[casual_games] Portals: Room for improvement?

[Juan Gril]

In my mind, I still use today a term that a good pal in the industry (hi
David :) ) once taught me. It is called "download velocity", and it's when
you can come up with a fairly good projection of how much a game is going to
sell after a sample of a day worth downloads in a semi-prominent place in
your channel. You calculate the conversion rate, and then based on your
experience on how much a title can grow in your channel over the next couple
of days (20%, 30%, etc.) you know more or less if that title is going to
become a hit or not.

Example: Assume a hit in your web site is 10 copies a day, and when you put
a game in a prominent space you get ~500 downloads a day. If after 24 hours,
the title sold 6 copies, then you know that title can reach a very decent
amount of sales. 

This is not the only parameter I would use to evaluate a title though.
Because of game mechanics, some games need more time, but since almost
everybody uses the same trial format we are giving more or less the same
amount of entertainment in every game.

What I just said may generate a little bit controversy, so I'd love to hear
what other people think.

Cheers,

Juan




-----Original Message-----
From: casual_games-bounces at igda.org [mailto:casual_games-bounces at igda.org]
On Behalf Of Wade Tinney
Sent: Thursday, September 01, 2005 2:56 PM
To: 'IGDA Casual Games SIG Mailing List'
Subject: RE: [casual_games] Portals: Room for improvement?


I think the next level for portals will mean *some* form of dynamic
retailing. Amazon is a good model for this, but it could be something much
less sophisticated as well. i.e. Don't show someone games that they already
have installed on their computer (but DO show them tips or new content for
that game), make recommendations based on games they've downloaded or
purchased (like Bejeweled? You'll lose your !@#$ing mind over Bepearled!!),
et cetera. Obviously, there are all sorts of ways to extend these simple
examples. 

>From a developer's point of view, it would be great if portals changed
the positioning (promotion) of games dynamically with an eye to balancing
out downloads across all titles, at least within a set period of time from
launch. We all know that placement has a huge impact on download volume and
can help a new title establish momentum (or not, if they get crappy
placement). Obviously, it would be unwise for portals to promote
underperforming titles beyond a certain point, so the idea here would be to
at least give equal opportunity to more than just a few titles. 

While we're on the topic, I'd love for some of the folks on this list from
distribution channel to share their "Top Ten List" algorithm with us.
Anyone? 
Is based on download volume? Conversion rate? Revenue? Something else?


-Wade


-----Original Message-----
From: casual_games-bounces at igda.org
[mailto:casual_games-bounces at igda.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Dick
Sent: Thursday, September 01, 2005 5:00 PM
To: IGDA Casual Games SIG Mailing List
Subject: [casual_games] Portals: Room for improvement?


First, I would like to say the amount of information being shared on this
mailing list is astounding! I couldn't imagine NOT being subscribed.

Now my question for the experts out there is on
Portals: Can you see any kind of improvement that can be made in terms of
layout or function? All of the current famous sites out there each seem to
have a slight variation in how they present their "Top Ten"
lists and such, but one problem that they all seem to share is the sort of
"Blackhole" syndrome where a worthy new title gets quickly shoved to the
back regardless of its quality.

I've spent some time now trying to think of a work around that would not
only appeal to the general casual game consumer, but also to the developer
in that they'd be excited to see how their latest product traveled through
the ranks over time (and not instantly into oblivion). Yes I realize pretty
much any developer is willing to have their games hosted on any portal which
has the possibility to make them sales. What I want it to do though is have
a unique and innovative experience, for both consumer and client, that has a
large chance to grow in this crowded industry. As you can probably guess
it's a rather daunting task that will need a large amount of time, work and
perhaps gobs of luck.

I am in the very early stages of designing the site and want to discuss this
a bit before moving forward.

Thank you all very much for your time,

Andy Dick


		
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