Avatar Progression Segmentation for Game Engagement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Interactive applications, such as video games, often require significant user effort before providing improvements, leading to player discouragement and churn due to the lengthy time needed to access better gameplay features, resulting in a smaller, less engaged player base.
Innovation Solution
Implementing avatar categories with defined minimum and maximum progression values, allowing for a broader range of progression and varying difficulty levels, which incentivizes players to invest more time and effort by offering additional features and rewards, thus creating a more engaging experience.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If players are required to invest significant time and effort to access better gameplay features, then gameplay improvement is achieved, but player engagement and retention deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the progression system into multiple avatar categories (beginning, intermediate, advanced) with different progression ranges. Players can choose which category to play in, allowing them to access appropriate gameplay features without being forced to invest excessive time. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by providing multiple pathways to gameplay improvement with different time investments.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the minimum progression value required to access content based on the selected avatar category. The beginning category has a higher minimum progression value (e.g., level 30) that acts as a cap, while the advanced category has a lower minimum progression value (e.g., level 1) but higher maximum. This dynamic adjustment allows players to access better gameplay features sooner by choosing the appropriate category, resolving the time investment contradiction.
2Device complexity
If a single progression range is used for all players, then simplicity is maintained, but player satisfaction deteriorates due to lengthy progression requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The progression system is segmented into multiple avatar categories, each with its own progression range. This segmentation maintains relative simplicity within each category while improving overall player satisfaction by allowing players to choose a category that matches their desired time investment and skill level.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the progression parameters (minimum and maximum progression values) based on the selected avatar category. The beginning category has a higher minimum progression value that caps progression, while the advanced category has a lower minimum but higher maximum. This parameter change allows players to access content sooner without requiring a completely complex progression system.
3Ease of operation
If early access to better progression values is provided, then player engagement is improved, but the challenge and incentive for long-term gameplay deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments players into different avatar categories based on their progression goals. The beginning category provides early access to better progression values for players who want quicker engagement, while the advanced category maintains traditional long-term progression incentives. This segmentation allows both engagement models to coexist without compromising either.
Solution Approach 2:
The minimum progression value acts as a dynamic parameter that changes based on the selected avatar category. For the beginning category, the higher minimum progression value effectively caps progression and provides early access to end-game content. For the advanced category, the lower minimum progression value allows traditional long-term progression. This dynamic adjustment maintains both engagement models.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, systems, and apparatuses are described herein for providing an interactive application, such as a video game, with a hierarchy of avatar categories, each having a maximum and minimum progression value. Each avatar category may be associated with one or more avatars, items, and/or other portions of the interactive application. A beginner avatar category may be associated with a minimum progression value greater than an absolute minimum progression value and a maximum progression value lesser than an absolute maximum progression value. A second avatar category may be associated with a minimum and maximum progression value that are, respectively, lower and greater than that of the beginner avatar category. The interactive application may allow a user to select from the beginner avatar category and the second avatar category. An avatar category may be associated with game rewards.