Chris Swain is CEO of Talkie. He gave this presentation during the GamesforNature Workshop, which took place on November 9, 2011 in Cambridge, UK. More information about this event can be found at www.gamesfornature.org Chris focused his presentation on how to achieve measurable impacts on social causes. This is significantly more difficult than merely raising awareness of causes, but it has the potential to be an important conservation tool. To achieve this, he suggested that impact metrics need to be identified. “Average Impact per Daily Active User” is a metric designed by Chris to measure the real-world impact of games. One thing he has learned is that having a good cause has not impact on game engagement or uptake.

1. Nature Conservation Games in
Social Networks:
Opportunities and challenges.
Chris Swain,
CEO, Talkie, Inc.
Professor, University of Southern California
cswain@cinema.usc.edu
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2. Case Study:
facebook.com/ecotopia
Other games I have created:
-30 games in industry
- The Redistricting Game (www.redistrictinggame.org)
- social change games with Rockefeller Foundation, Gates Foundation,
ABC News, others
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3. Goal of my Games for Change:
Achieve Measurable Impact on Social
Cause
Note: Specifically seeking more than awareness of cause.
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4. profit > measurable impact
Strategy:
1) Achieve Mass Reach
2) Impact Metric
• Actions of player translates to measurable impact
• AIPDAU – avg impact / daily active user
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5. profit > measurable impact > strategy 1: mass reach
Achieving Mass Reach:
1) Entertaining
2) Distributed Online
3) Leverages Social Graph
4) Free to Play
5) Real Marketing
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6. profit > measurable impact > strategy 1: mass reach
“Entertaining” trumps all
others.
Achieving Mass Reach: play because game is
-People
1) Entertaining
entertaining and not b/c of a social
2) cause or any other factor. Period.
Distributed Online
3) Leverages Social Graph
4) Free to Play
5) Real Marketing
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7. profit > measurable impact > strategy 1: mass reach
Achieving Mass Reach:
1) Entertaining
2) Free to Play means:
Distributed Online
1) Everybody plays free
3) Leverages Social Graph cost real
2) Optional virtual goods
4) Free to Play
money
• ~92% of players do not pay
5) Real Marketing a little
• ~6% pay
• ~2% pay a lot
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8. Social Games Get Primetime
TV-Sized Audiences
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9. profit > measurable impact > mass reach > real marketing
Real Marketing:
1) Viral Features
2) Public Relations
3) Cross Promotion
4) Media Buy in $
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10. profit > measurable impact > mass reach > real marketing
Real Marketing:
1) Viral Features
Do all of these.
2) Public Relations Keep expectations low.
3) Cross Promotion Planning on viral explosion
is very naïve.
4) Media Buy in $
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11. profit > measurable impact > mass reach > real marketing
Real Marketing:
1) Viral Features
2) Public Relations
3) Cross Promotion
4) Media Buy in $ most reliable and effective
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12. profit > impact > mass reach > marketing > media buy
Achieving Profit:
LTV > ECPA
LTV = Lifetime Value of Player
ECPA = Effective Cost of Acquisition of Player
LTV > ECPA means $1 to marketing returns >$1 to you
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13. profit > impact > mass reach > marketing > media buy
Achieving Profit:
LTV > ECPA
LTV > ECPA means private investors will invest in the game
Case Study: $2b free to play game industry
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14. profit > measurable impact > strategy 2: impact metric
Impact Metric:
AIPDAU = Avg Impact / Daily Active User
Note: Actions of player impact the real world.
Easier said than done.
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15. Sustainable Platform for Affecting
Change
World goes from
unsustainable to vibrant
and green.
facebook.com/ecotopia
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16. Sustainable Platform for Affecting
Change
Unlock a new story/mission
board every month.
• Each board features a new
“villain” to overcome
• Real World Acts = game rewards
• Ecotopia TV – video network +
UGC contests
Grumpy Mrs. Griswald
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19. Sustainable Platform for Affecting
Change
“25,000 Trees in 25 Days”
Challenged players to
plant 25,000 virtual trees
in game.,
They did it.
Talkie and CI planted
25,000 trees in the
Brazilian rain forest.
facebook.com/ecotopia
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20. Thank You
Chris Swain
chris.swain@talkie.tv
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