How to Make Free-to-Play Pay! The Inner Workings of Virtual Goods and Game Economies | Josh Larson, Margaret Wallace,

Audio & slides (54 MB) Looking for real, relevant and useful data as well as guiding principles and design philosophies for putting virtual goods in your game? Join Margaret Wallace of Playmatics and Josh Larson of Mochi Media for an advanced-level discussion on the how and why of using virtual goods in your game. Get concrete data on items that sell well and those that don’t. Are there different spending patterns, items and mechanics for single player vs. multiplayer and social games? What about the underlying mechanics of a virtual economy (inflation, supply and demand etc.), player retention vs. monetization (some games milk players for all they’ve got within 3 months, then spit them out)? Successful implementation of virtual goods requires careful balancing and consideration of gameplay mechanics and strategies. This presentation covers winning strategies, game-play mechanics and other tips for developers to successfully integrate virtual goods into their games and how to avoid the pitfalls that others have encountered. Walk away with concrete examples on how to approach virtual economies in your game. Delivered at Casual Connect Europe, February 2010

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Josh LARSON (email) Josh Larson is President and COO at Mochi Media, where he leads Mochi`s sales, marketing and public relations efforts as well as guides the company`s monetization strategy. Prior to joining Mochi Media, Josh was Vice President of Business Development at Double Fusion, where he developed new in-game advertising business models on platforms from Sony PlayStation 3 to Apple iPhone. Josh also spent several years at CNET/GameSpot, where he served as Vice President of Games and led product development and business strategy for the company`s gaming websites. Josh holds a B.A. in Economics from Dartmouth College and an MBA from the Darden School at the University of Virginia.

Margaret WALLACE (email) Margaret Wallace is an entrepreneur and video game professional. She is the CEO of Playmatics (www.playmatics.com), a company dedicated to bringing rich games and applications to audiences worldwide. Prior to forming Playmatics, Margaret was CEO of Rebel Monkey, a venture-backed company focused on creating a free-to-play game world and community platform utilizing virtual goods and microtransactions. Before Rebel Monkey, she was a founding member and CEO of Skunk Studios in San Francisco, CA, one of the first-ever casual game companies and portals. Margaret also spent time at Shockwave.com, PF.Magic, Mattel and Mindscape and has worked on numerous brands, licensed products, gaming portals and original IP. She holds an MA and BS in Communication and Cultural Studies from the University of Massachusetts/Amherst and Boston University, respectively.