slides & audio(33 MB)
Why do some games become instant hits overnight, while other great games never really make it? What are the viral mechanisms at work here? In this session we will look at several case studies of successful viral games. We will explore how to use innovative game design and community tools to get the word out. By applying these techniques you will be able to market your games yourself and attract a large player base. You don't have to spend lots of marketing dollars. And you don't need to rely on big publishers and portals for your success.
Delivered at Casual Connect Amsterdam, February 2008
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Michael Kalkowski (email)
Michael is creative director and co-founder of GameDuell, Germany’s largest gaming community with over 7 million players. In operation since 2003, GameDuell offers skill-based multiplayer tournaments in casual games like Solitaire and Trivia. As managing director and creative director, Michael (34) is responsible for GameDuell’s games, website, player community and user experience. At GameDuell he has designed and produced more than 30 games.
Michael is a serial entrepreneur who also co-founded the consumer portal dooyoo.com in 1999. As a member of dooyoo’s board of directors and chief product officer, he was responsible for creating one of Europe’s largest web communities and managing all customer relations (CRM). Previously, Michael has worked as an international consultant for product- and online-marketing. He holds a degree from the advertising academy WAK, a masters degree from the University of Cologne, where he specialized in marketing and consumer psychology, and an MBA from Eastern Illinois University (USA).
