The Cultural and Education Section of the British Embassy in Moscow is inviting games industry professionals to take part in the online workshop “Mobile Games Development and Design”
The workshop is delivered in partnership with the Association for UK Interactive Entertainment (Ukie), Universal University and Scream School and is part of the international PlayUK Russia programme.
Dates and Duration
- Session 1: Wednesday 24th November, 6pm-9pm (Moscow)
- Session 2: Wednesday 1st December, 6pm-9pm (Moscow)
Application deadline is Sunday 14 November 2021 23:59 (Moscow)
This workshop is intended to help early to intermediate game developers successfully approach the design and delivery of commercial mobile games. This masterclass takes lessons from both Hypercasual and Games-As-A-Service (Living Games) models that maximise the potential for success by being focused on rapid development and continuous testing. Developers taking part in this course will understand the current best-practice development strategies and design methodologies that are being applied to deliver successful mobile games in the market today.
What will participants take away from these sessions:
- How to navigate the mobile game ecosystem for both Hypercasual and Living Games;
- Game Design techniques that deliver what players need (and want to pay for);
- Development strategies that "find the fun", "kill games early" and reduce risk.
- The workshop will be delivered online via Zoom and Miro in English with no translation.
Selection Criteria
We are welcoming applications from candidates working in a games’ company or studying on a games-related academic course at a degree equivalent level.
- The content is aimed at individuals who have 3 years or less experience working in a games environment or more experienced individuals who are changing their role within the games industry or starting a new studio;
- Individuals must be located within the Russian Federation,
- And have an excellent grasp of English, including an understanding of games terminology.
Attendance will be via Zoom so an internet-connected device is required. Each workshop lasts for 6 hours in total which will be split over two days. You will be expected to attend both 3-hour sessions in each workshop and there may be homework to undertake between the two sessions.
If you would like to take part, please, complete the application form by 14 November 2021 Sunday 23:59 (Moscow). Successful candidates will be informed by email no later than 17 November 2021. The number of places is limited to 20 people.
The workshop will be delivered by Oscar Clark, Fundamentally Games
Oscar is a pioneer in mobile and connected games. He has been working with online games since 1998 running BT’s online games platform, Wireplay. Since then, he has been global lead for games for Hutchison Whampoa and their mobile operator Three in the UK, the most successful mobile games platform in terms of revenue per user in the world in 2005. He was also Home Architect for Sony’s Online Virtual World, PlayStation Home and evangelist for Unity Ads, one of the most successful advertising networks in games.
Prior to establishing Fundamentally Games, he spent nearly 10 years consulting and working with a wide range of teams, most notably Unity, helping to communicate how to deliver effective monetisation, game development and live services.
Fundamentally Games is reimagining publishing for living games. It helps get games and development teams ready for market, from support with monetisation and economy design, to retention, marketing testing and data.
Oscar literally wrote the book “Games as a Service” which was published in 2014 by Routledge, and is a sought-after speaker, host, and moderator at major games industry events around the world.
Workshop Summary
Session 1
Will explore the nature of the mobile games market and the effective 'Lean' strategies which provide developers with the best chance to deliver successful commercial games by understanding the ecosystem, audience and most importantly, testing early and continuously. The session includes three core topics:
- Why Mobile Matters - understanding the dynamics of the mobile games business and ecosystem as well as the practicalities, implications and mode of use of playing on your phone.
- What Does Success Look Like? - exploring the factors which drive success from the love of a genre, market opportunity, market economics and importantly understanding what players want!
- KPI Led Development Process - an 'Agile' KPI-driven development approach that will reduce risk and help deliver "Minimum Viable Promise" - and why you should kill games early!
Session 2
Will explore the design and monetisation principles needed to deliver value for players in mobile games. In this session we dive deep into design thinking that will help developers make sustainable, replayable experiences and to find the best commercial models that match the expectations of the players.
- Anatomy of Game Design: Techniques for breaking games into layers that deliver effective commercial mobile games, including the Mechanic, Context Loop and Metagame.
- Delivering Player Value: Breaking games into the Forms, Types and methods of Exchange that drive value and how to apply them in the right business model (inc Ads and IAP) for the game.
- Living Games: The importance of what happens after the release of the game, and how to manage the long term engagement of players in a sustainable way.
Two 3-hour sessions comprising of three subtopics; each subtopic consists of:
- 20 mins lecture outlining the concepts for each topic
- 20 mins group activity in breakout rooms to learn how to apply each topic
- 20 mins Feedback/Review to clarify and reinforce the learning process
