Making Sense of Casual MMOs

Sonja.Kangas@souplala.net Feb. 09

About me

� Sonja Kangas

� Game Director of GuppyLife

� Researcher (Youth Research Network & Souplala)

� Finland / Denmark

� http://souplala.net

� Sonja.Kangas@souplala.net

This presentation

� Focus on casual MMOs

� Discuss differences between Hard Core vs. Casual MMOs

� Foresee the rise of niché MMOs and hybridization of social virtual worlds and online multiplayer communities

Define: Casual

� Hard Core and Casual often used as common terms even though:

� Casual player (quests instead of raids, less time and money spent in games, no or short history in gaming)

� Casual gameplay (simple mechanics in easy to learn puzzle, word trivia and arcade games)

� Casual game (Any type of gameplay, any genre, simple rules, easy to play (genre), lower budget compared with HC games)

� Carrying different meanings and values

� E.g. casual gamer can play hard core games casually

� Casual is not equal to easy or simple

MMO - Persistent online worlds

� MMO – Massively Multiplayer Online

� POW – Persistent Online World

� SNS – Social Networking Service

� VW –Virtual World

� A synchronous, persistent network of people, represented by avatars, facilitated by computers [1].

� To play, socialize, network, hangout, create and shareideas, things, events or objects.

[1] Robbins-Bell 2008

Online gaming categories

MMORPGs Virtual worlds

Casual MMOs Playful SNS

World of Warcraft

Everquest Lineage

Cartrider

Habbo

CyworldGuppyLife

Second Life

Carzz

MuxlimEmerald Island

Stardoll

Alpha World

Partial source: Forrester Research (2007)

History put short

� MMO genre started from the evolution of text-basedvirtual worlds: MUDs and existing genres of digital games

� Virtual (graphical) worlds started from graphical chat rooms such as The Palace and Alpha World

� Multiplayer online games focused on role playing games at first which soon added RPG extension to MMO

� MMORPGs (and other MMOs) started within currentgame genres

� The starting points of casual MMOs were more social, introducing novel type of gameplay and new genres

Development trends

-1990 2000 2007-

MMORPG

Visual online chat

CasualMMO

Playfuledugames

online

NichéMMO

Virtual worlds

MUD

SNSs

Online gaming

Chat

Casual MMO

� Casual MMOs different development branch of multiplayer online games than MMORPGs

� MMOs, VWs and SNSs are merging into hybrid products

� Besides casual and social gaming, another trend is MMOsfor niché user groups (e.g. Muxlim.com, GuppyLife.com, Gem island (casino), Emerald Island, Carzz.com)

� MMOs supporting existing brands (e.g. line of Disney MMOs, BarbieGirls etc.)

� In this presentation Hard Core MMOs are all multiplayeronline games that do not fit into the definition of casualMMO

Typical misconception

� It is often claimed that players spend less time and moneyplaying Casual MMOs than Hard Core MMOs

� Casual MMOs catch idle gamers where as HC MMOsattract and immerse players on a different level

� WRONG!

� Both Casual and HC MMOs have potentially highstickiness and efficient business models

� There are number of other issues differentiating CasualMMOs from Hard Core MMOs

Casual MMO vs. Hard core MMO

Social activity: chatting and hangout Social activity: co-op playing, raids, chatting

Free-to-play up to certain point Monthly fees

Player retention shorter Player retention longer

Focus and key factor of immersion: players Focus and key factors of immersion: quests, tasks

Motivational factors: social, liking, enjoyment Motivational factors: competition, achievement, social

Goal: social interaction and activities Goal: gameplay and achievement

Interaction in game: discussion Interaction in game: functional

Main business model: Micropayment Main business model: Game box + subscription

Easy to start playing Suppose some game literacy

Invited by friends Joined in with friends

Typical game types: puzzle, card, action Typical game types: RPG, FPS, action

Around 10% active players out of registeredusers (after 6 months)

Around 80% active players out of registeredusers (after 6 months)

New game genres Existing game genres

Casual and HC MMO lifecycles

Entry Practise Mastery Burnout Recovery

Entry Explore Socialize Burnout Recovery

Hard core MMO

Casual MMO

[2] Wu-chang Feng et. al: MMORPG study 2007. Nick Yee: Daedalus project 2008.

[2]

Player retention (% / month)

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

hc

casual

[3] Data from public sources (e.g. Whirled, SL and WoW). Based on averages & estimations!

[3]

Motivational factors in MMOs

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

Social Enjoyment Competence Relaxation Appearance Recognition (reputation)

Liking Achievent (advancement)

Hard Core

Casual

[4]

[4] Partially based on Frederick Herzberg’s model of Motivational Theory (1959). Estimation!

Click.

� Front page image from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7PhJp3ciRQ

� Sarah Robbins-Bell: http://connect.educause.edu/Library/EDUCAUSE+Review/HigherEducationasVirtualC/47220?time=1233873024

� Nick Yee: http://www.nickyee.com/daedalus/

� Wu-chang Feng et. al.: http://www.thefengs.com/wuchang/work/cstrike/netgames07_long.pdf

� Forrester Research: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_24/b4038403.htm

� Frederick Herzberg: The Motivation to Work (1959)

� Virtual goods summit presentations: http://vgsummit2008.com/program/