsforCandyCrush,themostimportantchannelformarketinghasbeenthatitspreads betweenplayerswhospeakaboutthegametotheirfriendsandfamilies.theyhavealso useddigitalmarketingwithbanners.kingcalculateshowmuchmoneytheygetperuser andbasedonthattheycanestimatehowmuchmoneytheycanspendonmarketing. RecentlytheyhavealsoreleasedaTV0commercial. PalmsaysthatitwasanearlydesignchoicetomakeCandyCrushavailableofflineandthat 15

20 isalsooneofthereasonswhyithasbecomesopopular.candycrushisafree0to0playgame, andaplayerhasthepossibilitytoreachthelastlevelwithoutpayingforit.kinghassaid thatover50%oftheplayersthathavereachedthelastlevelhavenotmadeasingle purchaseinthegame. Nylanderemphasizestheimportanceofmarketingmobilegames,duetothecountless numberofappsinthedifferentstores.itisnoteasyforapotentialusertodiscoveranew app,unlessgoogleplayortheappstoreincludestheappintheireditorialwork.however, thisisinthehandsofgoogleandapple;itisnotsomethingagamedevelopercaninfluence beyondhavinggoodbrandingandpr.inthatsense,biggercompanieshavetheadvantage becausetheycanutilizetheircurrentgamesasanadplatform.nylandercommentsonthe difficultnatureofmarketinginthemobilegamemarket,duetothefactthatthetypeof marketingdependsalotonthetypeofgame.socialgames,suchasgameswhereyouplay againstaspecificfriend,caneasilygainfreemarketingandexposurethroughwordof mouth.facebookisagiantadplatformthatisparticularlyeffective.hereonemay participateincommunity0buildingbyspreadingfacebookpages (Tell(us(about(a(less(profitable(mobile(game(that(your(company(has(developed.( What(are(the(common(factors(between(the(two(games? Liumentionstwoexamples.TheCroodswasamovie0licensedgameandthosesortsof gamesdonotfarewellhistorically,unlessthemoviehasbeenverypopular.inthecaseof themovie,thefilmwasnotahollywoodblockbuster,andthegamedidnotfaretoowell either. TheothergamewasAmazingAlex.ItwasthefirstgameafterAngryBirdsthatdidnothave theangrybirdsbranding.liustatesthatthereisnoobviousexplanationastowhythe gamedidnotfarewell,asitwasadecentpuzzlegame.hesuspectsthatroviomayhave underestimatedhowstrongtheangrybirdsbrandwas. KingreleasedsomemobilegamesbeforeCandyCrush.However,theyonlytriedmaking gamesspecificallyformobiledevices,andthegameswerenotlinkedtootherplatforms. PalmstatesthatoneofthesegameswasBunnyHop.Itwasalsoafree0to0playgamelike CandyCrush,andittargetedthesameaudienceandhadthesamekindofcolors.Itisalso aneasygametolearnhowtoplay.however,intheend,itdidnotperformaswellascandy Crush (Are(there(any(differences(between(the(less(profitable(game(and(the(topPearning( game? InthecaseofTheCroods,Liustatesthatthegamehadmanyflaws,asitwasthefirsttime Roviohadimplementedthefree0to0playbusinessmodel.Graphically,itdidnotshare Rovio sstyleeither,asitwasmodelledafterthevisualappearanceofthefilm.ontheother 16

21 hand,eventhoughamazingalexandangrybirdsshareagraphicprofilethatisconsistent withrovio sstyleandisofasimilarpuzzle0genre,amazingalexdidnotfeaturethepopular AngryBirdscharacters. BunnyHopwasagamewitharabbithoppinguponplatforms,thegoalwastogetashigh upaspossible.accordingtopalm,whilebunnyhopusedthemobile sbuiltin accelerometer,candycrushisadifferenttypeofgamewhichusesthetouchscreen.an importantdifferenceisthatbunnyhopdemandsmoreskillsandtheplayerneedstohave goodfinemotorskills.incandycrushitisenoughtothink,andatthesametimethereisa balancedmixbetweenskillandluck.bunnyhopsimplydemandedtoomuchskill (How(was(the(game(marketed(and(what(business(model(was(used(in(the(less( profitable(game? AmazingAlexwasapremiumgame,whileTheCroodswasafree0to0playgame.Inorderto marketitsgames,rovioreliesheavilyonitsowncross0promotion.thatis,theyadvertise theirlatestgamesinalreadyexistinggames,suchasangrybirds.thissystemhasworked wellinthepast,butdidnotworkwithamazingalex. King sbunnyhopwasafree0to0playgame.thegamewasmarketedwithdigitalbanners butitdidnothavethesamesocialdistributionmechanismsascandycrush.bunnyhop wasalsonotconnectedtofacebook. 4.2(The(Google(Play(and(App(Store(Reviews Results%from%the%small%study%on%users %reviews%of%games%are%presented%here.%the%games% included%are%candy%crush,%angry%birds,%amazing%alex%and%the%croods.%bunny%hop%is%not% included%since%it%is%no%longer%available%in%app%stores.%% 4.2.1(Candy(Crush Table1:CandyCrush:Percentageofpositiveandnegativecommentsreferringtogameplay,marketing,and businessmodel. Category Total(comments(of(each(category Percent positive Gameplay 76/ % Marketing 0/ % Businessmodel 1/ % negative Gameplay 22/ % Marketing 4/ % Businessmodel 47/ % TOTALS Positive 51.33% Negative 48.67% Table1showsthatwhentheplayerleftapositivereview,98.7%ofthetimeitwasin 17

22 regardstoagame sgameplay.mostcommentsclaimedthatthegamewas fun, challenging, and addicting. Thebiggestpercentageofoccurrenceofnegativecommentswasaboutthebusinessmodel, in0apppurchases.usersfrequentlycommentedthatthegamefelttoo money oriented, expensive, andthat thewaitingtimefornewlivesistoolong. They complainedthatone needstopaytosucceed %ofallthecommentswerepositiveand48.67%werenegative (Angry(Birds Table2:AngryBirds:Percentageofpositiveandnegativecommentsreferringtogameplay,marketing,and businessmodel. Category Total((comments(of(each(category Percent positive Gameplay 151/ % Marketing 0/ % Businessmodel 0/ % negative Gameplay 20/ % Marketing 0/ % Businessmodel 21/ % TOTALS Positive 78.65% Negative 21.35% AccordingtoTable2,inAngryBirds,100%ofthepositivecommentsreferredtothe gameplayasabasisfortheirlikingthegame.someexamplesofthesecommentswere fun andchallenging and addicting. Whileasforthenegativecomments,therewasanevendistributionbetweengameplayand thebusinessmodel.commentsthatcommonlycameupforthegameplaywasthatthe gamewas boring, repetitive, and toodifficult andthat itdidhavenotenoughlevels. The51.22%ofthenegativereviewsaboutthebusinessmodel,advergaming,mentioned thattherewere toomanyintrusiveads. Intotal,78.65%oftheallthecommentswerepositivewhile21.35%oftheuser sreviews werenegative. 18

23 4.2.3(Amazing(Alex( Table3.AmazingAlex:Percentageofpositiveandnegativecommentsreferringtogameplay,marketing,and businessmodel. Categories Total(comments(of(each(category Percent positive Gameplay 88/ % Marketing 0/ % Businessmodel 0/ % negative Gameplay 35/ % Marketing 0/ % Businessmodel 9/ % TOTALS Positive 66.67% Negative 33.33% 100%ofthepositivecommentsleftbyAmazingAlexplayershavemadeareferenceto gameplay(seetable3).keywordsmentionedwere challenging, fun, addicting. However,79.55%ofthenegativecommentswerealsoaboutthegameplay.Commonwords were boring and toodifficult %ofthenegativereviewswereaboutthebusiness model,whichisadvergaming,andthecommentsoftenincluded toomanyads or intrusiveads. Overall,thecommentswere66.67%positiveand33.33%negative (The(Croods( Table4.TheCroods:Percentageofpositiveandnegativecommentsreferringtogameplay,marketing,and businessmodel. Category Total((comments(of(each(category Percent positive Gameplay 37/ % Marketing 0/ % Businessmodel 0/ % negative Gameplay 34/ % Marketing 0/ % Businessmodel 51/ % Totals Positive 30.33% Negative 69.67% Table4showsthatallthepositivecommentsforTheCroodswereaboutthegameplay. Userssaidthey loved thegame,andthatitwas funandaddicting. However,forthenegativereviewstherewere60%commentsaboutthebusinessmodel and40%aboutthegameplay.somerepeatingremarkscanbesummarizedbythephrases, tooexpensiveandtoolongwaitingtimeifnotmakingpurchase and wantnewlevels, update. 19

24 Intotal,30.33%werepositivecommentsand69.67%ofthecommentswerenegative (Distribution(of(Positive(and(Negative(Comments Table5showsthedistributionofpositiveandnegativereviewsforallfourgames.99.72% ofallpositivecommentsreferredtothegameplay,while1personoutof353commented positivelyaboutthebusinessmodel %ofallnegativecommentsinallfourgamesweredirectedatthegameplayofthe games.1.65%commentednegativelyaboutmarketing,while52.67%madenegative commentsaboutthebusinessmodel. Table5:Summaryofallnegativeandpositivereviews,inthreedifferentcategoriesacrossallfourgames. Category Amount Percent positive Gameplay 352/ % Marketing 0/ % Businessmodel 1/ % Total(pos: 353/ % negative Gameplay 111/ % Marketing 4/ % Businessmodel 128/ % total(neg: 243/ % TOTAL(ALL

25 5.(Discussion(( In%this%chapter,%the%common%points%of%the%result%and%theory%are%discussed%as%well%as%our%own% observations%and%the%weaknesses%of%this%study.% 5.1(Answers(to(Problem(definition Whichfactorsmakeupaprofitable(mobilegameaccordingtotop0earningNordicmobile gamecompanies? 5.1.1(Business(Model Allthreeofourintervieweeshavestatedthataneffectivebusinessmodeliscrucialfor beingprofitable.theyhavealsostatedthatthebranchstandardformobilegamesatthe momentisthein0apppurchasesmodel.thisisnotinaccordancewiththeeureport conductedbygigaom,whichshowsthattheapp0purchasemodelisthemostpopular businessmodelatthemoment.however,thisreportreferstoallcategoriesofmobile applications,notjustgames.furthermore,thereportdoesforecastthatrevenuesforin0app purchaseswillincreaseinthefuture,whileapp0purchaserevenueswilldecrease. Basedonthis,wedrawtheconclusion,thatawell0implementedbusinessmodelseemsto bethedifferencebetweenagamethatgenerateshighrevenuesandonethatispopularbut ineffectiveatyieldingprofits.however,wecontendthatagamemustbepopular,witha highnumberofplayers,forittohavethepotentialtogenerateprofits (Targeting Liualsoidentifiesacleartargetaudienceasadecidingfactorinthemakingofasuccessful andprofitablegame.knowingtheneedsandwishesofthetargetaudiencemakesiteasier todeliveragamethatisofhighqualityintheireyes.thisresembleskimandpark s definitionoftargeting0makingaproductfitthecustomer.itisalsoconsistentwithkimand Park sresultsthattargetingisakeysuccessfactorformobilegames.whenliumakesthis statement,heseemstorefertotheactualgameplay,butwereasonthatitalsoisapplicable tothebusinessmodel.ifthecompanydoesnotknowitstargetedaudience,itwillnotbe awareofhowmuchcustomerscanpayorhowmuchtheyarewillingtopay.inother words,knowingtheintendedtargetaudienceisalsocrucialforimplementingasuitable businessmodel. InterestingtonoteisthatKingdoestheirtestingonwomenbetween25055yearsold,andif thegameispopularwiththisgroup,theyfinditusuallyworksforthewholefamily.women inthisagerangearenotthestereotypicalgamerandwebelievethatthisshowstrendsof whotheplayersaretoday.theybelongtothegroupcasualgamers,whichisawidertarget groupthanthenichedhardcoregamers. Figure2summarizesthefactorspresented. 21

26 Business Model Allthreeoftheintervieweesstatedthat aneffectivebusinessmodeliscrucial foragametobeprouitable Withoutabusinessmodelagame cannotgeneraterevenue Targeting Qualityissubjective Knowtargetgrouptocreatequality gameintheireyes Figure2:Summaryoftheimportantfactorsforthegametoearnmoney. 5.2(Answers(to(Subquestions Thefactorsmentionedasanswerstothesubquestionsareconsideredtobeimportantfora game spossibilitytobecomepopular,whichisavitalstepping0stonetoagame sabilityto generateprofits (What(are(considered(important(factors(for(the(game(to(be(popular((high( number(of(downloads)? (Fun(and(Flow JohannaNylanderidentifiesfun,asoneofthemostimportantfactorsformakinga successfulgame.thisstatementisconfirmedbyplayersthatleftpositivecommentsfor CandyCrush,AmazingAlex,theCroodsandAngryBirds.Inthesecases,userscommented oftenonthefunandaddictingnatureofthesegames.infact,asseenintable5,almostall ofthepositivereviewsmadereferencestothenatureofgameplayinthesefourgames.we drawtheconclusionthattheexperiencethegamegivestheplayeristhemostimportant factorfortheplayer,thoughitmaynotnecessarilyequatetorevenuesforthegame developers.however,ifagameisnotfunandengaging,regardlessofhowwellthebusiness modelisimplementedorhoweffectivethemarketingis,playerswillnotplaythegamefor long.inotherwords,agamehastobeworththetimeandmoney,intheeyesoftheplayers, ifitistohaveanychanceofbeingprofitable.inordertoofferastrongfoundationfor revenues,agamemustdeliverthehoursoffunanddistractionthattheplayersareafter. 22

27 ThissupportsLazzaro sstatementthatdifferentplayersplaygamesfordifferentreasons, butintheend,everybodyplaysinordertohavefun.italsoisinalignmentwithschell s definitionofagame,whichdescribesagameasagoal0orientedactivitythatiscarriedout forthepurposeofhavingfun. Aprerequisiteforbeingabletoexperiencefunistocreateanenvironmentfortheuserto enterastateofflow.asstatedearlier,thetheoryofflowfocusesonthefeelingof immersionthatpeoplecanexperience,inthiscasewhileplayingagame.thoughhedoes notdirectlyrefertotheconceptofflow,king stommypalmechoestheimportanceof matchingthelevelofchallengewiththeassumedskillleveloftheuser,asstatedby CsikszentmihalyiandWerbach.Bothmaintainthatitisimportanttomakethegameeasyin thebeginningandincreasethelevelofdifficultyastheplayerimproveshisorherskillsin thegame.palmcontinuesbysayingthatamobilegamecanbecomplexandchallenging, butneedstostartoutwithsimplefirststepssothattheplayercaneasilyandquickly understandhowitworks,whichsupportswerbach sideaofonboarding.palmstatesthat thiscanbeachievedbyhavingathemethatappealstousers,inordertodeliveran enjoyableexperiencewithinthefirstfewsecondsofplayingthegame. AccordingtoCsikszentmihalyi,theremustbeabalancebetweenhavinggoodchallenges, whichwillencouragetheplayer,andnotmakingthegametoodifficult,whichwill eventuallymaketheplayerwanttostopplaying.wecanseefromourresultsthatthisisa relevantstatement;inthereviewsleftbyusersforthecandycrush,amazingalex,the CroodsandAngryBirds,commentspointingtothefactthatthegamewastooeasyortoo difficultwereoftentimesthereasonforleavinganegativerating.kingunderstandsthis conceptastheyhavepeopleworkingondataanalysistosee,forexample,wheremany playersgetstucksotheycanadjustlevelsandinthatwaycreateabetterflow.thisisalso inalignmentwithwerbach ssecondgoalforthegamedesigner,whichistocreatean experiencethatimmersestheplayerinthegameandkeepthemplaying. Inordertocreatethisexperience,thereneedstobeasmoothuserinterfaceinthegame. ForAngryBirds,PatrickLiuclaimedthatthevisualidentity,whichisbothbizarreandcute, appealedtopeople.hecontinuedbysayingthatthegameplayisnotrevolutionary,butthat theyhavesucceededinmakingthegamefeelfreshandalsoincreatingapleasant experiencefortheuser.thecandycrush0themehasalsoworkedgreatforking.these observationsechoschell sstatement,whenheclaimedthattheaestheticsaredirectly connectedtoaplayer sexperienceandcanthereforehaveabigimpactontheplayer s feelingstowardsthegame. AccordingtoSaundersandNovak,interfaceandaestheticslikegraphics,music,and feedback,canalsodisturbtheuserifnotimplementedcorrectly.thisisconfirmedbythe 23

28 factthatthemajorityofthenegativeuserreviewsforthegameangrybirdscomplained abouttheamountofintrusiveadvertisement,whichdisturbstheuser sflowinthegame. UsersthatleftnegativecommentsforCandyCrushoftentimesmadereferencestoKing s businessmodel.whiletherearemorephysicaldistractionsintheuser sflow,suchasthe waitingtimefornewlives,wemaintainthatthereseemstobeastrong psychological distraction aswell.thein0apppurchasesmodelseemstocausesuspicionamongstits users.despitethefactthat50%ofplayershavereachedthatlastlevelwithoutpaying money,duetothedifficultyofmoreadvancedlevels,playerstendtosuspectthatlevelsare designedtonotbepossibletobeatwithoutpayingforboostersorextralives.thisseemsto havecausedplayerstostopplaying,astheyfeellevelsareimpossibletobeatwithout paying,andthereforenotworththeirtimeandenergy.insteadofattributingtheirinability towintotheirownlackofskillortothelevel sdifficulty,playersblameking sgreedand strongfocusonprofitsintheircomments. Basedontheseobservations,thoughtheyareessentialcomponentsinaprofitablegame, advergamingandin0apppurchasescanhavetheoppositeeffectiftheyaretoointrusive; insteadofattractingplayersandgeneratingprofits,playerscangetfrustratedandleave. ThiscanbeseeninthesummaryoftheuserreviewsinTable5,whereonlyoneof550 reviewswaspositiveaboutthebusinessmodel,whiletherewere78negativereviews aboutthebusinessmodel.accordingly,wemaketheassumptionthatwhenthebusiness modeliswellimplemented,itisnotasnoticeable,soa good businessmodelisonethat doesnotaggravatetheplayers,butisseamlesslyintegratedinthegame.thisputspressure onthegamedesignerstothinkthroughtheirbusinessmodelfromthebeginning.we maintainthatthebusinessmodel,notjustthegameitself,needstoundergousertestingso thatgamedeveloperscanseehowthedifferentimplementationsoftheirbusinessmodel andadvertisementsaffectusers.thiswasanunexpectedfinding (Discoverability(and(Viral(Marketing Amajorproblemareaforthemobilegamesistobecomediscoveredbyplayers.Candy CrushhasfounditsownaudienceandthiswaspossibleduetothatitwasaFacebookgame first.facebookhasviralelements;theplayercanseewhichofhisorherfriendsareplaying andcaninvitefriendstoplay.thereisalsothesocialfactorwherepeoplecantalkwith theirfriendsaboutthegameandevencompeteorcooperatewitheachother.thissocial aspectofthegamewasmentionedbywerbachasanimportantdynamicthatshouldbe includedingamesandisalsocalledthepeoplefactorbylazzaro. WhenCandyCrushwasreleasedtothemobile,manypeoplewhowerealreadyfamiliar withcandycrushdownloadedittotheirsmartphones,whichmadeitreachthetopcharts quickly.accordingtopalm,thecross0platformfactorandtheavailability,orthefactthatit isfreeandeasytogetinto,contributetothehighlikelihoodthatifaplayertellsafriend 24