After a lot of data analysis and product research, the author summarizes the amount of simulated business classification. Let's start with the conclusion:
Quantitative analysis conclusions
Qualitative analysis conclusions
Instinctive level (visual level): The art style of simulation games is relatively more inclusive than other game genres, and players will supplement the game graphics according to their own life experience and imagination. (Reverse e.g. Wang Fugui x Low Poly)
Behavior level (operation level): the player behavior of pure simulation management games is more focused on content than operation, so it has higher requirements in terms of strategy depth and difficulty for players to get started; simulation management + games emphasize more sense of operation, especially the restoration degree of game operation to reality/imagination, and at the same time ensure the fun of operation; finally, release all attractive game content before reaching the player's fatigue point, so that players have a certain depth of game, because of the sunk cost is unwilling to give up the game easily, and then produce bonds.
Reflection level (deep in the heart): The selection of simulated business themes should pay attention to "empathy". The "empathy" of self-image needs to examine whether the theme selection and gameplay of the simulation management game can make the players have a strong sense of substitution and whether the output of the business results is personalized; the "empathy" of personal satisfaction needs to examine whether the theme and gameplay of the simulation management game can satisfy the player's emotional needs; and the "empathy" of the memory needs to examine whether the theme selection and gameplay of the simulation management game can evoke the beautiful and attractive part of the player's memory.
General research ideas
Gameplay classification of simulation management games
1. Place the business class
2. Business strategy
3. Time management
4. Simulated construction
5. Text simulation
6. Cultivation class
7. Community RPG
8. Simulated business +
Classification of the subject matter of simulated management
1. Cultural dimension
2. Reality & Virtual Dimension
3. Behavioral dimensions
4. Role dimension
Quantitative analysis of data
Confidence rule: If the number of reviews of a single game > 3, it is considered that the data has a certain reference value.
The degree of absorption of different kinds of simulation management games
• General trends
First, after cleaning away dirty data that isn't relevant to the footage and gameplay, the result is as shown above. The absorption degree of each gameplay is ranked according to the past absorption results: cultivation > text simulation> community RPG> simulation management + > placement management> business strategy> simulation construction> time management.
Due to the small number of samples of development games and community RPGs, the data confidence is low, so the overall absorption results are as follows:
Develop > text simulation> simulated operation + > placement management> business strategy> simulated construction> time management
Community-based RPG?
Both games in the development category have achieved good absorption results, so the conclusion that the absorption results are better is questionable. However, there are obvious differences between the two different games of community RPGs, and it is impossible to determine the average absorption level of the genre.
Layered comparison
Due to the large differences between the quantity, game quality, and video materials of each type of game, the overall absorption data cannot accurately show the real absorption level of each type of game.
Each game type is stratified by the level of absorption performance, and the performance of each type of game on different subdivisions can be compared to more accurately locate the absorption performance of the genre.
Tiering rules: [0.6 and above - A+/S] [0.50-0.59 - A] [0.40-0.49 - B] [0.39 and below - C]
1. A+/S 层：模拟经营+ > 文字模拟 > 放置经营 > 养成 = 社区RPG > 经营策略
2. Layer A: Cultivation > Text Simulation = Placement Management > Simulation Operation+
3. Layer B: Text Simulation > Business Strategy > Simulation Management + > Placement Management > Construction Simulation > Time Management
4. Layer C: Business Strategy > Text Simulation > Simulation Management + = Placement Management = Time Management > Simulation Construction > Community RPG
The reason why we do not do the exclusive hierarchical elimination of a single game here is that games are different from individuals, and a single game has a certain universality to the results of gameplay display.
Text simulation and simulation management+ performed well in the absorption performance at all levels, which means that the lower limit of these two types of games is higher. In the case of being also affected by external factors (material quality, game quality, art style), it can rely on the core gameplay to stabilize the basic game.
The performance of the placement operation is in the middle at all levels, indicating that the core gameplay of this type of game is no longer as attractive as that of text simulation/simulation management+. However, when the popular games with these two types of gameplay are missing on the market, idle management can still be used as the mainstay of simulation management to achieve good results. At the same time, the business category has strong adaptability in the market, and there are products that can be adapted at all levels to meet the different needs of players.
Compared with simulated construction products, the latter occupies the top position in the current simulation mobile game market ("SimCity: I Am the Mayor", "Dream Town"), while the time management theme lacks the proof of the mobile game market, and the absorption performance in the low-end market is average. Therefore, it is inferred that the traditional kitchen time management theme is no longer suitable for introduction and promotion (limiting tradition, innovative gameplay is not within the scope of the conclusion).
Due to the limitation of the user base and the IP bonus of "Moore Manor", it is difficult to reproduce in a short period of time even if the absorption results are good.
The two cultivation products are located in the middle and rear of the two layers of the head and the head respectively, and generally have a relatively good absorption effect.
The degree of absorption of simulation games with different themes
Absorption in the cultural dimension
On the whole, the degree of absorption of each theme in the cultural dimension is:
Modern Chinese Culture> East Asian (Japanese and Korean Cultures) > Western Modern Culture> Western Medieval Culture> Neutral Culture> Ancient Chinese Culture
In our player market, the degree of absorption of contemporary culture is greater than that of Western culture due to ancient culture.
The absorption performance of ancient Chinese culture and East Asian culture is relatively concentrated and stable, while the corresponding extreme cases of modern Chinese culture, Western medieval culture and neutral culture are more extreme, and the upper and lower limits are quite different.
The absorption in the real & virtual dimensions
The absorption of each theme in the reality & virtual dimension is as follows:
Reality mapping>> Alternate Fantasy> Reality Fantasy
There is a significant difference between the upper and lower limits of the fantasy theme and the realistic fantasy theme, and at the same time, the overall data is biased to the right, and most of the game absorption data is better than the average level of the theme.
Absorption in the behavioral dimension
The absorption of each subject under the behavioral dimension is as follows
Behavior-oriented> Numerically oriented
The behavior orientation here mainly refers to the fact that players will have other ways to interact in the game in addition to clicking buttons, such as making drinks, petting pets, dressing up, and so on.
It can be seen that the numerical performance of the behavioral dimension and the numerical dimension at each level is relatively similar, and the absorption performance is relatively stable.
The amount of absorption in the role dimension
The absorption of each theme under the character dimension is as follows
People are the protagonists> animals are the protagonists> and objects are the protagonists
The kurtosis of the object as the protagonist is extremely high, and the skewness is also larger than that of people and animals, indicating that the upper and lower limits of the object theme are quite different, and at the same time, most of the object subject absorption results are better than the average subject absorption results.
The level of absorption for important users
Definition of important users: For pan-users, considering the monetization factor, it is best to target the core users of males around 18~35 years old.
Combined with the uptake report, you can obtain information and profile important users:
[18-40 years old], [Male], [Hypercasual player], [IDLE/Sim management player]
In the absorption data presented by the sample games, the simulation management games are obviously not attractive enough to the user group (18-40 years old) in the core age group.
The two time management/cooking management simulation games performed relatively well.
Hyper-casual gamers are more interested in simulation games, with two-thirds of games achieving a higher absorption effect than the overall when facing hyper-casual players.
Among them, "Cat Whispering Coffee" of simulated management + has attracted the attention of hyper-casual players with its hyper-casual gameplay [Match 3] + simulated management.
However, "Synthesis and Magic", another simulation management + game, does not have enough appeal to hypercasual players, which is considered to be because the absorption video only shows the synthesis elimination gameplay and does not effectively combine it with the simulation management game.
Wang Fugui's Trash Recycle Bin performed well below its own total absorption level in the first two data core age and hyper-casual players, indicating that the core auction gameplay is relatively less attractive to players aged 18-40 and hyper-casual players. However, even so, the base of the data itself is in a relatively high position.
In terms of the attractiveness of the gameplay, sim management and idle players generally prefer to click on their favorite game genre, which is in line with common sense.
The player base under the guidance of the core gameplay does not buy the addition of match-3 gameplay in "Cat Whispering Coffee".
"Wang Fugui's Garbage Recycling Bin" auction gameplay and simulation management and idle game lovers have a high adaptation and appeal.
Male gamers' interest in the simulation gameplay is generally lower than the overall level of the game itself.
The baby-raising gameplay of "Parent Simulator" is much more popular with female players than male players, but overall the click-through rate of male players is still higher.
In terms of the natural attributes of players, simulation management games are generally less attractive to target users.
In terms of players' game attributes, the target user attraction of simulation business games is generally positive.
In terms of the absolute value of the difference, the absolute value of the overall difference in the natural attribute (0.62%/0.91%) is smaller than the absolute value of the overall difference in the game attribute (0.96%/2.62%).
Combined with the above three conclusions, the disadvantages of simulation management games in terms of player attributes can be compensated by enhancing their own gameplay.
The reference value of the suction results
Simulate the difficulty of business absorption
Compared with other game types with core gameplay + peripheral systems, the main differences between simulation games are as follows:
In terms of information communication, simulation management games are more suitable for [long video] output rather than [short video] output, which objectively limits the display of video attraction for games. This is also the reason why the simulation business video has a weak absorption effect on key natural players.
In terms of the fun of the game itself, the theme of simulation management and the gameplay are equally important. As the most straightforward type of game with a realistic and fantasy mapping, management simulation games are not as universal in terms of gameplay as games such as parkour/racing. The determination of the theme and core development ideas directly delineates the potential player group, and the extensibility of the player market is poor.
At the level of player comprehension, videos that simulate business games require a higher cost of understanding. Different from the running-eating-hiding mentality brought by the parkour game and the Dack effect, or the intuitive visual and operational feedback under other simple gameplay, the simulation management game belongs to the game with a lot of content and long-term game goals, which requires the accumulation of time and strategy to gradually obtain the experience of the game. However, the experience of this part of the time consumption and strategy selection process in the video is only the click of buttons and the reading of text, and even the later management/cultivation results are essential elements for players in other games.
The lack of actual experience from 0 to 1 leads to players being more like learning when watching simulation game videos, which is inconsistent with the casual behavior attributes of the game.
Quantitative analysis conclusion: how to view the absorption results of simulated operation
Premise: The absorption video of the simulation game has a relatively complete display of the game's theme, core gameplay, and peripheral gameplay.
At a 95% confidence level, the absorption results that meet the following criteria are the absorption levels above the average of the simulated business category.
1. Overall uptake result greater than 0.43% (confidence interval 0.46% ± 0.03%)
2. The difference between the absorption result and the overall absorption result of hypercasual gamers is greater than -0.03% and the TGI is greater than 100 (confidence interval 0.02% ± 0.05%)
3. The difference between the absorption result and the overall absorption result of the idle player is greater than 0.05% and the TGI is greater than 100 (confidence interval 0.10% ± 0.05%)
4. The difference between the absorption result and the overall absorption result of 18-40 year olds is greater than -0.06% and the TGI is greater than 100 (confidence interval -0.04% ± 0.02%)
5. The difference between the absorption result and the overall absorption result of male players is greater than -0.07% and the TGO is greater than 100 (confidence interval -0.05 ± 0.02%)
Test Logic (Subjective Judgment)
On the basis of the overall absorption results, the natural attributes are given priority, and then whether the game attributes meet the needs of the hyper-casual market. The preferences of core players help determine the competitiveness of the game.
Qualitative analysis from the perspective of player emotion
There are three main levels of cognitive and emotional hierarchy for players:
Instinctive hierarchical design -> appearance
Behavioral hierarchical design -> pleasure and utility of use
Design for Reflective Levels - > self-image, personal satisfaction, memory
1. Instinctive level
The business simulation game itself is a reflection of reality/fantasy, so players will naturally map the elements of reality or fantasy with the elements of the game when they enter the game. Therefore, whether it satisfies the degree of restoration in the player's mind largely determines the player's evaluation of the game at the instinctive level.
Different types of simulation games have different requirements for appearance/art style. Among them, the requirements for reduction and painting style are relatively high for cultivation (especially animal themes), simulation construction, and text simulation (the plot will have a sense of watching and reading).
Due to the breadth of the selection of themes and the brain supplement of players' real-life experience, the tolerance of players to the painting style is higher than that of other types of games.
Therefore, the bottom line requirement of the style of simulation management games is that it does not completely conflict with the game type and theme
The best way to solve the art style problem is to have a game with as many different art styles as possible.
2. Hierarchy of behaviors
The behavior level of simulation management games corresponds to the player's operation/touch interaction and the design of gameplay strategy.
Simulation games have more content-focused player behavior than action. Therefore, on the one hand, it is necessary to pay attention to whether the game is easy in terms of basic operation, and on the other hand, it is necessary to pay attention to whether the game can allow players to quickly get started and engage in it, study how to develop strategies and advancements, get the fun of the game, and be willing to explore the game content in depth.
Simulation management + games need to pay attention to the sense of operation. Different from the traditional simulation management game, the combination of other gameplay in simulation management + puts forward requirements for the operation of the game. Looking back on the high-absorption simulation management + games: "Wang Fugui" garbage station operation + auction, "What kind of garbage is this" garbage classification, "Class Teacher Simulator" puzzle solving + class management, "Milk Tea Queen" milk tea production + placement management, the common point of these games is that the added gameplay and its own theme have a good restoration effect, and the operation is realistic. However, the added gameplay such as match-3 + cultivation, synthesis + management, etc., is not highly compatible with the simulated management gameplay, and the player's operation and video display will feel that there is a lack of connection between the gameplay, and it is difficult to achieve a good absorption effect.
Unleash all the engaging gameplay content before you reach the point of player fatigue. As an evergreen in the simulation management game, the major flaw of Cairo game's game design itself is that there is very little game content that players can play in the later stage, which does not conform to the law of "flow" theory, the deeper the degree, the greater the difficulty. However, players tend to find the game fun when they are new to the game, and this excitement will be maintained for quite some time. When the player's game level reaches the fatigue point, the fun points of the game have basically been covered, and at this time, due to the player's early time cost and business results, the player will not easily give up the game.
3. Levels of reflection
The selection of simulated business themes should pay attention to "empathy".
The "empathy" of self-image needs to examine whether the theme selection and gameplay of the simulation game can make players have a strong sense of substitution, and whether the output business results are personalized. For example, in the community-based RPG game "Moore Manor", in which the player really plays a role, and all kinds of behaviors in the virtual community have personal colors and ideas, "SimCity: I Am the Mayor" and "Dream Town" players are directly involved in the construction and management process of the city, and the construction of the city and the management method have a strong personal style, "All Beings Travel", "My Job 996" This kind of game is to grasp the mentality of a specific group of people at the moment, and this kind of group of people have naturally generated substitution emotions when they see the title of the game; all kinds of traditional placement and management gameplay are also intended to hope that players will substitute into it for management, but due to the strong numerical characteristics of the content, the gameplay is seriously homogeneous, and it is difficult to bring players the experience of self-substitution after the novelty has passed.
The "empathy" of personal satisfaction needs to examine whether the theme and gameplay of the simulation game can satisfy the player's emotional needs. For example, the auction gameplay of "Wang Fugui" captures the fantasy of speculation, pursuit of excitement, and getting rich overnight in the player's emotions; "Class Teacher Simulator" and "Parent Simulator" meet the desire of many players to manage students and raise babies in real life, but they may not be able to do it;
The "empathy" of memories needs to examine whether the theme selection and gameplay of the simulation game can evoke the beautiful and attractive part of the player's memory. For example, the puzzle-solving part in "Homeroom Teacher Simulator" is actually a kind of memory of the player's student days, and "Chinese Parents" is a memory of the player's own growth. Since negative instinctual emotions tend to last for a short period of time, life memories with a larger time span are more likely to bring a relatively pleasant experience. Therefore, in the part of memory, it is necessary to select the common and long-term stages according to the division of the player group, as a reference for the selection of game themes and gameplay design.
Quantitative analysis conclusions
Through the multi-angle hierarchical classification of games, it is preliminarily judged whether the game is worth testing.
The games that need to predict the absorption are categorized according to these five angles, and the center point of the table for each category is linked, and the larger the area of the dark color on the left side of the line, the higher the probability that the absorption result will be better.
The elements that need to be possessed by the absorption video of simulated operation: subject matter (what to simulate, how to simulate), core gameplay (making money from a little bit/strategy matching/simulated operation, etc.), peripheral system (additional gameplay/plot, etc.). Among them, the transmission of the subject matter must be complete and accurate to ensure that the data of the video has good reference value.
P· Due to the limitations of the video itself and the constraints of the audience, the overall result focuses on providing a reference for psychological expectations and tuning directions. It's not that a game that can't pass this process is necessarily a substandard game.
Judging Criteria Reference:
1. The overall absorption result is greater than 0.43% This data is for reference only, due to the great differences between the simulated business gameplay, if it is a weak absorption itself, it can be appropriately narrowed down in the standard, and the specific data can be referred to here.
2. The difference between the absorption result and the overall absorption result of hypercasual players is greater than -0.03% and the TGI is greater than 100
3. The difference between the absorption result and the overall absorption result of the idle player is greater than 0.05% and the TGI is greater than 100
4. The difference between the uptake result and the overall uptake result of players aged 18-40 is greater than -0.06% and the TGI is greater than 100
5. The difference between the male player's absorption result and the overall absorption result is greater than -0.07% and the TGO is greater than 100
6. * Interpretation of the TGI can be included in the uptake report below each item of data
Beyond absorption: Players like simulation games that can meet their multi-level emotional needs See the qualitative analysis section for details
Instinctive level (visual level): The art style of simulation games is relatively more inclusive than other game genres, and players will supplement the game graphics according to their own life experience and imagination.
Behavior level (operation level): the player behavior of pure simulation management games is more focused on content than operation, so it has higher requirements in terms of strategy depth and difficulty for players to get started; simulation management + games emphasize more sense of operation, especially the restoration degree of game operation to reality/imagination, and at the same time ensure the fun of operation; finally, release all attractive game content before reaching the player's fatigue point, so that players have a certain depth of game, because of the sunk cost is unwilling to give up the game easily, and then produce bonds.
Reflection level (deep in the heart): The selection of simulated business themes should pay attention to "empathy". The "empathy" of self-image needs to examine whether the theme selection and gameplay of the simulation management game can make the players have a strong sense of substitution and whether the output of the business results is personalized; the "empathy" of personal satisfaction needs to examine whether the theme and gameplay of the simulation management game can satisfy the player's emotional needs; and the "empathy" of the memory needs to examine whether the theme selection and gameplay of the simulation management game can evoke the beautiful and attractive part of the player's memory.