Selim Ozkil | Bahcesehir University (original) (raw)
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Thesis Chapters by Selim Ozkil
The free-to-play monetization technique is a relatively new concept in monetizing games. This tec... more The free-to-play monetization technique is a relatively new concept in monetizing games. This technique affects the overall game economies for game designers (balancers). The trend towards the use of mobile hardware to play videogames has created a new target audience: the mid-core gamer. This thesis concentrates on the casual and mid-core gaming audience and tries to understand the roles and duties of a game designer (balancer). Although in this game genre, the game economies are not that complex, in comparison to genres like MMORPG, etc. in the model of free-to-play monetization, revenue gaining is based on an in-depth understanding of economy creation, the understanding of the target audience, the user behavior and the linkage between monetization and game balance. Many factors affect each other and the perfect formula of benefit maximization is not found yet. Although there is no ‘one fits it all’ solution, there are some methods and tools, introduced in this thesis, that can help game designers (balancers) to find their way on the path of a perfect formula.
The first part of the thesis consists of an in-depth understanding of economy-creating variables and some models and tools, that could be helpful for monetization or game balancing purposes.
The empirical part of the thesis is composed of a quantitative questionnaire about the monetization, game balancing, economy creating techniques, as well as target audiences and design decisions. The data analysis is made descriptively.
The free-to-play monetization technique is a relatively new concept in monetizing games. This tec... more The free-to-play monetization technique is a relatively new concept in monetizing games. This technique affects the overall game economies for game designers (balancers). The trend towards the use of mobile hardware to play videogames has created a new target audience: the mid-core gamer. This thesis concentrates on the casual and mid-core gaming audience and tries to understand the roles and duties of a game designer (balancer). Although in this game genre, the game economies are not that complex, in comparison to genres like MMORPG, etc. in the model of free-to-play monetization, revenue gaining is based on an in-depth understanding of economy creation, the understanding of the target audience, the user behavior and the linkage between monetization and game balance. Many factors affect each other and the perfect formula of benefit maximization is not found yet. Although there is no ‘one fits it all’ solution, there are some methods and tools, introduced in this thesis, that can help game designers (balancers) to find their way on the path of a perfect formula.
The first part of the thesis consists of an in-depth understanding of economy-creating variables and some models and tools, that could be helpful for monetization or game balancing purposes.
The empirical part of the thesis is composed of a quantitative questionnaire about the monetization, game balancing, economy creating techniques, as well as target audiences and design decisions. The data analysis is made descriptively.