Stanford University's Design School (d.school as it's stylized) had its first game design class in the spring of 2014. The class, called "Game Design: Making Fun" (http://dschool.stanford.edu/classes/game-design-making-fun/) invited me to give a guest lecture on the emerging trend of mid-core gaming. Thank you to teaching team of Michael St. Clair, Mathias Crawford, and Dan Klein for the invite.

1. Welcome!
What We Talk About
When We Talk About Mid-Core
by Adam Gutterman
Director, Games Monetization
Unity Technologies | Unity Games
adam@unity3d.com
@adamgutterman

2. The Games
Mid-core

3. Industry Chatter
”We segment the gaming audience by lifestyle patterns:
(1) Hardcore arranges their schedules around their gaming.
(2) Mid-core arranges their gaming around their daily schedule.
(3) Casual entertains self with games when time presents itself.”
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"Games that are easy to learn and allow advancement with short gaming
sessions, but are more engaging, more competitive and more challenging
than other social and casual games.”
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“It's really about distilling what you'd consider a 'hardcore' game down to
its core essence [by] making a great, deep game more 'accessible' - both in
terms of time… and platform access.”

4. Three Trends
”We segment the gaming audience by lifestyle patterns:
(1) Hardcore arranges their schedules around their gaming.
(2) Mid-core arranges their gaming around their daily schedule.
(3) Casual entertains self with games when time presents itself.”
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--
"Games that are easy to learn and allow advancement with short gaming
sessions, but are more engaging, more competitive and more challenging
than other social and casual games.”
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
“It's really about distilling what you'd consider a 'hardcore' game down to
its core essence [by] making a great, deep game more 'accessible' - both in
terms of time… and platform access.”
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
“Social” Games
MOGs

5. Perfunctory Outline
• Common Design Elements
• “Social” Games
• Multiplayer Online Games (MOGs)
• iOS & Android
• Common Design Elements of Mid-Core
• Audience
• Convergence: What’s Next

6. Trend 1: “Social” Games (1)
Common Design Elements
• Genre = Tycoon = Build for the sake of building
• 3X = eXplore, eXpand, eXploit (eXterminate)
• eXploit = Resource management
• No shared spaces = Persistent single-player world --> little replay value
• Theming + Art Direction
• Various themes, from farming to restaurant management to city building
• Iconic cartoonish graphics
• Accessibility
• Free
• Browser
• Gentle, asymptotic learning curve
• Quests = continued tutorial
• “Being good” = Understanding of rules x Efficient execution -->
• Execution in Social Games is trivial
• Short session length (<10 minutes)
• Energy system
• Appointment mechanics
• Fit for platform interaction pattern?

7. Trend 1: “Social” Games (2)
Common Design Elements
• Social interaction
• “Social” due to social networks
• Parallel play
• Lightly cooperative ≈ viral Trojan Horse ≠ pure gameplay mechanic
• Friend ladder ≠ Leaderboard ≠ No clear comparative mechanic
• Asynchronous
• Real identity

8. Trend 2: MOGs

9. Trend 2: MOGs (1)
Common Design Elements
• Genre = “Tactical Strategy”
• 1st Person Shooters, 3rd Person Shooters, RTS, MOBA -->
• Match-based, real-time, often co-op PvP
• 1X = eXterminate
• High replay value
• Multiple scenarios +
• Deep “character” classes to explore +
• New opponents
• Theming + Art Direction
• Deeply developed narratives in modern war, sci-fi, or fantasy context
• Hyper-realistic graphics, graphic representation of violence
• Accessibility
• Paid --> Free
• Internet-connected Desktop (Steam) / Console
• Steep learning curve
• Understanding of rules is complex (with emergent gameplay and even UI strategies)
• “Being good” = Understanding x Efficient execution
• Efficient execution has very high correlation coefficient with APM
• Medium-to-long session length (15-60+ minutes)

10. Trend 2: MOGs (2)
Common Design Elements
• Social interaction
• Exclusionary in that players are unforgiving to n00bs (steep learning curve)
• Engaging in that its synchronous w/real-time chat
• Highly cooperative + highly competitive (as pure gameplay)
• Clear winners and losers of each match = Clear comparative mechanic
• Anonymous identity (but you know who your friends are)

11. Trend 3: iOS & Android
Contributing Design Elements
• Touch screen (usually) doubles visual modality and UI --> intuitive
• Controllers
• AirPlay
• Native vs. skeumorphic UI
• LTE > Wifi = consistent, fast connections
• Pervasiveness
• Almost everyone has an iOS or Android phone
• It’s always in your pocket or bag
• Social plumbing (Game Center / GPGS / Facebook)
• Multiple ID options
• Cloud save states

12. Mid-Core Design (1)
Common Design Elements
• Genre = “Mid-Core”
• Mobile-optimized 4X = eXplore, eXpand, eXploit, eXterminate -->
• eXterminate = asynchronous, active player vs. passive player
• Replayability
• Same eXterminate mechanic
• Game as a service --> never ending fountain new tools of war to learn and employ
• New opponents
• Theming + Art Direction
• Modern war, sci-fi, or fantasy narrative context serves as framework only
• Cartoonish realism, abstracted violence
• Accessibility
• Free
• Internet-connected mobile devices
• Cloud save states allow for seamless access via all player-owned mobile devices
• Steadily advancing learning curve
• Understanding of rules grows in complexity as persistency grows
• “Being good” = Understanding x Efficient execution
• Efficient execution correlates to toolbox and strategy, not APM
• Short-to-medium session length (5-20 minutes)
• Energy mechanic is present but de-emphasized
• Appointment mechanics still very present
• Both make more sense for mobile interaction pattern

13. Mid-Core Design (2)
Common Design Elements
• Social interaction
• Many options for player identity and social graph
• Asynchronous interactions
• Clear winners and losers of each match = Clear comparative mechanic

14. Audience
Why Is The Audience For Mid-Core So Much Larger Than That Of Core?
• Free
• Pervasive platform
• The Goldilocks Learning Curve
• Easy initial solo gameplay
• Complex, deeply engaging elder gameplay
• Social Goldilocks Zone
• Highly social elder game mechanic
• Asynchronous nature is less demanding than real time (email vs. phone)
• Players can use real or anonymous identity
• Short sessions that can be played almost anywhere
• Abstracted violence makes traditionally core themes more accessible
• Artistic Goldilocks Zone = not too realistic or iconic

15. Scott McCloud’s Picture Plane

16. Scott McCloud’s Picture Plane
Core Mid-Core Casual

17. Convergence: What’s Next
Social + Mid-Core
• While social games have a far larger audience, mid-core games have a
much higher ARPU (Average Revenue Per User)
• Can social games incorporate design elements of mid-core to increase
its ARPU while maintaining its vast audience?
• Will mid-core continue to borrow from social to increase its audience?
• Will mid-core crash into social, creating a blockbuster Hollywood four-
quadrant film experience of mass appeal?
Shared Persistence + Real-Time
• Game of War is starting to look like a MOG/MMO
• Real-time interactions
• Persistent shared world
• Are real-time MOGs or even MMOs the next trend on mobile?

18. Thanks!
Questions now? Ask away!
Questions later? Ping me:
adam@unity3d.com
@adamgutterman