How do you incentivize player behavior and retention?

1 What is player behavior and retention?

Player behavior and retention are two interrelated aspects of how players interact with your game over time. Player behavior refers to the actions, choices, and patterns that players exhibit while playing your game, such as exploring, completing quests, collecting items, or competing with others. Player retention refers to the degree to which players keep playing your game, or come back to it after a break, and how long they stay engaged with it. Both of these factors are influenced by the design of your game, and how well it meets the needs and desires of your players.

2 Why are they important?

Player behavior and retention are important for several reasons. First, they indicate how much value and enjoyment your players get from your game, and how well you fulfill their expectations and goals. Second, they affect the profitability and sustainability of your game, especially if you rely on in-game purchases, subscriptions, or advertising. Third, they provide you with feedback and data that can help you improve your game, fix problems, and add new features. Fourth, they can help you build a loyal and active community of players, who can spread the word about your game, and provide you with support and suggestions.

3 How do you measure them?

In order to measure player behavior and retention, there are different metrics that can be used depending on the type and scope of your game. These include session length (how long a player spends playing your game in one sitting), session frequency (how often a player plays your game in a given period), retention rate (the percentage of players who return to your game after a certain number of days), churn rate (the percentage of players who stop playing your game after a certain number of days), engagement rate (the percentage of players who perform a specific action or activity in your game) and conversion rate (the percentage of players who perform a desired action or outcome in your game). To collect and analyze these metrics, you can use analytics software, surveys, or user testing.

4 How do you influence them?

In order to influence player behavior and retention, you need to understand what motivates your players and design your game in a way that balances challenge and reward. Goal setting, progression, feedback, choice, social, and surprise are all techniques that can be used. For instance, by giving players clear and achievable objectives that align with their interests and abilities, you can show them how they are advancing in your game and reward them for their efforts. Additionally, providing your players with immediate and relevant information about their actions and outcomes can give them autonomy and control over their gameplay. Furthermore, allowing players to interact with other players and share their experiences can add an element of unpredictability to the game. Ultimately, these techniques will help create meaningful and varied feedback that will keep your players engaged.

5 How do you test them?

To accurately evaluate the effectiveness of your design techniques, it's important to observe and analyze how your players respond and how it affects your metrics. You can use playtesting, A/B testing, user reviews, and user behavior data to gain feedback. Playtesting involves inviting a sample of your target audience to play your game and record their reactions, comments, and suggestions. With A/B testing, you can compare the performance of two or more versions of your game or a specific feature or element to see which one yields better results. Additionally, you can read and analyze the comments and ratings that your players leave on your game's website, store, or social media. Lastly, tracking and analyzing the data that your game generates can help identify patterns, trends, and anomalies.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?