All Key Game Metrics In One Place

Here is the list of all crucial metrics to track: Progression: - Unlock Rates for Features/Items- Avg. Time to Finish Level- Player Level Distribution- Level Completion Rates- Feature Usage Rates- Churn Rate Engagement: - Levels per Session- DAU / WAU / MAU- Retention D1-D360- Sessions Per User- Session Length- Playtime Balance: - Currency Consumption Per User- Income/Spending by Source- Currency Income Per User- Currencies Per User- Attempts Per Level- Win/Loss Ratio Technical: - Build Size- Load Time- ANR Rate- Crash Rate- Frame Rate (FPS) Community & Support: - Social Media Engagement- User Reviews and Ratings- Response Time- Common Issues- Support Tickets Volume Marketing: - ROAS- k-Factor- CPI / CPM- CVR / CTR- Target Spend- Monthly Installs Monetization: - Ads Fill Rate- ARPU / ARPPU- LTV / Avg. Check- Conversion Rate- Payer Cohort Distribution- Player Spendings by Sources Business: - Revenue- […]

Anton Slashcev July 11

Journal

How to explain the 80/20 rule so even a kid can understand?

Hey gamers, how would you explain the 80/20 rule so even a kid can understand? What is 80/20 Rule or Pareto Principle? 80% of effects come from just 20% of causes.Let's break it down using a game - Mario 🍄8️⃣0️⃣% of obstacles can be overcome by perfecting jumping skills.8️⃣0️⃣% of enemies are overcome by mastering 20% of tough levels.8️⃣0️⃣% of time savings come from 20% of speedrun techniques.What's your 80/20 rule in your favorite game?

Sergei Vasiuk July 9

Journal

Things no one tells you about being a leader:

Things no one tells you about being a leader: The weight of building your team.It hit me like a boss fight unprepared:• I’m responsible for this person’s journey.• They need this job to level up in life.• It helps sustain their life.That’s a heavy load to carry.And it changed my perception forever.When I recruited my first 5 devs, our performance tanked."The team isn’t hitting the high scores like it used to," I thought.But then I noticed some power-ups. I:• Had more bandwidth to strategize.• Completed tasks that were way overdue.• Was no longer grinding on day-to-day taskAnd I realized no game dev manager should view hiring or firing as a casual choice.Team members aren’t just NPCs to throw into the fight.And “your playstyle” isn’t the only one.You can’t play solo every raid.You need to trust your team to play their […]

Sergei Vasiuk July 9

Journal

Agile gets a bad rap in game development.

Agile gets a bad rap in game development. It never had much of a chance for one overriding reason:Game production phase gates.In the early 2000s, the wider software development world abandoned traditional SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle) with its set phases spanning a long time.However, game production phases (GDLC), often spanning years for AAA, continue to look awfully similar to SDLC.SDLC:Analysis -> Design -> Development -> Testing -> Deployment -> MaintenanceGDLC:Planning -> Pre-Production -> Production -> Alpha -> Beta -> Launch -> Post ProductionThe vast majority of planning & design continues to happen up-front, with the vast majority of testing happening at the end. You might be running sprints during production, but over-ruling phase gates thwart them.You’re trying to be agile in a waterfall wrapper.Adding pre-defined production milestone deliverables to the equation makes the situation even worse. By holding on […]

Jon Leslie July 8

Journal

Game Development Tools Cheat Sheet

Planning Asana: https://asana.com/Jira: https://www.atlassian.com/software/jiraClickUp: https://clickup.com/ Communication Slack: https://slack.com/Discord: https://discord.com/Microsoft Teams: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/group-chat-software Documentation Notion: https://www.notion.so/Confluence: https://www.atlassian.com/software/confluenceGoogle Docs: https://www.google.com/docs/about/ Whiteboard Figma: https://www.figma.com/Miro: https://miro.com/Canva: https://www.canva.com/ Game Engine Unity: https://unity.com/Unreal Engine: https://www.unrealengine.com/Godot: https://godotengine.org/ IDEs JetBrains: https://www.jetbrains.com/Visual Studio: https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/Eclipse: https://www.eclipse.org/ Networking Photon: https://www.photonengine.com/Mirror: https://mirror-networking.com/Nakama: https://heroiclabs.com/nakama/ CI/CD TeamCity: https://www.jetbrains.com/teamcity/Jenkins: https://www.jenkins.io/GitLab CI/CD: https://about.gitlab.com/stages-devops-lifecycle/continuous-integration/ Art Photoshop: https://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop.html3DS Max: https://www.autodesk.com/products/3ds-max/overviewSubstance Painter: https://www.substance3d.com/products/substance-painter/ Animation Maya: https://www.autodesk.com/products/maya/overviewCascadeur: https://cascadeur.com/Mixamo: https://www.mixamo.com/ Sound Wwise: https://www.audiokinetic.com/Audacity: https://www.audacityteam.org/FMOD: https://www.fmod.com/ Text Articy: Draft: https://www.articy.com/en/Google Sheets: https://www.google.com/sheets/about/Lokalise: https://lokalise.com/ Market Research Sensor Tower: https://sensortower.com/AppMagic: https://appmagic.rocks/Playliner: https://www.playliner.com/ Analytics Game Analytics: https://gameanalytics.com/Tableau: https://www.tableau.com/Firebase: https://firebase.google.com/ Playtesting Antidote: https://www.antidote.gg/PlaytestCloud: https://www.playtestcloud.com/Bugsee: https://www.bugsee.com/ Monetization AppLovin: https://www.applovin.com/AdMob: https://admob.google.com/home/Balancy: https://balancy.com/

Anton Slashcev July 8

Journal

Wondering How Wood Games Are In The Top Charts?

Here are some insights from the fastest growing Wood Games! KEEGO - Wood Screw Falcon Games - Screw Puzzle Zego Studio - Wood Nuts ABI Games - Wood Screw

Zack Weiss July 5

Journal

Simple Games Can Be Influential

"Banana" shows us why. I have seen skepticism about simple games. People say, "It's just clicking a banana." But here's the reality: "Banana" is a viral sensation. This free to play clicker game on Steam, has captivated over 141,000 players. → Its simple mechanic↳ clicking on a banana↳ has created a massive following.1. Banana Drops:Players receive unique bananas every 3 and 18 hours in their Steam inventory, which can be collected, traded, or sold on the Steam Marketplace.2. Marketplace Dynamics:Most bananas are worth a few cents, but rare ones can fetch higher prices, creating an exciting game economy.3. Community Engagement:"Banana" has a large player base and encourages community involvement with user-submitted banana art.4. Future Updates:The developers will add customizable banana appearances, minigames, and a banana exchange feature.Some call it a "dumb game with bananas," but the developers embrace its quirky […]

Ali Farha July 1

Journal

Cut Meetings To Boost Creativity

Game producers, more meetings lead to better games. Said no one, ever. Producers, we get it.You want the best games. You can't afford delays.Ever thought:"How can I spend less time in meetings?"You're not alone.Many producers are realizing meetings eat up creative time. Here's the thing: You can't afford not to create. Creating isn't just fun. It's crucial. We all know about endless meetings. They take time, sure.But there's something even better: Time spent directly on your projects.If you meet too much... It backfires. Creativity drops.Studies show producers who create more:→ Boost productivity→ Get more involved→ Control quality better→ Unleash untapped potential→ Understand the gaming landscapeIn the gaming world, you always have 3 options:Create, delegate, or delay. You chose to create and be hands-on.Here's what you can do instead:1. Focus on Quality: Directly oversee game development.2. Limit Meetings: Only meet when […]

Ali Farha July 1

Journal

Live Ops Feature Pipeline: A Complete Guide

Here's a step-by-step breakdown of the process: I. Pre-Production: 1. Concept 💡• Identify feature goals• Specify aspects to improve or develop• Provide references• Define the target audience• Set KPIs and profit forecasts2. Specification 📋• Describe all mechanics, states, user flow, and corner cases• Ensure interaction with other features• Prepare UI/UX mockup• Balance calculation• Team presentation3. Planning 🗓️• Scope estimation: Evaluate the scope of mechanics and art assets• Milestones: Define key milestones• Sprint planning: Break down tasks into manageable sprints• Risks: Identify potential risks II. Production: 4. Development 🛠️• Develop feature components (code, art, UI, level design, VFX, sound, etc.)• Implement key parts• Focus on core user flow and primary use cases5. Prototype 🧪• Initial build with only key mechanics & tutorial• Use draft or placeholder art• Evaluate overall game feel and adjust vision6. Iterations 🔄• Feedback iteration: Refine the feature […]

Anton Slashcev July 1

Journal

Wondering How Supermarket Games Are In The Top Charts?

Fastest growing Supermarket Games? Let's take a look! Digital Melody - Supermarket Manager Zego - Manage Supermarket Codigames - Idle Supermarket Tycoon G5 - Supermarket Mania Bubadu - Supermarket Game

Zack Weiss June 28

Journal

The Ultimate Guide to Careers in the Gaming Industry

Explore these career paths and find your fit: 1. Development Roles• Game Design• Art and Animation• Programming• Audio2. Production and Management Roles• Production• Project Management3. Business and Administrative Roles• Marketing and Sales• Human Resources• Finance and Legal4. Support and Technical Roles• Quality Assurance (QA)• Technical Support• IT and Cybersecurity5. Research and Analysis Roles• Research• Data AnalysisTo start your gaming career journey tomorrow.

Ali Farha June 24

Journal

There Is No Single Right Approach To A Feature

There's no single right approach to a feature or a game. I learned this lesson early on at Playrix.Years ago, I reviewed a new feature prototype for Fishdom.It was complex, experimental, and heavily inspired by another game.After playing, I felt the prototype missed the mark.The feature didn't evoke the desired emotions like its reference.So, I prepared detailed feedback:• Pointed out the flaws and differences• Suggested changes to align it closer to the referenceI was confident my feedback was perfect.I thought I found the only "right answer," as if it was a math equation.Later on, my mentor looked at my feedback and said:💬 "Anton, your feedback boils down to remaking everything from scratch to get closer to the initial reference.While that may be valid, did you consider finding something that works well and could be developed in a new direction, even […]

Anton Slashcev June 24

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