“We used to give people 10 horseshoes when they start [FrontierVille] – then we did a little test of, ‘Well, what if we gave 15?’ We thought that maybe the would help them get over the hump of building the cabin because we noticed that people who make it to finishing the cabin were more likely to stick and keep coming back. We tried 15 horseshoes and sure enough we had a substantial uptick in early retention – in people getting to the cabin and therefore sticking as players. In that way, essentially, it made the game more fun.” — That’s the lead creator of FrontierVille, Brian Reynolds, telling Industry Gamers why caring about the metrics of how people play their games is a plus, not some anti-fun, accounting-as-game-design misery.
Zynga Protests That Their Games Are Creative, And That Numbers Breed Fun
By
Stephen Totilo
|
🕹️ Level up your inbox
Don’t miss the latest reviews, news and tips. Sign up for our free newsletter.
You May Also Like
Latest news
Assassin’s Creed Hexe Loses Its Second Director In Two Months
Spider-Man: Miles Morales Actor Talks About That Missing Venom Game
A Controversial Boss That Led To Slay The Spire 2’s Latest Round Of Review Bombing Wasn’t Even The Game’s Strongest
Far Cry Showrunner Sounds Like He Doesn’t Understand How Games Work
A Surprise DRM Issue For Digital PlayStation Games Has Fans Worried [Update]
Star Wars: Galactic Racer Release Date Seemingly Leaks Leaving One Less Question Mark On 2026’s Empty Fall Calendar
New Jobs, Better Battles, And Evercold: Everything Just Revealed For Final Fantasy 14
How to Unblock Pornhub in Australia (Works in 2026)