A Game Progression System is an essential component of modern video games, providing players with a sense of accomplishment and motivation to continue playing. In this article, we will explore the key elements of a successful Game Progression System and how it can enhance player engagement and retention.
The idea of game progression is one of the most important ways they keep us interested, whether through skill improvement, unlocking in-game objects, or seeing how a game’s plot evolves.
When designing an experience for your players, progression systems are always a difficult option. Everyone appreciates the sensation of progress, completing a task, and receiving a reward. With games, it’s easier because you’ll typically evaluate if you want a progression system. It is frequently an afterthought when it comes to gamification. Another difficulty both games and gamification have in common is that progression systems are viewed as psychological traps for players.
We’ll talk about the game’s progression structure and how it keeps players returning for more. So let’s get started with the definition of the game progression system.
Understanding What is a Game Progression System
Game progression is a critical mechanism that alters gameplay aspects and the world around the player based on the attained population levels and overall population. The bulk of games is designed with a progression gameplay paradigm in mind. Designers like progression gameplay because it allows them to build a good plot around the game’s action. Every game’s purpose is to be both immersive and enjoyable to play.
The gameplay of a progression game is designed around a predefined sequence of obstacles that the player must complete moving through the game. In these games, the player is often given a set of tasks to accomplish and must go through several stages or challenges. These games frequently feature a more linear structure, and the player’s agency is limited since they must follow a predetermined path through the game.
Key Game Progression Elements
The following are some crucial elements of the game progression system.
- Game Mechanics – All controls and interactions inside the game, including new weapons, abilities, powers, vehicles, and environmental conditions or events, are called game mechanics.
- Experience Duration – The average time to finish each stage, level, and mission, including fatalities if applicable or course (using the most relevant vehicle).
- Ancillary Rewards – Thrilling natural beauties, fancy visual effects, scripted events, etc. It’s great to prioritize some of the more spectacular environmental wonders and effects up front (Medal of Honor style). However, an enjoyable game should have all of the level, course, or mission experiences built so that new visual rewards are staggered at a rate that keeps players interested (precisely what an Environmental Progression does).
- Practical Rewards – New game modes, enhancements, and helpful unlocked content are significant as the carrot on the stick to entice consumers to keep playing the game.
- Difficulty – It is difficult to overcome barriers and how much risk is assumed regarding player injury/death, weapon depletion, or vehicle/equipment damage or loss.
Games that only arrange the release of some of these aspects risk overloading the player with too much information too soon. They must engage players sufficiently with new elements to keep them playing or entice renters to buy. We’ve all played games that suffered from regrettably common flaws like difficulty spikes, aggravating mechanical complexity, or just boredom after a few hours – all of which are signs of unstructured, ill-designed, and unmanaged game advancement.
Ways And Tips to Retain Your Players
You must design something that people will return for your game to be successful. A player retention plan can help you achieve this goal. Follow these suggestions, and your users will keep coming back for more.
Make A Great First Impression
Player retention refers to getting people to return and play your game repeatedly. But before considering it, you must first make a good impression. An excellent first impression entails removing as many barriers to enjoyment as possible for first-time gamers. You need to get people playing, and they’ll appreciate it enough to return.
Incorporate Delayed Feedback Loops
Curiosity is a very effective incentive for player retention. We instinctively build for instant pleasure and feedback in games. But including delayed revelations in your game can assist in enhancing retention. Time-delayed mechanisms, such as mystery boxes that award rewards after a defined time, are adequate in enticing players to return.
Missions
Missions are beneficial in endless games because having three separate current tasks shifts the game’s emphasis and gives diversity to each session. They consistently reward players with in-game currency and rewards (coins, experience points, etc.). It is frequently accompanied by a progression ladder, which provides structure to the game that would otherwise be lacking. Often, only three missions are running at any given time, replacing them with new tasks when completed.
Create Player Investment
Giving a new player enough cash (premium or otherwise) and encouraging them to spend it on a premium item. Remember that investment implies engagement, and engaged players are simpler to keep. The initial purchase of a player can motivate that player’s involvement in the game, especially if that first purchase has a progression or personalization influence on the user’s experience.
Upgrades
Upgrades are an artificial method of making the player better at the game. You suddenly move further and score higher. But it’s not necessarily because you polished your skills to perfection. But rather because you purchased in-game upgrades that increase your numbers and make the game more manageable overall. Upgrading is a fundamental notion borrowed from the Role Playing genre. It is adapted to fit more casual games, particularly endless games. It’s another approach, along with the missions system, to provide a sense of progression and improvement while you’re still playing the same two minutes again and over.
Send Push Notifications
They are an effective method for connecting with your gamers. You can use push notifications to deliver messages to players requesting them to rate or review your game in their preferred app store. You can also notify players when it’s their turn to play or when new features have been introduced to your game. It is critical to realize that push notifications are a two-edged sword. Send alerts when you have something essential to inform others, and they will appreciate it. Asking for reviews daily can push users to another mobile game.
The Bottom Line
We’d all like to move on to something that adds value to our experience. At the most fundamental, game progression systems are about making players feel good about themselves. So, we must all ensure that the journey is valuable for our gamers. The content is comprehensive and compelling.
Keeping people interested in your game and returning for more is a constant challenge, but it can be overcome. You can experiment with new methods to engage. Use technology to test and discover player insights, and iterate until you find the perfect combination of content. Additionally, player experience and support to create long-term engagement outcomes.