Making Flash Games That Social Networks Want to Play

Bret Terrill

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Me

Director of Biz Dev, Zynga

Bret on Social Games (bretterrill.com)

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My Company: Zynga

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What You’re Going to Learn (Hopefully)

Why you want your games on Facebook

What doesn’t work on Facebook

What does work on Facebook

Why those games work on Facebook

You want to be on the platform.

I Facebook!

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It’s all about distribution.

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Mafia Wars - 1.7 Million Daily Players (12 Months)

Things Not to Do.

FAIL!

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Fail: Just Embedding Your SWF

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Fail: Real-time Multiplayer…

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…with one exception.

Fun to play with strangers – like

this guy.

Things to Do.

UNFAIL!

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Just Add People

…like this guy.

Texas Holdem Poker – 1,700,000

Daily Active Users

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Thanks, Richard!

Mindjolt Games – 300,000

Daily Active Users

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Single-player: Challenge your friends

Jetman – 400,000Daily Active Users

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Single-player: Friend Leaderboards

Who’s Got the Biggest Brain? – 280,000Daily Active Users

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Single-player: Group Scores

Bejeweled Blitz – 125,000

Daily Active Users

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Multiplayer – Stranger Play

I play to hang with my friends.

I play because I like to dress up my avatar. And meet boys.

I play because my friends are here.

I play to meet girls.

I play because I love games!

YoVille – 775,000 Daily Active Users

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Multi-player: Asynchronous Friend Visits

Pet Society – 2,800,000

Daily Active Users

This is where it gets geeky…

BUT WHY?

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The Platform is Social

Nature of the Platform

Status is Important

Gender: Competition v. Cooperation

Reciprocity Loop (Gifting, Grooming)

Like dogs?

www.zynga.com/jobs

Questions?