Video: 'Where the Whales Live: The Pyramid Model of F2P Design'

"[N]one of my clients will admit that they have a retention problem, because that means admitting they’re not very good at making games that people want to play." In this free GDC Vault video from GDC Next 2013, Gamesbrief founder and author of "The Curve" Nicholas Lovell explores how to achieve what he feels is the goal of free-to-play game design -- let anybody access your game, and allow people who love what you do to spend money on things they truly value -- in his talk, " Where the Whales Live: The Pyramid Model of F2P Design.

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The content of this talk expands on what Lovell posted earlier on the Gamasutra member blogs, where you can find brief discussions of the core loop, the retention game, the superfan, and more.


About the GDC VaultIn addition to this presentation, the GDC Vaultoffers numerous other free videos, audio recordings, and slides from many of the recent Game Developers Conference events, and the service offers even more members-only content for GDC Vault subscribers.

Those who purchased All Access passes to recent events like GDC, GDC Europe, and GDC Next already have full access to GDC Vault, and interested parties can apply for the individual subscription via a GDC Vault subscription page. Group subscriptions are also available: game-related schools and development studios who sign up for GDC Vault Studio Subscriptions can receive access for their entire office or company by contacting staff via the GDC Vault group subscription page. Finally, current subscribers with access issues can contact GDC Vault technical support.

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