The Definitive Guide
to Player Experience

You are 6 pages and 12 minutes away from learning the fundamental strategies needed to create Superfans.

Player 
Experience

The Definitive Guide to Player Experience

How the World’s Best Gaming Studios Think About Player Experience

Player 
Experience

From Players to “Superfans”

New data suggests that the entire experience – the game, the support, and the community – is what builds true long-term fandom.
 

For decades, Arise Gaming has worked with many of the top gaming publishers in the world, amplifying the voice of the player and building Player Experience programs that turn players into Superfans.

 

So how are superfans created? Each of the four practices below are the jewels to a best-in-class Player Experience.

Game quality & testing: 

Game quality & testing: 

Keeping the player “in flow” and moving forward through a fun, balanced, and reliable game.

Keeping the player “in flow” and moving forward through a fun, balanced, and reliable game.

Community engagement
& sentiment: 

Community engagement
& sentiment: 

Bringing like-minded players together inside of an ecosystem where they can express identity and forge meaningful relationships.

Bringing like-minded players together inside of an ecosystem where they can express identity and forge meaningful relationships.

Game engagement
and retention: 

Game engagement
and retention: 

Proactively engaging the player in ways that make them feel as though the game loves them back. Minimizing friction to secure positive outcomes.

Proactively engaging the player in ways that make them feel as though the game loves them back. Minimizing friction to secure positive outcomes.

Purchases and revenue: 

Purchases and revenue: 

Understanding the critical role of MVPs in the overall growth of the game.

Understanding the critical role of MVPs in the overall growth of the game.

With the foundation of these four pillars, we can create lasting superfans.

True or False

Incorrect, it’s True. 

Sorry, player experience should be central to the thinking behind game design, testing, player support and community moderation.

You're Right, it’s True!

That’s right. Player experience should be central to the thinking behind game design, testing, player support and community moderation.

The modern definition of Player Experience

It’s time for a more holistic definition of Player Experience that goes beyond game play and considers every Player touchpoint.

 

 Player Experience is the aggregate perception of the player after engaging with the game, the community, and the studio’s support. Player Experience drives growth of players, play, revenue and reach.

 

The goal of Player Experience is loyalty. Our interviews and interactions with dozens of Gaming executives confirm this. Studios that get PX right have higher engagement, increased customer lifetime value and significantly extend the revenue window of a game.

Player Experience: From cost center to profit center

 

It’s time for many studios to shift their mentality beyond the creation of games and focus on the total gaming experience. Jonathan Shroyer, Arise Gaming’s Chief PX Innovation Officer is a pioneer in the Player Experience movement:

 

“Best-in-class gaming publishers spend about 3-4% of their gross revenue on Player Experience. This investment not only pays for itself 3x, it keeps players playing a game 5-7x longer.”

 

Why PX and why now?

“In Gaming, Player Experience is not only considered critical but also seen as a differentiator. Competition is abundant, and when people have choice, the experience they have with Brands can ultimately be their tipping point to favor one over another. We know gamers with great experiences will play more, and when they play more, they have a strong tendency to spend more.”

 

John Pompei, Senior Vice President at Arise Gaming

The New Reality of Gaming

 

Gaming has exploded since 2020 with 2.7 billion players out there encompassing every age and every type of player. The industry is growing like never before with over 250,000 games listed in the Apple store alone.

 

This resource will take you into the minds of several of the most talented executives in the Gaming industry. The insights here will help you to create the type of experience that your players deserve, while simultaneously generating meaningful outcomes for your business.

Let’s Go: Game Testing and Quality

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