The era of mobile games is coming

The most important thing when an industry is in an explosion is to learn how to exercise restraint in the fun. When the mobile game industry is an industry where people are easy to make money, this means the end of brutal growth. In the mobile game company Music Activity excellent meeting room, I was most impressed two chairs and table is not very high, this has led to all the people in the room, no choice was standing room only talk; meeting room close to the clear Principle "must have a conclusion, the person in charge of implementation, we must determine the implementation of the completion time."

I do not know whether the company's operation seems to be so efficient, but an undeniable fact is that mobile music excellence under its mobile online games, "My name is MT online" (hereinafter referred to as "MT"), from early 2013 ranked apple App Store China ranked first in the best-selling list, until the time of writing, its simplified and traditional versions are still listed in the first and fifth place list.

Not before the channel cooperation version, this formally launched in January 2013 in the App Store games, by the beginning of March has reached 300 million users, to 21 March, even more soared to 5 million - to the present So far it only iOS version, Android platform has not yet officially launched. And according to CEO Xing Shanhu said, "We calculate the user is very strict, basically in accordance with the phone hardware address to count."

Insiders predict that this game a single monthly income or more than 20 million yuan, "Even if the estimation of partiality, conservative view absolutely over 10 million yuan." The Xing Shanhu own argument is that (because the game price of 6 yuan) Even if the game is not paid, the daily income is about 2 million, "enough to make the team a salary."

Like "MT," the mobile phone game "Find Your Sister", which went live and hot in late 2012, is a seemingly simpler and easier thing-seeking game because of the surge in users, the simplest of advertisements and gold coins Business models earn millions of dollars a month. "Find Your Sister" is the latest mobile game by the veteran game company Hot Cool. The hot cool CEO Liu Yong admits to "commercial value" reporter. In fact, "it is not the core to realize but the user."

Starting in 2007, after 5 years of gestation, the mobile games market in 2013 appears to be really hot. During the interview, Bertrand Schmidt, CEO of App Annie, a well-known mobile data company, gave a key figure: "Strictly speaking, in January 2013, the global market started to have a single-game monthly revenue breakthrough in a single market 10 million yuan. "

This is a strong signal, which means that from 2013 on, a great era of mobile games has finally arrived. "When mobile games are truly lucrative businesses, a lot of capital, talent and traditional game makers are coming in. There is fierce competition and endless opportunities."

Different from other industries, the uniqueness of the game lies in the fact that it is a creative and cultural business in the final analysis. Especially in a rapidly growing market for cakes, monopolies are hard to come by, and opportunities always exist. Can be the opposite, the intense competition will quickly increase the game's talent, channel costs, the threshold in a short period of time pulled up, making it into a "high-pressure industry."

Therefore, at this time to reduce some excitement and excitement, through the "MT" and "find your sister" to find some experience and lessons, may make this different from the traditional games of the new market to go more solid.

Rule 1: The market is fast, so go slowly

Xing Shanhu recently felt quite pressure. To outsiders, "MT" has become synonymous with popular games, but he finds himself encountering a problem: Unlike most people were envisioned at the start of the game, a lot of people spent too much time and energy on the game. Many "MT" heavy players spend more than four hours a day holding their phones, surpassing the average for traditional PC-based online games and web games. Even some players to play an account is not fun, will open an account at multiple servers at the same time play.

This situation unexpectedly, let Xing Shanhu great pressure. "They play too much, the game should not play so heavy, I very much hope that people use a more relaxed attitude and play to treat it." Xing Shan Hu said. In order to limit the play time, "MT" has the physical value of the design, everyone in the game consumed zero can not continue the game. And the usual practice of the game, the design will not do too dead, so they support the "runes" to buy physical strength, 10 runes about 1 dollar; physical exertion more, continue the physical game required to buy will multiply.

But this leads to the result is that many people scolded the game, while physical purchase. "In fact, we have always wanted to guide the game in a relaxed manner, allowing players to have different levels of play and different ways of playing. But we all ask ourselves for the highest standards, and we want to think 'why others do not have me.'" That is where the stress on the relationship between the player and the game is transmitted to the development team, channels, and even to various places.

Maybe most people do not understand, some people like your game, spend a lot of time and money on it, what's wrong?

If the former client large game development cycle frequently at an annual unit, with a relatively playable capital, then, for a monthly mobile phone game development cycle is only calculated to play, continue to give the player the fun to become very difficult. MT originally set the life cycle and ordinary players play time is 3 months, under heavy play, its life cycle has become a month. The heavier the player is, the faster it is to get tired and abandon the game, while the average hand-tour team may not even have enough chance of succeeding in the new version of the game.

Most of the mobile games are fast launch, small run mode, which also makes it a "consumable", so "play resistance" has become an important indicator. This resistance to play is to be hard on the game mode, on the other hand, limit or suppress the game player's daily game time, both are also good.

Due to the rapid popularization of smartphones, there have been a great number of potential gamers. In the past, client games could be 100,000 online, but now a good hand-held mobile game reaches millions of users a few months after it has been rolled out. The market is fast, and if not fully prepared, including the game itself, services, and ongoing development, it's hard for you to really seize the opportunity when large numbers of users are pouring into the game, only to fade quickly after it blooms.

Incessantly, this may eventually make your game, the company into a healthy growth company, rather than the inherent deficiencies, under the rapid impact of the player has become deformed.

Rule 2: The network is unstable, but be sure to be online anytime

By 2013, it's almost impossible for a mobile game with a big heart to go offline. First of all, mobile games on the phone, its characteristics is always online, without this feature is tantamount to fighting with others; Second, the mobile game is not networking, there is no social at all, and sociality is the game is very Important bonus; Finally, many business models of mobile games are based on the payment of ads and props, the payment needs of users at any time (such as impulsive consumption) and push ads, require the game must be online.

However, this presents a problem again: the environment of China Mobile Network is too complicated. "Japanese mobile game developers are very happy, they almost do not consider the problem of online is not online, do not consider the player speed problems, consume traffic problems, many web games directly support the development of HTML5, open the browser on the phone can play, but China is different. "Liu Yong said," You want a lot of problems in this area, even if only for the player experience. "

At this point, "MT" and "find your sister" have their own ways. Although "MT" under the guise of online games, but in essence it is a strong local (single), weak online (online) game, each player design, each using short address mode sent to the server and then Then feedback, so data exchange reduced to the extreme. This has two advantages, one is low demand for mobile Internet speed, and even 2G network can make do with play; the second is extremely provincial traffic, this "online games" even if the "online play", the monthly flow of traffic generally Only a few trillion only. The player's "online games" expectations coupled with near-native gaming experience add to the success of the game.

Do more extreme is "find your sister." "Players may not always be online, but be sure to have them feel online anytime, which requires that your offline interactions are also good enough. Really offline, you can interact with the machine to keep the game going. If you play in the game Friends are not online, but also find ways to achieve interaction, even if the interaction is not real-time. "Liu Yong said.

In his game theory, the idea of ​​"online" is, in short: creating a continuous online player experience; grasping each player's chance to interact online.

Because of the complex network environment in China, if you really think deeply enough on the "online" issue, there will be a corresponding innovative model in game development that will make a game have a unique experience and truly Grab some opportunities that match the characteristics of your phone.

Rule 3: Do not narrow the quality, to experience

In the first phase of the siege of iPhone and Android smart machines, successful games are actually very typed in terms of uncertainty. Many game modes are actually special cases. The idea is king, and the standardization experience can not be completely summed up.

However, there are still a large number of games that are successful in porting PC games directly to mobile phones. Such as "Need for Speed" racing game, Gameloft's many hardcore games, including in the past two years to benefit from the domestic cents Xia MMORPG.

Such games need to accumulate in other platforms, brand and channel advantages, to be honest does not meet most of the small hand tour team, its competitive time is not the game itself. For the novice travel market that exploded in 2013, this will be a year of creating entirely new games based on new hardware and interactive experiences.

Narrow game quality, is the picture, sound and cool feeling.If you have the ability to be in the phone can not compare with the PC hardware to pursue the display of technical limits, can be very difficult.You can not on the phone Recreating the "journey", "World of Warcraft," the game will inevitably reduce the quality of the market. "Liu Yong said," But the good news is that the new hardware features make the user experience of the game has completely changed, this point, Everyone is on the same starting line. "

Although many people say "MT" draws on the well-known Japanese game "puzzle dragon", but it cleverly card games and turn strategy class battle integration. In the first game, players only need to plan card order statically, and then click 3 (start the next round of combat) to complete, which makes it possible for ordinary players in reality, while doing other things, while continuing the game.

The "find your sister" as finding fault class games, interaction is also very simple, the game only look at the screen to find when you find and click. Like Angry Birds, most of the game work is done in the "user's brain backstage" and the input of information is minimal.

The biggest interaction simplification, in fact, has had a qualitative change, which is reflected in the "find your sister" than finding fault-finding games on the PC stronger collaboration and combat. Because most of the time in the observation state, many people play a game at the same time as possible, because you help other players only need to "move your fingers."

On this basis, if the developers are awake enough, they will certainly encourage players to play games that are more capable of fighting and collaborating. This in turn will allow the collaborative game to be enhanced among gamers at any time and eventually create a completely different game Own game experience.

Rule 4: Fierce competition, so the brand is more important

In determining the development of "MT", the music is not actually well-off on hand, but even so, it still decided to 3 million yuan cost, purchased a Warcraft animation "my MT" web games and mobile games adaptation rights.

There are naturally Xing Shan tiger's personal complex. As a network writer who once wrote a well-known online novel Mercenary, he has a natural respect for copyright. In the meantime, in the year and a half of writing novels, he frantically played World of Warcraft "Therefore, the" MT "animation has a high degree of recognition.

From a business point of view, it is all that has created the foundation for the success of MT. First of all, most of the "MT" animation audience is "World of Warcraft" players, and these players are the "golden group" of Chinese gamers, the "MT" game can begin to rapidly develop, is that such a group of people into The core of their own players.

Second, with the formal copyright, "MT" has virtually eliminated the possibility of homogenous competition because if there are other games using the "MT" related images and concepts, with no doubt.

Being a cultural and creative product, its cultural roots and influencing people will be even more important in the era of fast-moving mobile games because if you can not get the most out of it, you are less likely to be concerned about it and directly reduce your chance of success Sex.

And because mobile operating systems have a more dominant content than Windows on PCs, this makes de facto "regulation" stronger. Such as iOS, Apple not only has the operating system, as well as the game ID, payment systems and the App Store this dominant game channels, not according to the rules of the game developers only because of small losses.

Outside of culture, because of the short life cycle of mobile games, few companies have been able to succeed in just one or two games like the online games era. A sustainable company requires at least 3 games At the same time operating and development, which makes the company's brand awareness is bound to be beyond the existence of a gaming brand - the premise is that you are not to make quick money, but have more ambitious goals.

It can be seen that no matter what the reason, for the mobile games market in 2013, the brand and cultural ideas are slowly becoming the basis for cognizance of these tour operators. This will be an important core capital for them in a highly competitive market and a succession of products.

Rule 5: Social flooding can be socialized differently

In the MT, "online" is actually very mild, but does this mean that it is not a mobile online games? Not the case.

In contrast, social networking brought about by the network is crucial to MT. In its game mode, a card saved by one player can only be put into 5 pieces in each battle, and a friend or a random player's card given in advance must be selected before the game.

Such a mechanism, so that players want to fight more powerful, it is necessary in the list constantly searching for more powerful other players card; at the same time as providing cards to other players using the game incentives, players will take the initiative to own the strongest On the "captain" - that is, where it can be seen by other players.

There are many factors here, but from a social point of view, "MT" meets one of the most important needs of the player with the weakest sociality - socializing as the player's showcase.

Most of the game is immersed in their hard work, and in real life, the pursuit is nothing but blockbuster. When others see your powerful card constantly praise, and even screenshots to spread in the forum, the sense of accomplishment Needless to say.

In many mobile games and other mobile applications, "social" has become a rather abusive term. If you really can not figure out what kind of social things, it is better to learn "MT", with the least social to meet some of the most immediate needs of users.

And more changes brought about by mobile games, in fact, is that mobile phones as a more accompanying people, more ubiquitous terminal, the social concept of the PC into the offline. Reflected in "find your sister", Liu Yong called "socialization."

In the PC era, Hot Cool has actually developed many popular games, such as stealing food, farms, and social networking. However, in the era of mobile phones, he thought "finding your sister" actually reflected the socialization under the line and reflected it online. "A lot of people get together to play this game when they eat, and there are a lot of husbands and wives playing family games together before going to bed at night," said Liu Yong. At the beginning they did not think too much, but as the player's spontaneous gameplay became more apparent.

With friends, family communication requires content, and mobile games are becoming the kind of content that connects each other. This is a social attribute that is different from traditional social networks, and it enables more secure and user-friendly communication and stickiness for the mobile game category for all ages.

"Find Your Sister" is currently studying more possibilities for strengthening socialization, such as the possibility of a home-based online play, or online solicitations from other friends during single-player games, In a game together across the space into the game?

"Of course, playing together will make the game less difficult to buy less props, and we make less money." Liu Yong said, "but the logic should not be so. Our core is not paid but users. Play is sure to generate value. "

Rule 6: These are all wrong

Climate change will inevitably bring about the extinction of old species and the birth of new species. The Internet has changed the way people play once, and the advent of the mobile Internet, because of its hardware, interactive features, online features and social features, in essence, is a new round of climate change.

Including blue port online CEO Wang Feng, Wu Shi interactive CEO Wu Gang, the game basically have a consensus circle, that is the first round of mobile games game has ended.

With a monthly revenue of over 10 million mobile phone games as a signal, 2013 is bound to be surging, user expansion, more influx of products and businesses, more capital and talent pool, will make many games industry The cost of the chain, such as channels, has risen dramatically.

However, we must also see that there will be more miracles in the case of "MT" and "finding your sister." There may even be a new game king every month.

The abundance of soil creates a stronger root cause. The chances of a mobile game are that this new era will have a completely different playing experience from the past, and as long as you get a chance through one gameplay, it's likely to get stronger and stronger.

To summarize the new opportunities, Rule 1 is about the bigger picture in the five preceding "theories of relativity," Rule 2 is the web, Rule 3 experience, Rule 4 brand and culture, Rule 5 social and social, and almost every one of them is still new The process of evolution, far from stereotypes, so full of opportunities.

But that's not necessarily true, since 2013 is just the beginning of a new species of mobile games, far from reaching the time when it can be concluded.

However, as a guide, you can see some new ideas and directions in the new era of mobile games. They may not be suitable for every game, but they are the highlights and experiences that can be seen in the latest successful games.

Perhaps by 2015, many of the principles in the concept will be overthrown, and even possible mobile game evolution to the end, will not be related to the game itself, but to become a new state of entertainment and lifestyles. By that time, what is needed is more than concept, but rather user-friendly thinking, far-reaching and sustainable innovation, and the courage to quickly iterate over self-subversion. In the changing times, this is the ultimate unchanged thing.