Gamification Dynamics: Identity and Story 7
by Tony Ventrice [02.20.12]
What dynamics of games can be used in gamification, and how can they be used? Badgeville's Tony Ventrice has identified several, and in this latest installment of his series, explores how identity and story function in games.
Design, Social/Online

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What Makes Social Games Social? 4
by Matt Ricchetti [02.17.12]
The former executive producer of Kabam's Kingdoms of Camelot breaks down social interaction as expressed in casual social network games and hardcore MMOs into a set of heuristics that can be applied to your designs, to see how they support social play.
Social/Online

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Tearing Down Barriers: How to Bring MMO Players Together 12
by Simon Ludgate [02.15.12]
In this analysis, MMO man Simon Ludgate takes a look at how different developers have both erected and destroyed barriers to players actually playing together in the MMORPG genre -- breaking them down into two different types, and suggesting a path forward to building strong player bases.
Social/Online

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Virtual Goods - An Excerpt from Social Game Design: Monetization Methods and Mechanics 7
by Tim Fields, Brandon Cotton [02.10.12]
Exactly what defines a successful virtual item? Certain Affinity's Tim Fields and Portalarium's Brandon Cotton examine the different types of items that players buy and why -- taking a look at successful games on the market and exploring players' mindsets.
Design, Social/Online

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SPONSORED FEATURE: TwitchTV - How to Build Community Around Your Game in 2012 13
by Justin Kan [02.06.12]
TwitchTV co-founder Justin Kan explains how his company uses video streaming to reach a large audience, and how you can capitalize on the fact that "your players are creating and distributing video about your game for you.”
Business/Marketing, Sponsored Feature, Social/Online

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Postmortem: Appy Entertainment's SpellCraft School of Magic 6
by Paul O'Connor [02.01.12]
Appy Entertainment, the developer behind Trucks & Skulls and FaceFighter, recently launched its first free-to-play iOS game. Studio brand director Paul O'Connor picks apart the successes and failures in getting to grips with the casual and F2P space simultaneously.
Business/Marketing, Design, Postmortem, Production, Art, Indie, Social/Online, Smartphone/Tablet

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Talking Copycats with Zynga's Design Chief 76
by Kris Graft [01.31.12]
Amid the heated discussion over "copycatting" and plagiarism in the games industry, Brian Reynolds, industry veteran and chief game design chief at FarmVille house Zynga talks to Gamasutra about inspiration, rip-offs and how he feels Zynga drives innovation in this exclusive interview.
Design, Social/Online

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SPONSORED FEATURE: Are Game Development Funds Doing Developers More Harm than Good? 12
by Si Shen [01.30.12]
PapayaMobile CEO Si Shen shares her take on the future of mobile games and discusses the company's new Games Academy, "a program for elite developers who want to create innovative and profitable mobile social games."
Business/Marketing, Sponsored Feature, Social/Online, Smartphone/Tablet

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Building Games that Run on Poor Mobile Connections 2
by Bernt Habermeier [01.26.12]
The former SVP of engineering of Moblyng, developers of Social Poker Live, explains the ins and outs of getting network traffic up and running over spotty cell connections using HTML5.
Programming, Social/Online, Smartphone/Tablet

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The Design of Free-to-Play Games, Part 2 6
by Pascal Luban [01.18.12]
The rise of the free-to-play business model has drastically changed the landscape of game development, and in this feature, designer Pascal Luban takes a look at the design elements which free-to-play elements designers can address and looks at future trends.
Design, Social/Online

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