Solsten

With the rise of digital entertainment, our brains are adapting to conserve energy by reducing focused attention on screens. This poses a dilemma for game developers - how do we keep players engaged when our medium inherently discourages it? ⚡ The answer lies in understanding the psychology of your players. Research reveals that natural elements like water induce a sense of calm and safety, priming our brains for focus. Aligning gameplay and personalized player journeys with audience values, motivations, and personality traits reduces cognitive load. Mentally, it’s easier for players to engage with an experience that reflects what they care about. Listen to the full conversation between Michail Katkoff, Joe Schaeppi, and Bastian Bergmann on Deconstructor of Fun. 🎧 https://lnkd.in/g6F2rAiU

💻 https://lnkd.in/g6F2rAiU 💸 Attention used to be the currency of engagement but times have changed. Engagement rates are plummeting year-over-year and studios need to focus on long-term drivers like community, immersive experiences, compelling narratives, and resonance. ✅ Here’s the reality check: the industry is still operating on pre-COVID psychological expectations. Gamers are savvier. They’ve played countless games and their long-term orientation is increasing. D1 and D7 retention metrics no longer hold the same weight. Gamers will commit more time into a game to determine if its worth long-term investment. If your engagement strategy hasn’t evolved to meet these new expectations, you’re already behind. Our co-founders, Joe Schaeppi and Bastian Bergmann, unpack marketability, change management, resonance, and much more with Michail Katkoff on Deconstructor of Fun.

Inspired by our State of the Player Report, our recent “From Blueprint to Blockbuster” webinar brought together industry leaders from Electronic Arts (EA), Ascendant Studios, and Greenstone Games to reveal how they’re navigating today’s game development challenges with consumer insights. Huge thanks to Nicolas Reinhart, Regine Weiner, and Scott Pytlik for their expertise and advice on discoverability, effective development strategies, and addressing shifts in player preferences. Access the webinar: https://lnkd.in/g75SDXG3 #gaming #gamedesign #playercentricity

I had my reservations before I met Joe and Bastian for the first time in 2018. “A user research platform built by a psychologist and a tech bro? Gimme a break…” Luckily I got over my prejudice because we hit it off with the fellas. Turns out, they knew a good amount about making games and a whole lot about why people play games. In the latest Deconstructor of Fun podcast with the Solsten founders we talk about: 📊 gaming industry trends ⚙️ importance of change management 🧠 critical role of audience resonance 🤖 how AI enhances studio efficiency 📉 seldom discussed problems with MVPs Oh, that platform I was sceptical about. It proved to be invaluable at two separate game studios I got to lead. #gameindustry #gamedev

📣 Shoutout to all of the marketing and creative teams developing thousands of pieces of content every month. There is now a better way to reduce #CPIs and boost #ROAS than volume-based A/B testing. Two-words: creative optimization 🎯 Targeting has become more challenging but the path forward is not increasing the your volume of in-market ads. Focusing on both creative optimization and precise targeting is the way to attract and engage your ideal players. Why? Because not all installs are created equal. Your ad creative plays a big role in attracting players who are the right fit for your game — whose motivations and preferences align with what your game has to offer. The ad creative you develop, test, and optimize should not be viewed as a means to an end — it’s an ongoing, fundamental driver of your game’s success and a reflection of your brand. Read more on how your marketing team can overcome their local maximum with player psychology and creative optimization. #gaming #UA #creativeoptimization #advertising

Understanding players has long been a competitive edge, but most studios can’t afford full-time games user researchers and data scientists. Working with outside research firms can yield impactful insights, but it’s expensive. As a result, many studios are forced to rely on broad, inaccurate player assumptions as they work towards product market fit or increase investment into a live game. At Solsten, we’re removing assumption and guesswork through psychology. We reveal the "why" behind your audience’s behavior so you confidently design what they truly need. How does it work? 🧠 We’ve launched psychological assessments in games across mobile, PC, and console for the past 6 years, building the largest database of psych intelligence in the world (representative of 3.4B gamers). ✨ Our assessment measures over 275 traits that define who we are as humans, not just gamers. We provide insights based on intrinsic player needs and preferences so developers can make timely, player-centric decisions that drive success. 🎮 Psychological insights unlock potential at all stages of the roadmap. From validating concepts to maximizing the economic viability of live games, our team is here to help every step of the way. Understanding your players is a necessity to drive revenue. You bring your creativity, we’ll show you who it resonates with. #gaming #gamedevelopment #resonance #psychology

Personalization is becoming more expected in advertising. To transition from quantity-driven to quality-driven advertising, marketing teams need to be confident in their data. At the forefront of this trend is a deep understanding of player psychology. How do you battle fluctuating CPIs and declining ROAS? The answer is not “more ads.” Instead, game teams are anchoring creative strategies in the motivations, values, pain points, and communication styles of their players. Psychological insights provide marketing and creative teams with a head start, streamlining production speed and quality. At Solsten, we’re helping teams at Zynga, Wooga, and Tilting Point amplify creativity with player psychology to develop high-performing ad campaigns. Personalization is here to stay, read more at the link. #personalization #advertising #gaming

Creative optimization isn’t about dynamically shuffling ads based on performance—it’s about resonating deeply with your audience. Here’s why it’s fundamental to any advertising strategy. To truly captivate and convert players, you must tap into their psychological drivers and emotional triggers. This isn’t guesswork; it’s science. It means understanding the nuanced psychological profiles of your audience and crafting ad campaigns that speak directly to them. You’re not just creating content; you’re hoping to connect on a deeper level. Here’s what true creative optimization looks like: ✅ Identifying the specific emotional and psychological drivers of your top-performing player segments. ✅ Designing ad creative that evoke the right emotions at the right time during the player journey, increasing engagement and retention. ✅ Utilizing psychographic insights to fine-tune your creative strategy, ensuring every asset contributes to a cohesive and compelling player experience. ✅ When your creative assets are backed by psychological insights and data, they don’t just look good—they drive results. It’s tempting to stick with broad, one-size-fits-all strategies but with Solsten’s help, you can refine and expand your creative strategy as your understanding of your audience grows. Dive into the science of creative optimization below. https://lnkd.in/gY6pVwhE

A/B testing data might show you the results, but that’s only half the story. Identifying, understanding, and crafting creative based on audience psychology is how studios like YAGER are boosting conversion by 30%. 🔍 Insight: Altruism was a dominant trait in high value players for Yager. 💡 Action: How can this trait be leveraged quickly into advertising? Show players helping each other. 📽️ The Result: Yager developed an ad using gameplay footage where a player rescues another player prior to achieving success together. This ad saw a 30% increase in CTR. Don't rely on A/B testing alone to guide your creative strategy – it's only part of the equation. #GameMarketing #PlayerEngagement #AltruismInGaming #MarketingInnovation

Creative Optimization ≠ Dynamic Creative Management Creative optimization and dynamic creative management are distinctly different approaches for maximizing ROAS and reducing CPIs. ⚡ Creative optimization utilizes player insights to influence creative strategies. This approach focuses on the development of predictably resonant content driven by psychographic data and player feedback. 🤷 Dynamic creative management is downstream, often relying on AI to launch or remove creative based upon performance. Both are beneficial but only one is necessary for studios looking to maximize their marketing budgets in 2024. As the competition for attention ramps up, read more on how leading studios are leveraging Solsten for creative optimization. 📖 https://bit.ly/3RM3NSp