German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer posited “Three stages of Truth” * All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident. It seems to me that free-to-play games...

I am a great believer in the “Keep it Simple” principle. I am often asked which metrics I consider most important. Clients and developers seem to expect me to rattle off a list of dozens, scores, maybe...

I believe that every game has a ‘fair average value’ which I’d define as the amount that the average player feels is about right to spend on that game each month. Some players will spend much more,...

Undercroft is just one example of a game that is free, with no expectation that it will generate any direct revenue at all. It is a good game with relatively high production values. If you are charging...

The inexorable rise of free-to-play gaming has led to a vast array of criticism of the free-to-play model. A recent comment on Twitter from Jurie Horneman has helped me understand the fundamental challenges in free-to-play games, why so...

Studios often get caught on the subject of whether they should give away a demo of their game, or leave it alone. The prospect is that they will acquire customers through this marketing effort, but the fear...

As you may remember, I am writing a book of short, sharp, single ideas to improve your online game. Things like “Sex Sells: Use double entendres to drive sharing and clickthrough” or “Be generous: by giving away currency,...