Mastering Retention

Mastering Retention

By UserWiseTechnologyLeisureVideo Games
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Mastering Retention episodes

  • Nick Murray on game balancing
    In today's episode of Mastering Retention, Tom talks with Nick Murray! Nick is a freelance consultant, the head of Games for Carry1st, and a publisher looking to promote gaming in the African continent and worldwide. 

    Some of the topics discussed during this episode include: 

    • Nick's favorite subject: Game balancing and why it's so important! 
    • Working on a game that is not your go-to-fun 
    • How to know when a live-ops event was successful 
    • Conversion in live-ops 
    • Looking at how events perform in the context of the whole month 
    • Team management and managing burn out amongst his staff 
      • Contact Nick through LinkedIn 
      40 min
    • Hadrian Semroud, on his experience with free to play games
      In today's episode, Hadrian Semroud, an experienced product manager with experience at companies like GSN and Ubisoft, joins us to discuss his experience with free to play games, how to be data-driven in these types of games, and more! 

      Some of the topics Tom and Hadrian discuss: 

      • What it means to be data-driven in free to play games 
      • Market analysis and research 
      • The process that Hadrian would take if he were to manage the liveops and events of a big game 
      • Effectively designing for the audience you want to talk to  
      • Appreciating the gacha as a social feature and a user experience 
        • To finish the episode, as always, Hadrian gives is his thoughts on how to improve retention!  
        Contact Hadrian here 
        48 min
      • Balancing data and creativity when game designing with Michael Tapley
        On today's episode of Mastering Retention, Michael Tapley joins Tom to discuss what he has learned during his career in the gaming industry and his thoughts on how to take gamer intuition into account when designing games. 

        Some of the key topics discussed during this episode: 

        • What the role of a game designer entails 
        • Designing games with live-ops in mind 
        • Balancing out gamer intuition and data analytics 
        • Taking into account UI/UX during the design process
        • Game economy!
        • Tips and tricks on cross-genre 
          • Contact Michael here 
          52 min
        • How do you measure FUN in the gaming industry? With Hinrik Asgeirsson from FunPlus
          In this episode of Mastering Retention Podcast, Tom is joined by Hinrik Asgeirsson from FunPlus to talk about measuring retention by quantifying fun in the gaming industry and how to maintain an efficient yet caring work culture. 

          Amongst many other things, here are some aspects Tom and Hinrik discuss: 

          • Quantifying FUN 
          • Blending the data side and the art side of gaming when developing games  
          • Concept testing 
          • Working with 5G and its benefits for the gaming industry (console and mobile) 
          • Developing an efficient and caring work culture to avoid burnout 
            • Podcast 
            • Philosophize this! 
            Contact Hinrik
            54 min
          • Being diligent with data! With Dennis Heizmann, Game Manager at Tilting Point
            In this episode of Mastering Retention, we are joined by Dennis Heizman, product manager at Tilting Point, to speak about some (secret) projects they are working on, the importance of data analytics, and more! 

            Some of the key takeaways of today's episode: 

            • Read Dennis' article about tips for maximizing ARPDAU 
            • The importance of data analytics on all aspects of gaming 
            • The benefits of having a publisher partnership
            • Recommendations for product managers and live-ops teams 
            • Tips to increase retention rate 
              • Contact Dennis Heizman 
              36 min
            • What Does Retention Really Mean? With Jónas Antonsson, co-founder of Raw Fury
              On today’s episode of Mastering Retention, we talk with Jónas Antonsson the co-founder of the Swedish game publisher, Raw Fury, about the gaming industry and his career path. 

              During this episode, Jónas and Tom talk about: 

              1. What motivates Jónas to get out of bed every morning and how important games are to him. 
              2. The importance of games as mediums of art
              3. What advice would Jónas give to those who want to start a studio or create a game. 
              4. How to manage burnout in the gaming industry and Raw Fury’s mantra of treating humans like human beings 
              5. What retention does mean?
                6. Books mentioned: 
                • The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz 
                • Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

                  • 58 min
                • Live Ops Automation and Data Driven Game Design|Javier Barnes, ex-Gameloft, ex-Social Point Game Lead
                  In today’s episode of Mastering Retention, we are joined by Javier Barnes, head game designer at Pixel Noire Games. Javier tells us about how he started working in the gaming industry at Gameloft and how he ended up at Social Point, where he was the Lead Game Designer for Monster Legends before taking over as Game Lead for their upcoming game Rageball. 

                  We'll cover these great topics and more:

                  Introduction to F2P game monetization & data oriented game design.
                  How to automate live ops production.
                  How to implement community led game design in your live game.
                  What we might see happening in the next ten years in mobile gaming.

                  We also discuss the development of his own company, where he is getting the help of a group of kids that suffered from depression and have relied on games to help them with their mental health. He gives us his thoughts on free to play game monetization and data-oriented design. And he gives us some tips on involving the community and players while developing games.   
                  If you don't already you absolutely should follow Javier’s blog here and if you have any questions for him, reach out to his LinkedIn

                  57 min
                • People and product in mobile gaming with Patrik Wilkens, VP Mobile at Azerion
                  In our first ever Mastering Retention podcast episode we talk to Patrik Wilkens, Vice President Mobile at Azerion, about people and product in mobile gaming.

                  In today’s episode we’ll learn:

                  1. Where gaming will likely be going in the next three to five years
                  2. How gaming has shifted from just shipping a game to the mantra of live ops and continually pushing content to your users
                  3. What career advancement in mobile gaming can look like from product manager to product lead to head of mobile gaming
                  4. How to find and attract the right people for your studio and what traits you should look for in a person
                  5. How to be adaptive to your game’s ever changing environment

                    6. 42 min

                  About Mastering Retention

                  From the publisher's feed

                  Welcome to the ultimate gaming breakdown with Tom Hammond and Neil Edwards! Tune in every week as we deconstruct today's top games and reveal the secrets behind their success.