How can online games retain players?

For an online game to succeed, it needs to retain customers.  That’s a simple and obvious truth.  Less simple and obvious though are the methods by which this can be accomplished.

I see four critical design components to retaining customers.  Two more – customer service and appropriate pricing for value – aren’t design components are thus are not in the scope of the discussion here.  I’m going to focus on ongoing novelty, concrete goals, playstyle support, and social ties.

Rumors of my death…

It’s been a very busy month for me.  Just wanted to post a brief explanation of my silence here and a reassurance that I remain both alive and as cantanker… erm… well, full of spirit as ever.

My work has been pretty involving of late; I’ve actually been working evenings and weekends, a bit anyhow, to get some projects back on track and to secure some new patents about which I’m very excited.  I must say I rather enjoy the process of writing and submitting new patents – both from the viewpoint of performing my duty as Vice President of R&D and from a purely selfish perspective of both ego and future career prospects (hey, it’s my name on these bad boys, after all).  At the same time, I’ve been rather busy with a new relationship with a lovely lady, which has absorbed much of my remaining free time.  I also may or may not have been boldly going places where people may or may not have gone before, possibly in a video game or games of some sort that may or may not be online either now or in the future, and if I were doing so, it’s also possible that some sort of agreement not to disclose such facts would prevent me from saying so explicitly.  Whether I would have enjoyed such theoretical pursuits, if I were actually engaging in them, I probably would not be able to say if such a non-disclosure agreement did in fact exist.  I’ve additionally been playing Dragon Age in fits and spurts, which has been enjoyable if never particularly surprising or exciting; it’s basically exactly what I expected from Bioware, and is no doubt a good game, but it also feels much like many other games I’ve played, moreso as I continue.  Finally, I just returned yesterday from a business trip to attend the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, where I launched a new product to some excellent reviews, and also enjoyed some great TexMex dining and some very very productive meetings.  Good times.

To sum up: I’m still here, and have a few posts in draft form, but haven’t had much time to post anything lately.  I’ll likely do so soon.  Life is good.  I continue to post comments in other blogs but haven’t produced anything here in 5 weeks or so, which is a long time I admit, thus the assurance to my small but loyal group of readers that content will indeed resume momentar… well, soon anyhow.