Homo Ludens & Social Gaming: Playing Is A Core Human Desire

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Homo Ludens & Social Gaming Playing is a core human desire

Sina Kaufmann

Key stats

6 games on Facebook, 41 million active users

3rd biggest social game developer worldwide

70% of users are female (age 20-60)

About wooga

Founded January 2009

Funding of $32m

International team of 100 from over 20 countries in Berlin

Sina Kaufmann - Head of Communications &

Partnerships -

41 million – WTF!?

Times spend - online

Games on Facebook

Agenda

I. Playing is a core human desire

7

8

Flow Concept D

iffi

cult

y

Time/ Skill

Too hard

Too easy

Flow = „optimal human experience“

Source: Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Agenda

I. Playing is a core human desire

II. Creating flow...

How to achieve flow (in a game)?

Source: Murphy, C.

Clear tasks 1

Immediate Feedback 2

Balanced, attainable goal 3

Visible Progression 4

To achieve flow is a challenge for all computer games

13

14

Why?

Halo controller layout

17

Flow Concept Flow Concept D

iffi

cult

y

Time/ Skill

Too hard

Too easy

Source: Murphy, C.

Agenda

I. Playing is a core human desire

II. Creating flow...

III. Social Games – flow for everyone

1. Social – Playing with friends

Social games connect real friends on social networks

2. No entry barriers

No installation necessary

&

Free to play

3. Quick – „I only have a 10 min break“

Appointment Gaming

3 min 4 hours

23 hours 70 hours

3 min to understand the game

Short core game loop

4. Place – Continue playing anywhere, anytime

Now she plays...

Playing with friends No playing with strangers

1

No Entry barriers No Investment of ca. 300 €

No Initial set-up and installation

2

Little time investment Learn modern games: 50 h +10 h per week

3

Playing everywhere Not bound to home

4

How to achieve flow (in a game)?

Source: Murphy, C.

Clear tasks 1

Immediate Feedback 2

Balanced, attainable goal 3

Visible Progression 4

Clear tasks Immediate feedback

Balanced, attainable goal Progress

Achieving flow in Monster World

1 2

3 4

MW Screenshots 1

27

MW Screenshots 1

28

MW Screenshots 1

29

Agenda

I. Playing is a core human desire

II. Creating flow...

III. Social Games – flow for everyone

IV. Social Interactions

Give and take: Acts of friendship reinforce relationships

Pay friends a visit and help

Helping represented by friend ghost

Competition: Challenges encourage players

Communication – most basic need

II. Creating “flow”… I. Core human desire

III. Social games – flow for everyone V. Social interactions

Flow Why isn’t she playing?

Social Easy

Quick Not

bound

Give & Take

Compete Communicate

Help & Visit

"Man only plays when he is in the fullest sense of the word a human being, and he is only human when

he plays.“ (Friedrich Schiller, In: The Aesthetic Education of Man, 1795)

II. Location based Gaming & Mobile Reality Games

I. Alternate Reality Games / Serious Games/ Games with a purpose

III. Gamification/ Geocaching V. Mass Trend: Mobile Social Gaming

Books

Thank you!

Sina Kaufmann

Email: sina@wooga.com Twitter: @sinasein

wooga.com/jobs