The Social Puzzle
Around 2010, the games business underwent some of the most important changes in its history. First Facebook and then mobile became dominant platforms; games like FarmVille attracted tens of millions of players, while developers began freeing themselves from the shackles of traditional publishers and striking out on their own. Renowned games consultant Nicholas Lovell documented this exciting, turbulent time on his popular blog, GAMESbrief; this book collects, for the first time, a curated selection of his articles which give a first-hand insight into what happened to games as social and mobile rose to prominence.
Topics covered in this volume include the success of FarmVille (and why it worked so well), the rise of Facebook, Apple’s growing prominence as a platform holder, and the ways in which developers could use these new platforms to self-publish and break their reliance on publishers. Developers will also be interested in Nicholas’ in-depth commentary on “ARM”, the Acquisition / Retention / Monetisation framework which, since he first introduced it, has become the industry’s standard way of thinking about games business mechanisms. Gamers, meanwhile, will be fascinated to learn how the games industry came to be the way it is today from a first-hand source who was at the heart of the changing market.
“Lesson one for games companies pitching to VCs: read Nicholas Lovell's gamesbrief.com” - David Lau-Kee, London Venture Partners
“In a dramatically changing industry, I find GAMESbrief incredibly relevant, perceptive and very concise. Essential reading for the decision makers in the global games industry.” - Philip Oliver, CEO, Blitz Games
Around 2010, the games business underwent some of the most important changes in its history. First Facebook and then mobile became dominant platforms; games like FarmVille attracted tens of millions of players, while developers began freeing themselves from the shackles of traditional publishers and striking out on their own. Renowned games consultant Nicholas Lovell documented this exciting, turbulent time on his popular blog, GAMESbrief; this book collects, for the first time, a curated selection of his articles which give a first-hand insight into what happened to games as social and mobile rose to prominence.
Topics covered in this volume include the success of FarmVille (and why it worked so well), the rise of Facebook, Apple’s growing prominence as a platform holder, and the ways in which developers could use these new platforms to self-publish and break their reliance on publishers. Developers will also be interested in Nicholas’ in-depth commentary on “ARM”, the Acquisition / Retention / Monetisation framework which, since he first introduced it, has become the industry’s standard way of thinking about games business mechanisms. Gamers, meanwhile, will be fascinated to learn how the games industry came to be the way it is today from a first-hand source who was at the heart of the changing market.
“Lesson one for games companies pitching to VCs: read Nicholas Lovell's gamesbrief.com” - David Lau-Kee, London Venture Partners
“In a dramatically changing industry, I find GAMESbrief incredibly relevant, perceptive and very concise. Essential reading for the decision makers in the global games industry.” - Philip Oliver, CEO, Blitz Games
