Oldies, Concepts Vs Social, Gambling
On the PS Vita, which I totally love, Sony had the good idea to put back on their “PS Store” , many Playstation one games, such as the famous Final Fantasy VII, which really ruined some of my university exams. Anyways, I have been playing it back, and it is still that game changer (or disrupting as people love to say lately) in the RPG World. A superb Story, huge world, and many different kind of items (Magika, Skills, Weapons, Money, etc.)
Please note that Final Fantasy VII is not that old – But it really marked me as a player.
On the other hand, I am in Gambling for one of the companies I help run and I have been asked lately to search on social games and slots machine – What would make them attractive and addictive. What example from my experience could I use on these games?
Here is a small email I sent to my associates, on the matter. It explains what I like into games, and what could be used in “Social” or even Gambling. Being myself the opposite of all these hype-type, super-social, facebook/twitter people, it’s hard to imagine that something could be good “socially” coming from my mouth. But on the other hand, I know exactly what kind of business is social, and as any business, even if you don’t like it (ie : Gambling), it’s easy to find pointers that would attract your targeted audience.
Anyways, based on the example of Final Fantasy VII :
Some games, give you more freedom of action between the start of it, until the end of it.
Meaning that you can start a game with a certain lack of freedom (ie : You cannot save at any time, and only at certain points) and, while you evolve in said game, you can at some point (After a few hours of game play, and when you are addicted enough), save
From any point of the game: when you want.
Social games could have that features for beginners, to create that synergy that the players need to understand a game, until they become more experienced at using your game.
If we take that in for a slot machine (Gambling) – you begin to play, you actually for 10 minutes, then only you can go to a higher bet or bet more lines – That way, it doesn’t give you addiction, but more a challenge to attain.
Some games ask you to do under stress some actions in a certain amount of time
Meaning that at some point in a game, you need to do an operation within 30 seconds (or 10 minutes!) to win a reward.
We can see easily why at the beginning of a social game it would work (when you are in Solo or in group). Again this would give you the ability to try and try again the “mission”, and even have a score based on it.
If we take that in for a slot machine (Gambling), you could have 15 seconds to play a bonus
Or – instead – of free spins (Spins of reels without paying) being 10 free spin, you earn 10 seconds of free spins. (Same thing, but might add more adrenaline into the game!)
– Some games rely on dialogue with people, during the game.
A reward in such games comes from what you are saying to answer the question of our good non play characters. Some answers are best than others.
Again, in a social game, its always great to have real players, but adding twist with NPCs and answer, already work, and would work even better if these would be attached somehow to some kind of story (Promises being made, joining SOLIDIER, you see what I mean.. 😉 )
If we take that in for a slot machine (Gambling), you could be at some point asked to answer 1 of 3 questions to a fictional character. Depending of your answer, if he likes it or not, you would be awarded extra bonuses or free spin. This would add the feeling of being in Control of the bonus (at a certain fixed-odd degree of course).
– Some games rely on new items to get during the game.
A game will show you an item on the floor, getting this item, mixing it with another makes you more powerful. Already works in Social Games, could be however a bit expended and taken up to the next level (Get the weapon with 3 holes, mix in the holes the “magika”, to this add on yourself the amulet of power, and be all powerful. )
If we take that in for a slot machine, this means that you could get part of a bonus at some spin, part of another bonus at the other spin. Choose to use the bonus to have between 0-10 free spin, or try to get another part of bonus that would then
If used grant you to have between 20/50 free spins, and so on…
– Some games rely on side kicks
In the game, you have suddenly a sidekick helping you achieve a mission, and give you a break.
Again this already exists in Social Games (Well done Farm Ville 2!)
If we take that for a slot machine, (Already exists to some extent.), you can have a side kick non player character helping you from time to time to get a symbol into a sticky wild (A wild symbol that would stay for a few spins), or any other features.
All that to say, that in the end – real artists make the concept, and the gaming industry is
evolving from these. I believe, like many that most answers and mistakes are to be looked in the past, but that it doesn’t mean that you do not need to adapt the concept to modern time, and that no new concept is ever to not exist! Personally I really help in gambling as part of my job, and really enjoy more the creation of new (for entertainment only) games. However, this was my piece of mind on the subject.