2004 Web and Downloadable Games White Paper 

IGDA Online Games SIG 

Does the developer have a reputation for compelling content? 

Do people associate certain kinds of games with the company, and are they likely to seek 

these titles out because the games have the developer's name attached to them? 

(3) 

Intellectual Property  

What investments have been made to protect intellectual property? Anyone who is serious about 

building their brands should copyright and trademark those brands. For anyone serious in 

building a brand based business, it is worth the time and money to learn about intellectual 

property laws and to find a good intellectual property lawyer to make decisions that are in the best 

interest of the company and its brands. 

(4) 

Marketing / PR 

Online game publishers and most developers must have a focused marketing and promotions 

plan to keep the buzz alive about a given brand and company, rather than just on relying on users 

to come to them. Direct mail correspondence, coupons, loyalty/incentive programs, community 

building and other viral activities (e.g., tell a friend), philanthropy and press coverage on the 

company and games are a few examples of ways to stay fresh in the public eye. 

(5) 

Customer Service 

When a player contacts a publisher or developer, the response this player receives, whether 

positive or negative, will influence their associations with that game as well as the likelihood they 

will become a repeat customer. As such, it is very important that all communications with players 

are prompt and courteous.  

How to build a great Internet game 

Written by Nicole Lazzaro, XEO Design 

Based  on XEO Design's independent research of casual and hard core players, there are four 

key  elements  to  player  experience  design.  The  game  experience  offers  emotional  and  social 

benefits by challenging and immersing the player. Not all games offer all four of these in equal 

amounts, but the more popular games often offer some aspects of each. 

Offer Challenge 

 It is easy to tell what games my husband enjoys the most. If he screams `I hate it. I hate it. I hate 

it.' then I know he will finish and probably buy version two. If he doesn't say this, he'll put it down 

in an hour or two.   Wife of a Hardcore PC Gamer 

Many people play games to test their abilities and to grow. They like that a game requires their full 

attention and enjoy the process of building skills and improving their score. Games must balance 

player  skill  with  game  difficulty;  as  well  as  manage  player  moods,  walking  a  fine  line  between 

frustration and boredom. Players like being challenged mentally and physically, and online games 

offer mental and action challenges. Action games emphasize motion and time limits, while mental 

games focus on puzzle solving and pattern matching. Some online games such as 

Collapse

 and 

Pop  It

  offer  both  action  and  puzzle  modes.  Additionally,  players  respond  to  simple  premises  in 

online games. Make sure the goal of the game is immediate and obvious. Even if the long term 

goal such as clearing the board will take time, offer intermediate goals such as clearing a row so 

the player feels they can make progress. 

Ideally  games  should  be  easy  to  start  and  take  a  lifetime  to  master.  The  most  popular  online 

games offer a simple game mechanic in a game world that gradually increases in complexity. For 

example in 

Collapse

 it is simple to match three similar squares so players succeed right from the 

start.  As  a  player  improves,  the  game  board  and  objectives  must  change  to  maintain  a  higher 

level of challenge. Games that offer levels or challenge ladders will be played longer. Offer levels 

and other challenge ladders to maintain an appropriate level of challenge and test these changes 

Page 58 of 93