Build your team’s skills in monetisation & economy design, from understanding core concepts, through to hands on training and review of your existing or planned game.
Learn about how to balance your game by understanding the flow of the player experience across the different layers of the game. We will show the importance of systems thinking as we map player utility in terms of Sinks (Drains) and Sources (Faucets) across the game. We will further explore the dynamic nature of game balancing by looking at the structure of Drop Rates versus Difficulty and how these can be designed to create deeply satisfying player experiences without making the process unmanageably complicated.
This training program will guide you in creating ethical, profitable and sustainable commercial experiences that prioritise player satisfaction, enabling you to make best choice about what business model works best for your audience and game.
Attendees of this training program will benefit from having previously attended our Monetisation Design and Engagement & Retention Design training programs.
Theory Elements
- Progression And Power Curves: Find out how to use ‘system thinking’ to evolve players from their First Time User Experience to a sustainable long-term engagement without falling prey to the dangers of Power Creep
- Sinks And Sources: Learn how to model the ‘Sinks & Sources’ of different currencies and resources to ensure balance between progression and grind
- Resources, Anchors & Ratchets: Discover tools which can help make the allocation of rewards more effective and avoid overly complicating the analysis of your game economy.
Take Aways
- Understanding the transactional flow of ‘Utility’ in games
- How to map ‘Sources’ (Faucets) and ‘Sinks’ (Drains) across Game layers
- Understanding scarcity and value through ‘Drop-rates’ vs ‘Difficulty’
- How Imbalance, Scarcity and Frustration are essential to retention
- Tools to minimise the complexity of Economy Design
Training Levels
Objectives
Understand the core theoretical principles used by different games across different platforms, and what they mean in terms of delivering player value and commercial success for the game.
Approach
A 1 hour lecture outlining core principles underlying best practice across multiple games and platforms, with the opportunity for ‘AMA’ style questions on the topic. Delivered online or in person. Up to 100 attendees.
Audience
No pre-requisite knowledge required, however previous exposure to our Monetisation Design and Engagement & Retention Training Programs will be beneficial. Recommended for anyone involved in, or interested in, making or marketing games.
Costs
Private Lecture: £1500 for custom delivery for your team. 4 – 100 attendees. Plus expenses if in-person.
Public Lecture: £75 per person. Min 20 attendees. Contact us to register interest for a future session. Online only.
Objectives
Attendees will analyse theoretical principles against a self selecting game concept, and present their proposals for peer and expert review, ensuring a hands on experience to demonstrate their level of understanding, and ability to apply these principles in practice.
Approach
A 3 hour hands-on interactive masterclass, which employs the very game design principles we are teaching, by setting specific challenges that are worked through in small groups, then creating instant feedback through peer and expert review. Maximum 36 attendees. Online or in person.
Audience
No pre-requisite knowledge required but prior completion of Level 1 strongly recommended. Additionally, previous exposure to our Monetisation Design and Engagement & Retention Training Programs will be beneficial.
Suitable for anyone actively engaged with the design, development and commercial model design of the game. This includes any roles within:
- game design
- monetisation design
- LiveOps delivery
- lead development
- product management
- marketing and publishing
- studio management and C-leve
Costs
Private Lecture: £3000 for custom delivery for your team. 4 – 100 attendees. Plus expenses if in-person.
Public Lecture: £300 per person. 10 – 36 attendees. Contact us to register interest for a future session. Online only.
Objectives
Working on the current available materials for your game, including game design documentation, user testing results, game builds and market data, the attendees will develop specific proposals based on theoretical models.
The materials will need to be supplied by the developer in advance and will be converted into exercise material by our expert team, including wider market data where available.
Each group will present their proposals for peer and expert review, and agree specific tasks to be further developed after the session, and applied into the game development process.
Approach
A 3 hour hands-on interactive masterclass, where our expert team have already assessed and analysed your game, and used that to set bespoke challenges to address the specific issues identified. This is worked through in small groups with peer and expert review of the proposed solutions, leading to agreement on actionable take aways to be implemented into your game. Maximum 36 attendees. Online or in person.
Audience
No pre-requisite knowledge required but prior completion of Levels 1 and 2 strongly recommended. Additionally, previous exposure to our Monetisation Design and Engagement & Retention Training Programs will be beneficial.
Suitable for anyone actively engaged with the design, development and commercial model design of the game. This includes any roles within:
- game design
- monetisation design
- LiveOps delivery
- lead development
- product management
- marketing and publishing
- studio management and C-level
Costs
Private Lecture: £6000 for custom delivery for your team. 4 – 36 attendees. Plus expenses if in-person.
Objectives
Our expert team will look the output delivered by attendees of Level 3, which could include game design documentation, implementation into a game build, or user testing or market data, and structure the session to focus on what went well, what could have been better, and other issues and opportunities arising, with the goal being to fill knowledge gaps and provide further insight, identify future learning objectives, and more practically to propose resolutions for identified challenges and opportunities for the game.
Approach
A 3 hour hands-on interactive masterclass, where our expert team have already assessed and analysed your game, and used that to set bespoke challenges to address the specific issues identified. This is worked through in small groups with peer and expert review of the proposed solutions, leading to agreement on actionable take aways to be implemented into your game. Maximum 36 attendees. Online or in person.
Audience
Prior completion of Level 3 is required.
Suitable for anyone actively engaged with the design, development and commercial model design of the game. This includes any roles within:
- game design
- monetisation design
- LiveOps delivery
- lead development
- product management
- marketing and publishing
- studio management and C-level
Costs
Private Lecture: £3000 for custom delivery for your team. 4 – 36 attendees. Plus expenses if in-person.
We can provide custom training packages and consulting services around each topic, suitable for your team. Contact us to find out more.
