Includes bibliographical references and index.

Social Game Design reveals what you need to know in order to create and monetize online social games. Using examples from successful game designs, you'll learn what makes these games compelling, and why people will pay to play them. This book will inspire you to apply these principles in order to meet the challenges of this new space, creating original games that both delight players and generate profit. We'll talk about different business models, how to acquire and keep players, how to sell virtual goods, and how to keep players coming back day after day. With Social Game Design, you'll: Discover how and why a social game design makes money, using real-world examples, including Farmville, Empires & Allies, Ravenwood Fair, League of Legends, Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville, Pocket Legends, Words With Friends, World of Warcraft, and more. Gain insight in a collection of interviews with industry professionals from Zynga, Microsoft, Spacetime, OMGPop, and other top companies. Get inspired to create your own unique game Learn how to launch profitable games and harvest user analytics to make them even better