Can you make the best casual game ever?! (Part 2)

The first part of "Can you make the best casual game ever?!" was mostly about basic steps every game developer should take in order to accomplish his best casual game ever. This one is all about 4 points that every casual gamer is hoping to find in your game.

1. Scoring – Your scoring system should be based on skills and achievements, remember the psychological factors involved in getting rewarded. Remember that a casual gamer is looking for fun, relaxation and….fun.


2. Make the thumbnail, the intro and the game itself similar – Flash game developers tends to use professional help for the thumbnail & intro graphics while presenting a poor puzzle/maze game. You should keep in mind that a casual gamer is like a new user at your online store – you really need him to pass through all the intro stuff and checkout (play the game) while trusting you as you let him pick on the gameplay just before he started it.


3. Good feedback helps making an intuitive gamplay. Use audio and video to emphasize the positive actions of the gamer.


4. Make sure you develop an idea you're all excited about. You're probably different then your end-customer, however, a work of an excited professional is always better then another crappy puzzle.

That's it for now...C U on Part 3 of "Can you make the best casual game ever?"

Can you make the best casual game ever? (Part 1)

Flash game developers are trying their best to create hits. Line Rider, Zuma and other casual games made millions for their developers and if you ever developed a Flash game, you've probably thought - "Hi! this might be a hit, I'm going to be reach!!!". Well, this is Part 1 if 'Can you make the best casual game ever?'

The "Can you make the best casual game ever?" series will be mainly a list of Dos & Don'ts, lets start with the obvious:

1. There’s no formula for a good idea/casual game, but there's one for a bad one. Developing games is art rather than science. Think of: Luck, personal experience and inspiration.
(Check these link: a. The worst game ever. b. Inspiration platform).


2. Allow the gamers to choose different difficulty levels.


3. Make the reading part as fun as you can, people don't like it.


4. Don't ask for any kind of sponsorship, if you agree for every thing, it means you don't believe the ability of your game to become a hit.


5. Don't mix different input devices, using the mouse and the keyboard at the same time is something most of the casual gamers don't like.


6. Pick an easy to spell, easy to pronounce game title. You want people to remember and recommend it don't you?


That's it for now...C U on Part 2 of "Can you make the best casual game ever?"

Gaming is good for….gamers?!?!

According to a research held by Boston University, gaming can improve surgical skills, junior high students' abilities, and the scientific thinking of real sports players. The bad news? Violent games can make you….violent!

In the American yearly psychology conference, researchers displayed their series of gaming researches, showing that a computer based game, can improve learning abilities and has a real influence over the gamer.


7 grade students had better processing and planning ahead abilities after playing 20 minutes in a video/computer base game they've never seen before. Medical teams were operating better surgical maneuvers as being (after hours…;-)) gamers.


"If you want to find a great doctor, ask him for his gaming history" said the psychologist Duglass Gentiel from Aiwa University. "Instead of – what are my chances, ask your doctor are you a gamer".


World of Warcraft is getting (you) better!!


Studies shows that playing World of Warcraft online multi player role game can really make you think better and calculate more parameters then the next person.


Another research shows that students, who used to play in violent games, were comfortable with real life violence.

Monetizing Flash games – What kind of Flash game developer are you…?

Monetizing Flash games is the act of making money out from the game you've developed। As a Flash game developer, you must already know that in order to develop Flash game, you'll need: 1. A good idea. 2. Flash developing skills. 3. Design skills (or a designer partner). 4. Web connection (to download free audio or send your audio partner – 'hey mate, I need a new track for my new game'). So you're not spending any money? Oh yes you are…the time, the work, the 'if I'll win this contest you'll get 25% mannn!' etc. In order to monetize your Flash game, first think of how much time & work, you're going to spent.

Before going into in-game-advertising, game sponsorships rendezvous etc, you have to determined what kind of a Flash game developer are you…?

The novice/the beginner/I'm in for the money Flash game developer:
- You can develop a game in one day….hack; even a few hours will be enough for you…
- You create a very simple gameplay, no leveling, no professional design.
- Your audience understands your game in seconds।

The talented Designer/Developer who decided he can make it big time:
- You understand the Flash abilities, and use them.
- Your need in a great game is leading your gameplay thoughts.
- You use powerups, complex leveling and great music.
- You might be under contract that demands games in time।

The Flash Games master:
- You use architecture methods to plan your game.
- It takes you months to make the final version.
- Amazing visualization of the gameplay, professional audio.
- Usually, you're working in a team।

Each of these Flash game developer types should know his/hers status and expect to monetize according to how much they've spent.

"...and the worst casual games are..." (Flash developers guide for bad games)

There are lots of guides about making great games. Me, myself and my blog are trying for months now to explain our position regarding how to develop top chart casual games (with Flash technology), but this time, it's all about how to make the worth casual game you can.

- Add loud irrelevant looping sound effects.
- Create new navigation psychology, let users explore before starting the game itself.
- Drop all 'skip' buttons.
- Change the main character look every stage and/or minute.
- Design the enemies to look like friends.
- Add ads for the 'full version' along the game play.
- Drop 'pause' option; 'restart';and make the credits scroll after every game play.
- Proportions? Forget about it...
- Don't add any text for the instructions, game play or closing. Let them guess....

Well, I'll stop here before someone starts developing these kind of game. Remember - think of the things you'd like to find in new games, and let it be the basics of your new game.

4 great tips to get your Flash game sponsored

This 'how to get sponsor to my Flash game' article could have been twice as long at list, however, I choose only 4 really important points so you'd remember them, implement them, and then come back to my blog for some more…and there will be more.

1: Take your time – sponsoring a game is not an easy job
You should take under consideration that sponsoring a game is somehow a daily job। You need to be patient, take your time…it might take a few weeks before all sponsors even read your request.

2: Let the world know you're looking for game sponsor
Send your 'sponsor my game' request to every site/portal/person who deals with sponsoring games। Send it again if you got no answer.

3: Make good relations with game sponsors
Be polite, don’t' barge or resend email to 'no' sources। Show the potential sponsor a finished game with great audio and graphics. Ask (gently) for tips, sponsors are familiar with this crazy market of casual games.

4: Game sponsorship is all about timing
a. Send your sponsorship request before reviling your game in game based communities.
b. Send your game to the sponsor without any in-game advertisement.
c. Don’t jump on a high offer, it might get higher.
d. Send a game as G-rated as you can.
e. Optimize your code for less processing power.

फ्लैश गमेस स्पोंसोर्शिप ब्लॉग

The truth about online gaming industry

There are many gaming industry resource and studies but there's nothing like one person accumulated knowledge to revile the truth about the online gaming industry

Myth: Making money from developing Flash games is hard!
Truth: It's not। Making money from Flash games developing is all about your marketing skills – do your homework, check out sponsorships, in-game advertisement, 'pay per intro' methods and 'pay per intro ads click' methods. Don't forget to submit your game into as many game development contests as you can integrate into your game, they'll make your game exposed and might win some amazing amounts for you.

Myth: Getting my game sponsored is easy!
Truth: It's not. The price of sponsorships went from $200-$1500 for the average Flash game, to $1000-$3000 still it is harder to get the sponsor to spend these amount on your game. There are many 'let's make sponsors and game developers come together sites' (like my own blog –

Flash games money making), but your game must be a potential hit to hit the Jackpot।

Myth: Great games are only made by developing teams!
Truth: They're not। Developing teams can make amazing games, but that doesn't mean you can't…If you'll write down everything, you'll make a better game: 1. The name. 2. The feel. 3. The Sounds. 4. The Main character. 5. The intro. 6. The ending. 7. The scoring. As you can see, developing teams succeed for their good developing management, that's it.

Myth: There are only 3 ways to make money from Flash games – Ads, Sponsorships and getting prepaid.
Truth: There are more – Game developing contests; Google Adsense along the side of your personal games portal; In-game advertising; Revenue sharing programs with social gaming networks and more.