Game Growth

Expert Tips for Simplifying the Core Loop in Game Design

12.06.2024

•

5 mins read

Expert Tips for Simplifying the Core Loop in Game Design

Andrew Woodruff, Head of Product and Publishing | Yodo1 Games

Core loops in games are broken; there, I said it.

Most visualizations of gameplay shunt us through a tangled web of progression, actions, rewards, arbitrary features, and currencies that, let's be honest here, nobody fully understands. This complex spider web can hurt retention, limit revenue, and make life hard for everyone involved.

My math teacher in high school had the answer - KISS (‘Keep It Simple Stupid’). It’s time to hit reset and build a simple loop that aligns the whole team, from designer to artist to programmer, and keeps players deeply engaged, without all the tangled mess.

A Simple Core Loop

What is the core loop? It’s the set of actions the player takes to get rewards that can be reinvested. This forms the beating heart of your game! Think of it as an engagement engine, which, when properly built, is the driving force behind revenue and long-term retention. The most important takeaway is that a well-built core loop should be simple. Simplicity means no confusion and no misdirected motivations. Simplicity means a self-sustaining cycle, actually shaped like a loop, driven by your players’ desire to progress.

Simplicity is as critical on the development side as it is for players. Often, the “core loop”, when diagrammed out accurately, is a confusing tangle. How is a dev team, artist, investor, or stakeholder supposed to unify behind something that looks like a bramble bush? On the other hand, an oversimplified diagram can misrepresent the real picture, leading to further confusion.

simplicity is as critical on the development side as it is for players

I propose we cut the Gordian Knot. Simplify the game’s core loop, full stop. As a result, everything (including the diagram) gets simpler. Devs understand what they are working on so players know what they are working toward.

Here’s the simplified core loop:

Action: The player takes a meaningful action – completing a quest, crafting an item, defeating a boss, etc.
Reward: They receive a reward that acknowledges their action. This could be tangible, like loot or experience points, or intangible, such as the satisfaction of overcoming a tough challenge or unlocking the next chapter of an amazing story.
Investment: The reward is reinvested back into the game, giving the player new tools, abilities, or resources, enhancing their future gameplay.

This cycle creates a constant dynamic of motivation and gratification. Each reward instills the drive to reinvest, grow stronger, and perpetually work toward the next big thing. Build in a game economy that offers options for progressing more quickly, and you have all the tools in place for a world-class game.

game economy that offers options for progressing more quickly

Fine-tuning the Core Loop Over Time

Simplicity is key, but the real magic happens when we balance the game properly. How? By perfect timing when players act, earn, and invest.

Early in the game, keep it simple. Let’s say that means one action gives one reward, which buys one upgrade. This teaches players the ropes without throwing them in the deep end too soon.

Early wins are easy and engaging, but as the game progresses, rewards should get tougher to earn. This may mean ten actions for one reward, effectively making each action worth just 0.1 of a reward. This scale-up, if tuned properly, keeps players engaged as their skills improve and makes those hard-earned rewards feel even more special.

Tuning the core loop should not be a guessing game. Use real gameplay data to strike the right balance. A/B test different action-reward ratios at various progression points, focusing on key metrics like player retention, LTV, IAP conversion rates, session length, and DAU.

Armed with such feedback loops, make ongoing adjustments, such as:

Rebalancing overpowered or underbaked character abilities
Tweaking resource economies and loot tables
Re-tuning the difficulty curves of specific encounters

Tuning the core loop in real-time with actual player data ensures that players feel their time and efforts are well-invested, optimizing for engagement, retention, and ultimately, the game's financial success.

The Final Word

A well-designed core loop is simple yet dynamic, keeping players engaged and invested. When diagrammed, it should also be easy to avoid the tangled spider web and focus on creating a clear, motivating, and rewarding experience for your players. The result? Better retention, higher revenue, and happier players.

To recap what we’ve covered, here are some actionable takeaways to help you get the ball rolling:

Build a clear, balanced core loop (action-reward-investment) that feels satisfying.
Integrate monetization thoughtfully, making it feel like a natural part of the game.
Monitor key metrics and gather player feedback to guide your decisions.
Iterate constantly, tweaking difficulty, loot drops, and mechanics for optimal balance.

Get all these right, and you’ve got something truly special on your hands. But the journey will have just begun. Then you need to think about how to reach new players and scale your game globally. Check out Yodo1’s Game Growth Accelerator Program to learn how.

LEARN MORE

Author Bio:

Andrew Woodruff

Head of Product and Publishing at Yodo1 Games

With over 16 years of global experience across top-grossing titles, Andrew has brought his expertise to bear across free-to-play gaming models, game design and production, marketing, operations, and business development. His resume spans Gameloft, IGG, R2Games, Mechanist Games, and NetDragon.

Now, at Yodo1, Andrew brings his full-scope approach to hit games like Rodeo Stampede, Transformers: Earth Wars, and Ski Safari.

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Game Growth

Top 5 Mistakes to Avoid in Your Creative/CRO Strategy

31.05.2024

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5 mins read

Top 5 Mistakes to Avoid in Your Creative/CRO Strategy

Anna Frangogianni, Game Growth BD Manager | Yodo1

Table of Contents

In my earlier article on strategic ASO, I covered five key things to look out for during ASO metadata optimization. In this second part of the series, let’s look at five mistakes to avoid with your Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) strategy, which focuses on the creatives used for the respective store pages.

You’ve spent so much time building a great game—doing justice to that impressive work means ensuring store visitors get a good taste even before downloading it. That’s why it’s so important to prioritize CRO and creatives.

Let’s explore five common mistakes to avoid, and how to tackle them.

top 5 mistakes to avoid in your creative-cro strategy

1. Unrepresentative Screenshots

The main purpose of your game’s screenshots is to grab a potential player’s attention. They should highlight both core gameplay features and storytelling elements. The goal is to communicate what makes your game unique.

Tip: While your first three or four screenshots tend to get the most views, this doesn’t mean some users won’t swipe through all of them. Test, test, and test until the content and order of your screenshots bring you the highest possible conversion rate. Yes, the order can make a difference.

2. Geo-irrelevant Content

Learn your audience's preferences and tailor screenshots to appeal to your target country or region visually. Research what kinds of screenshots popular games in your genre use in your target country. You’ll start seeing trends.

Tip: Studying player preferences, as well as what your competitors are doing, will give you a good baseline to understand how culturally localized, relevant, and appealing your screenshots are.

Example:

Notice that the screenshots from Roblox in the US Play Store are very clean and “simple” with a straightforward CTA (Call To Action) that highlights the game’s core features.

studying player preferences - roblox us play store

However, the style of the same game’s screenshots on the Japanese Play Store uses a lot more text and the layout is more complex, focused on highlighting many game features at the same time. The assets look “busier”.

3. Low-quality Screenshots and Text

Your gameplay screenshots and storytelling elements should be crisp and clean—this is what potential players typically want to see. A blurry asset sends a “this is a low-quality game” message.

The same goes for text: your CTAs should be relevant to your metadata, clear, and readable. Most people looking for a new game to download spend just a few seconds looking at screenshots—and if the CTAs are not clear from the get-go, users will likely not spend time to try and find them in your screenshot.

Tip: When deciding on final creatives, put on your consumer goggles. Remember that everything you do sends a message. What is the message you’re sending with your creatives and how can your CTAs complement this message?

4. Weak Icons

Icons are the digital equivalent of an old-fashioned shop window display. It’s your potential audience’s first contact with your game; you need to make it count. Potential players should get a clear sense of what the game is about without being overloaded by visual clutter.

Your icon should match your game’s aesthetic. Players unconsciously base their expectations on the icon and will be disappointed if there is a mismatch. Another rule of thumb: avoid using text in your icon. The exception is when a game already has a strong, recognizable text-based logo, like FIFA.

Tip: Study popular game icons for common patterns. What icons do successful games in your genre use? Is there a common theme or structure? Apply the modeling (not copying) approach and test until you find a winner.

In these top puzzle games, note the general lack of people and brief intro to the gameplay, in the icons.

Yet, the opposite appears true in games similar to Idle Heroes.

5. Not Having a Solid Ratings and Review Strategy

Having a strategy for ratings and reviews is essential, and you ignore it at your peril.

Your reviews are a great source of information for incoming players and an indicator of the customer service they can expect. When they see a history of thoughtful, responsive replies, users are more likely to download the game, so make sure to respond to reviews, both positive and negative.

Plus, a high volume of high-star ratings from players also triggers store algorithms to improve your game’s ranking and overall visibility. The more people enjoy your game, the more weight your keywords will have.

Tip: We know developers are busy people–tools like Fancraft leverage AI to make your ratings and review strategy painless and seamless, taking work off your plate.

Final Thoughts

If you’ve gone through this list and found areas where your game’s creative/CRO strategy falls short, it’s never too late to make positive changes. You also pave the way for a more effective user acquisition strategy by tackling these issues.

And if you’re launching a new game, do not cut corners on creatives. Putting in the effort to ensure quality, testing, and iteration is the only way to succeed.

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