“From the Devs”: The Psychology Behind Player Retention, by RichOfPickles
About two weeks ago, I was messaged by one of the developer forum administrators that I had been selected to write an article for the ROBLOX Medium magazine. The topic, as you probably guessed from the title, is about how you can increase your sales and exposure to players by understanding and using the human mind and common sense. Understanding such a sophisticated machine is a challenge, but instead of diving straight into research, I’d like to start with a personal story.
Not too long ago I had to buy a few notebooks for school. I went to the nearest shop, entered the store and began browsing. I ended up having 3 options from 3 different notebook companies which I had to pick one from:
- A pack of 5 “Academy” notebooks, 50 pages each — 8 Dollars
- A pack of 5 “Campus” notebooks, 60 pages each — 10 Dollars
- A pack of 7 “IQ” notebooks, 60 pages each — 12 Dollars
Which one would you choose? Take a minute to try and think which offer is the best one, and then think again. What you just experienced is a well known sales stunt, which is setting two extreme prices and a middle price which the salesperson wants to sell, just like landing a plane when landing on the middle of the runway between the two edges of it. This leads me to my first tip to you on how to increase your sales.
The Middle.
Assuming you created your game / group / product, you should plan out your pricing and consider which product is the most “catchy” one which you want to sell the most. That product should be your middle price, meaning that you need to create 2 similar products for extreme prices, but make sure there is a slight difference between them. Let’s take another example which applies to ROBLOX more than the previous example:
- 500 In game money = 50 ROBUX
- 1000 In game money + special pet = 90 ROBUX
- 2000 In game money=200 ROBUX
Let’s take a moment to understand the example we just made. We have 2 “extreme” priced products, and a middle-priced product. Now, the 1000 in game currency purchase looks like the best option, as the cheap option isn’t as valuable as the middle offer, but it also isn’t as “overpriced” as the expensive offer.
Make sure that the layout of the shop is based on making your middle product in the center. You want to give it as much attention as possible.
If you noticed, the middle offer has a special pet for free in it. But is it free?
What is free?
Who doesn’t like free things? Free t-shirts in conferences, free food samples when shopping or maybe free trials? The question is, are they really free?
Psychological research show that not only the price 0 is free, but it is also one of our weakest points as human beings. Getting items for free often makes us feel good about ourselves and, ultimately, the source of the free items- but this isn’t a surprise. The surprise is how we use it for our benefit and not do it just for a gesture (but also for gestures, because who doesn’t like them).
Giving something for free is completely fine and will attract visitors to your game, but if you include a free item in your middle product, it is likely that the product will now make even more money because it includes a gesture in it. Many people think it’s obvious and self explanatory, but it isn’t. In fact, it’s subtle enough that we all fall for it every time (including myself). Here’s an example of how you can layout a special shop for a special product you want to sell:
Now that we set up your shop and profit source, let’s talk about how to attract people to even join your game.
Be Creative.
Creativity is the key to success. Replicating other people’s business decisions can give you some money, maybe a few fans, but it certainly won’t be your success. There’s no value to success that isn’t fully yours (or your team’s).
For example, I must relate to the front page games nowadays. Not too long ago, the “simulation” games became the top games, and every week a new simulation game popped up to the front page. Those games surely do make money, but they take it in a quick shot instead of using it for their own benefit.
Now, don’t get me wrong. The first developer who made a simulation game not only made it to the front page, but also created a whole new game genre on ROBLOX, and that creativity lead to huge success.
A creative game is a game which stands out and eventually attracts a bigger player base, meaning you will get more exposure and more profit. If you want to stand out, you need to consider something important called supply and demand.
Supply and Demand.
Imagine a world full of gold. Trees would have gold inside of them, gold would run through our veins, gold in the ground and in plants. How rare and valuable would gold be if this world type would be real? It would probably be cheaper than bread or water.
In short, if you want something to be valuable (your game for an example), you need to make sure it is special, and that it stands out. If you join those who supply more than what is demanded, your game won’t stand out. If you create the demand, not only will you succeed with your game; you will learn the formula for future success.
So how do we create the demand?
A simple answer to a complicated question. If you want to change the world, you have to learn everything about it first. Once you did understand what kind of players your specific community has and which games are the currently the top games, you need to ask yourself these questions:
- What does the game description look like?
- How was the game visually designed? Any motifs?
- What genre is the game based on? (FPS, RPG, Simulation…)
- What is the subgenre of the game? (Round based, open world, MOBA…)
- Is the game addicting? What made you keep playing it?
Once you have the answers to those questions, you’re ready to create your game. Make sure that your concept is based on the general concept of the current hits, but don’t make the exact same thing. Adding your own concept and design will enhance this game, and if you managed to learn the market deeply, maybe it’s worth taking everything to the next level and creating a completely new hit.
I hope that this article helped you understand more about the factors behind game and group success. Good luck with your project!
This article is based on Professor Dan Ariely’s book “Predictably Irrational”.
