When designing a new game, the most crucial task for a developer is finding ways to keep players glued to their screens by providing various fronts of engagement. Whenever players install a new game, they must be excited enough by one or several aspects of the game, or else, they’ll quit.
As a result, gaming platforms usually consider how well a developer deploys engagement tools because it will affect the amount of time players spend on their platforms. For example, on online casino Canada websites, you’ll find that the operator handpicks top-tier providers who have a reputation for developing the most engaging games.
So, how exactly do you boost player engagement when designing a game? Well, in today’s guide, we’ll delve into the different tools that developers can use to foster the feel-good emotions in a game and avoid anything close to boredom, confusion or frustration for players.
First-Time User Experience: Hit the Sweet Spot Right Away!
You only get one chance to make a good first impression. As such, you must make sure that your game sweeps the player off their feet right out of the gate, or else, that will be the beginning of the end. The majority of players never return after giving a game the first try, and so you must present the best features of the title to get players invested right away.
If you want to effectively onboard players on their first session of the game, you must keep things simple and fun.
As attractive as a game is, make sure that you don’t overwhelm players with lengthy instructions or tasks that are too long or boring. You must also keep the game fun and interactive to ensure that the player maintains a good pace through the gameplay. On top of that, you should subtly or directly offer an incentive that will make the player want to come back for some more action.
Game Difficulty and Player Retention
In the case of online casino games, there’s a reason why online slots are the most popular games. They are super simple to play, and players don’t have to jump countless hoops just to progress in the game. This means that if a game is too difficult, there’s no way you will retain players – life is already too complicated, no one wants an overly tedious game.
However, on the other side of the coin, if a game is too easy, it quickly becomes boring. As such, you must find a way to balance the difficulty and ease of play curves. One of the easiest ways is to segment the difficulty levels into beginner, intermediate, expert and veteran. That way, players can pick a level that suits them the most.
Still, on the difficulty scale, the best developers usually inject early in-game rewards so that players can enjoy a bit of victory, even if they may end up losing the round. If you make a player feel like a loser too early, they will certainly not be encouraged to give the game another shot. Furthermore, the game should also have progression levels where players garner points or powerups as they continue playing. It is this sense of achievement that will keep the player hooked all through.
Keep Throwing in Incentives
Game incentives come in different shapes and sizes, and so you must understand what will keep players coming back for more depending on your target demographic. Online casino game developers, for example, use jackpots, free spins, multipliers, bonus wheels and pick-me features to seize the player’s attention. The best video games and mobile games, on the other hand, use items such as medals, extra points, coins, souvenirs and loot boxes to award players for completing different tasks in the game.
Another exceptional avenue for player engagement is monetization. For maximum engagement, players should be given a chance to spend some cash in return for second chances, extra lives, equipment upgrades, levelling up or unlocking secret locations. This provides sort of a redemption platform for players who feel like they failed to achieve a specific goal or just don’t have the time to complete elaborate tasks that unlock new levels. Some online slots, for instance, come with the ‘Bonus Buy’ feature, where players can unlock bonus features instantly rather than waiting for them to trigger organically.
Using tournaments and daily, weekly or monthly rewards will also give players reason to fire up your game every other day. Such continuous incentives remind players that there’s something to look forward to tomorrow even after playing to their fill today.
Celebrate Player Achievements
Who doesn’t like celebrating after achieving a milestone? With that in mind, make sure that you introduce attractive graphical trappings or cut scenes that will make the player rejoice after completing a level or unlocking a new stage. Better still, this is usually a fine avenue to let a player know that more exciting things are to come if they continue playing.
Use these tools when developing your game, and after releasing it to the market, you’ll notice a significant difference in the player engagement stats!