What makes a mobile game attractive by Povilas Katkevičius, Game Producer at Nordcurrent

The entry level answer would be a meaningful synergy between graphics, storyline, mechanics, and technology. This synergy supports a theme that resonates with you on some personal level. We all have switches that must be flipped the right way for us to continue playing.

Retention evangelists will talk about first impact, loading optimizations, personalized tutorials and push notifications, in-app events, market research and meaningful time, energy mechanics. Which are of course important but lack the mystery and beauty of our ancient animalistic desire to play. To be surprised and delighted while problem-solving.

Flow jedi will prompt you to accept the way of the flow. And that the only way to retain players is having them enter the flow state with all its balanced glory of challenge and progress. Which I agree with as well. Flow is important, but let’s be honest there is no game that will constantly keep you in this glorious state. And that is ok. Something to strive for.

I personally like the idea that basically a game is a tool. A mish mash of bits and pieces that has no real value. It is nothing without a player. And if that tool helps us experience stories which we can tell others and ultimately to ourselves then we will keep using it. And everything else is just details that we can continue to happily argue about and get better at creating these tools.