Hi, I’m Tj’ièn
I’m on a mission to unlock the secrets of games. One-by-one I’m unlocking what makes them fun, how they keep players coming back and how they earn trust and provide value. I’m sharing these secrets here so you can increase retention, improve monetization, provide clear direction towards success and maximize your- and your team’s potential.
Unlock Retention
Unlock Fun
Core to any successful game is the fact that it’s fun. While most people find it hard to even explain what fun is, let alone design for it, it boils down to offering progression in it’s many facets. Progression is the unwritten rule of life that drives us all and successful games provide for that insatiable yearning. Once you have “found the fun” comes the challenge of maintaining it, nurture and evolve the fun to prevent boredom and churn.
Unlock Player Motivation
From mastery to social connection and from thrill seekers to unwinding, you’d be forgiven to think there are countless of reasons why players play games, but there are exactly 10. Most players play for multiple reasons at once and each reason with different levels of dedication. Breaking down this intrinsic motivation palette allows us to design specific games and features that align perfectly, keeping players engaged and satisfied for very long times.
Unlock Long lasting Engagement
Designing systems that last forever is never going to be easy, but it is definitely possible to design systems that are open ended, flexible and deep. Once you design games with progression as the main pillar, meta progression, additional content and live-ops becomes more attainable and more sustainable.
Unlock Monetization
Unlock VALUE
Not content, but context is king. Designing for value means that the game system affords enough flexibility to allow value to arise. A clever game system that is designed to accommodate value creates a rich context that is less dependent on content to sustain its economy for a longer period of time, while making sure the game maintains its appeal.
Unlock TRUST
Purchases only happen in a safe and trustworthy environment, where value is known upfront and the experience lasting. To design for trust goes beyond a stable build and customer support. It’s the opposite of fake ads, dark patterns and fear tactics, it’s about intuitive UI, clear communication and meeting expectations.
Unlock Relationship
To establish a long lasting relationship with your players, you need to invest and get to know them. Which of the 10 intrinsic motivations drives players towards your game and how dedicated are they in their pursuit? In current market conditions, players are hardly dedicated and so the game must be designed to show genuine interest in its players that provides the exact entertainment they are looking for.
Unlock Direction
Unlock Vision
Pushing a game to success not only takes a lot of effort from anyone, but also the capabilities to maintain course when the going gets tough – and the going always gets tough for games that are eventually a success. The vision holder or product champion is the one that believes in the game and its direction and will maintain course through stormy weather. Vision holders are “idea defenders”, instead they accept new perspectives and adopt the vision to new circumstances.
Unlock Inspiration
Looking for creativity and inspiration, but you feel you or your team hit a wall? We tend to get stuck or lost when our goals are not clear and the problems too large or vague. Consider tightening requirements, expanding your research or setting clearer goals.
Unlock Team Motivation
A team full of knowledgeable experts, great ideas and tons of energy, but somehow they don’t seem to gel together or be able to produce the results you need. Maybe there are too many captains steering the ship? No clear single vision? Too many goals but no priority? To create a team that is able to outperform individual capabilities, a single goal or vision is the first step. Creating culture around that vision that allows everyone in the team to safely contribute to that goal is equally as important.
Unlock Potential
Unlock NEW Perspectives
A sparring partner, someone that listens and asks tough questions that dig deep to really understand the issues you’re dealing with can be tremendously valuable. A coach, a mentor or crazy goofball that throws around weird and constraint ideas can unlock the direction you felt you had in you.
Unlock eXPERT Reviews
An outside perspective from someone with interdisciplinary and deep industry knowledge can speed things up or prevent you from making costly mistakes. FTUE (First Time User Experience) -feedback reports, churn analysis, gameplay, monetization and economy reviews can provide a guiding light when uncertainty kicks in.
Unlock Career Advice
You’re stuck in your career and don’t know what your next move is going to be? You’ve got the skills but somehow receive rejection after rejection? A portfolio that’s not being perceived well and undervalued by potential employers? As an active game director and industry mentor that’s passionate about the game’s industry and cares deeply about your success, I can provide quick, no nonsense and actionable advice that improves your portfolio, clears up your mind about next steps and gets you hired.
