I'm thrilled to announce that @a16z is leading the Series A for Core Loop, a new game studio innovating at the intersection of web3 and the MMO genre with their project @WorldEternalMMO π₯
1/ Core Loop is led by industry veterans @Crash_Universe@Dchao, who were formerly CTO @MachineZone and lead designer @GREEgames, respectively. Together they've built an impressive game prototype and dev team in a short period of time
2/ We believe the next generation of MMOs will combine the best of systems design from traditional MMOs, with web3 powered virtual economies built on true ownership - Core Loop is leading the way and we couldn't be more excited to work together
Play-to-earn games like @AxieInfinity have introduced a brilliant new endgame: the management sim
There are more jobs to be done in a P2E game than ever before. Player, manager, scout, breeder, coach etc
Thread π on my journey from player to manager in @AxieInfinity
1/ Historically most folks think of games as an activity to complete - "I beat the game"
Free-to-play games can extend player lifetimes through updates and events. Yet eventually power users reach the highest level - the "endgame"
2/ With some rare exceptions, most endgames are pretty boring - players do a set of repetitive activities (ex. raiding, PvP) for decreasing marginal gain. Players slowly churn until the next game comes along
Thread π proposing a framework for what makes play-to-earn work. Stay a while and listen =)
1/ First, a few popular games where real money markets worked and didn't:
- Didn't work: Diablo 3, Artifact, Star Wars Battlefront II
- Worked: Counterstrike, World of Warcraft, Eve Online, Genshin Impact
2/ Framework: play-to-earn / real money trading works when
- There are multiple paths to winning π
- Inputs are tokenized rather than finished goods βοΈ
- Markets are decentralized π§βπ€βπ§
A new generation of instant games is melding the accessibility of Flash games with the performance of native apps. These games are poised to reshape the market for both players & creators π¨
But wait, what are instant games? Thread π
1/ Instant games are games instantly playable within a browser or message without downloads / installs
First popularized by Flash games in the 2000s, there are more instant game platforms today than ever: @FacebookGaming@XboxGamePass, Snap Games, iOS AppClips, Wechat Miniapps
2/ Modern web tech enable 3D games to be rendered in-browser and run at scale in near app-native performance today. The days of laggy HTML5 apps are long gone
Mojang recently launched @Minecraft as a full multiplayer web game
'Time-to-fun' is a key metric in game design relevant for all software. As apps that compete for free time, games deliver value quickly & unpack complexity slowly π’
Thread π on onboarding best practices from games
1/ Time-to-fun is how long it takes a product to deliver value (h/t @ibjade)
Top mobile games have TTF <60secs. Longer TTF = greater risk users churn to social media, netflix etc
High utility apps (ex. email, banking) can have high TTF, but shorter still better. Users are busy!
2/ Take Tencent's @PlayCODMobile (>300M downloads) for example:
Upon opening the app, users enter a name and are immediately parachuted into action. No account set-up, cutscenes, or customization options (revealed later). TTF is measured in seconds
@calm@tiktok_us@superhuman@chime - many of the top consumer / enterprise / fintech apps embrace game design. These 'game-like' experiences feel fun and have great retention
Thread π
1/ First, game-like != gamification
- Game-like apps incorporate the design principles behind good games into the core product π
- Gamification merely applies the surface mechanics like points, badges, leaderboards without understanding the design principles π
2/ The best game-like experiences focus on retention
Well-designed games retain extraordinarily well - @Warcraft@CandyCrushSaga have thrived for 10+ yrs
In contrast, most gamified programs boost short-term engagement but wear out users quickly
Thread/ all social products need to choose between real-life vs anonymous identity when they reach a certain scale. Users want to know if that 'Elon_Musketeer' raving about Mars is really Elon or just an imposter. π This is a design choice Iβve been thinking a lot on π
1/ on one hand, the largest social networks today lean toward real identity: @Facebook@Twitter@tiktok_us etc. Enforcing real identity is fundamental for enabling creators on these platforms to build audiences β simply put, users want to know if that person is real!
2/ but folks crave anonymity as well. The largest anonymous social networks today are games. Part of the appeal of @FortniteGame@Minecraft is escaping from the doldrums of school/work to be anyone you want. Fictional identity is fundamental to immersion π€