Mobile Game Doctor Updates
When to explore networks outside of FB
After you’ve begun to achieve scale on Facebook and Google which media sources do you pursue next? And when?
Data Basics for Game Companies
Data is a great tool for any developer, and learning how to analyze it is invaluable. Often, the problem that arises from being able to track everything is that a developer ends up overwhelmed.
How To Start a User Acquisition (UA) Program
A lot of developers worry about user acquisition (or “UA”), the process by which they attract users to their game. there are concrete steps you can take to set yourself on the right path. One of the most critical steps is to set your UA program on strong foundations. Those foundations are common to many apps and games.
Data Analysis for Product Managers: Avoiding the Most Common Pitfalls
While dashboards are useful tools to keep a high-level eye on product performance, they also tend to be built to answer fixed sets of questions. To ask deeper questions (usually why things happen rather than if they happen) generally requires data processing and analysis. A dedicated analyst can help…
The Proper Conduct of Brainstorming
This may surprise you, but game design is more than analysis and number crunching. It requires a large element of creativity, and often the best kind of creativity comes from groups rather than individual designers. This means that, often, teams need to engage in some kind of brainstorm activity to generate ideas for new directions, new mechanics, new characters, new pieces of narrative and much more. The question that many studios run into is how to run brainstorms that are productive.
New Podcast – Mastering Retention, Presented by Userwise
It is difficult to overstate the importance of retention to succeeding with a free-to-play game.
After all, if players don’t stick around, they don’t watch ads, they don’t buy currency, and they don’t consume all that lovely, expensive game content. Recently Mobile Game Doctor’s chief-of-surgery, Dave Rohrl, recorded Episode 15 of the “Mastering Retention” series, presented by Userwise.
Key topics discussed are:
How Dave started Mobile Game Doctor
What he looks for when he is hiring?
Split testing
Some of the projects they’ve been working on
Growth marketing in the gaming industry
What are the right things to do when developing a game from scratch?
What to look for to make sure the game is marketable
One tip or trick on how to boost the retention rate.
White Papers
The Four Questions
Creative Clarity Toolkit #1 – Lack of sufficient game design vision can cause a project to wander and bloat. Apply this rubric to avoid this common problem.
November, 2019 | Dave Rohrl, CEO
Five Fun Factors
Creative Clarity Toolkit #2 – Spilling over the healthy limits of a design’s natural scope creates flabby, diffuse products. Apply this rubric to treat these symptoms.
July 2020 | Dave Rohrl, CEO
One Bullet Management
Without an effective 10 word encapsulation, building momentum with non-designer stakeholders is difficult. Apply this rubric to ensure full-team support.
COMING SOON | Dave Rohrl, CEO
Videos
Why do they Buy? Key player motivations for moneitization.
Dave Rohrl | May, 2019
The Year in Mobile Games, 2019 Edition
Dave Rohrl, Steve Meretzky, Juan Gril | September 2019
The Goldbergs: Back to the 80s is LIVE
David Nixon | May, 2019
Designing for Revenue, it’s not all Fun and Games!
Dave Rohrl | October, 2017
Podcasts & Vlogs
Never, ever release a game you’re not proud of
Be proud of the work you do, play test early and often to learn those mistakes then quickly improve, and remember that every feature in the game should carry its own weight.
July 2017 | Dave Rohrl
What was it like to make games in the 80’s?
Kevin Savetz and Steve Meretzky to talk about what it was like to build games at Infocom during the 1980’s. Hear about their experiences, live from GitHub HQ in San Francisco.
April 2019 | Steve Meretzky
The Casual Game Design Process
Over the course of his career, Dave has led design or production on more than 50 games and overseen or consulted on dozens more and held senior positions at Pogo, PopCap, Zynga, and Playdom.
July 2017 | Dave Rohrl, Jordan Blackman
Adopting a Live Ops Mindset
Learn about the rise in the adoption of a LiveOps mindset in game studios as well hear Dave’s thoughts on the biggest challenges and most common mistakes developers make when adopting this mindset.
October 2019 | Dave Rohrl