Meta Systems and Features
Game: Genies & Gems
Role: Lead Game Designer
Lead design of completely new meta game loop, consisting of multiple connected systems
Player Motivation
The main motivation for players to play Genies & Gems has always been progression - players wanted to see what the next level had in store. But there was originally no meta system in the game and no reason to keep engaging other than the core desire to keep progressing.
Along with the modernization of the UI, I also wanted to add in a new meta game loop to give players more incentive to keep engaging with the game.
Identifying What Players Value
As the lead game designer, I concepted several meta game ideas, each with a different type of reward meant to encourage players.
I then worked with the consumer insights to get mockups of each idea in front of actual Genies & Gems players and get their feedback in order to identify what resonated with them and what didn't. After each round of feedback, I would refine the concepts, removing things players did not respond to, and refining the ones that they did.
Different concepts included ideas such as expanded narrative, player customization, avatar creation, and collections. However, it became clear that there was one thing that players valued the most, which was a direct way to help them engage with and complete levels. This gave birth to the final concept: new powers that players could earn and use to blast through levels.
Several meta loops were concepted
Giving the Player Goals
I broke the system out into short, medium, and long term goals, each feeding into each other. This would keep players engaged at different intervals:
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Short: Something to complete today or tomorrow
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Medium: Something to complete in a week
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Long: Something to complete in several weeks
The guiding star was always remembering to keep the players' main motivation at the forefront of all design decisions - playing and completing levels.
I lead the design team through the process of brainstorming, concepting, and pitching different ideas around this direction until the core features for the meta system were finalized.
Fulll meta game loop proposal - everything starts and ends with playing levels, the main player motivation
Short Term: Star Chest
I gave a purpose to stars, a legacy feature in the game that had no purpose outside of vanity, with the Star Chest. The feature pushed progression and mastery. Players earned stars by completing levels, with bonus stars for winning on first or second try, unlocking reward chests of increasing value. This added purpose to progression while offering an optional challenge for more engaged players.
I created the loot tables for these chests, working closely with our product manager and data analyst to ensure the rewards were balanced, exciting, and pushed player engagement without overpowering them. By introducing randomness to the rewards, we added a surprise element, enhancing player satisfaction while maintaining game balance.
Medium Term: Jenni's Wish
Jenni's Wish was a feature that allowed players to earn and choose between three different powers tailored to their play style: strategy, power, or time. This design enhanced player engagement by offering meaningful choices that aligned with how they preferred to play.
To drive engagement and revenue, I tied the feature to one of the game's highest revenue driving systems - the "First Try Win" mechanic, encouraging players to complete consecutive levels without losing. The more levels they won in a row, the faster the power meter filled, unlocking Jenni's Wish.
Account Progression: Golden Feathers
The Golden Feathers feature was created as a means to give a tangible meaning to lifetime progression. As the player interacted with different events and systems in the game, they would earn Golden Feathers. When enough were collected, they would progress along an upgrade path that would permanently upgrade different parts of the game. This would encourage players to engage with the different parts of the game to gain Golden Feathers as well as benefit from the upgrades.
I guided the initial concept of the feature, as well as the final look, feel, and reward balancing.
Long Term: Enchanted Vault Season
The culmination of all the different new features was a new seasonal event name the Enchanted Vault. The players would engage with each vault by collecting Relics randomly placed in Star Chests. Once enough Relics were collects, rewards would be unlocked. The final reward was a powerful new seasonal ability added to Jenni's Wish.
The seasonal wish changed each season and gave the player tremendous power while active. I aimed to make each seasonal power unique, fun, and satisfying to use. While active, the player would be allowed to feel almost unstoppable.
I took the feature from concept through preproduction and into development, writing the full spec, fleshing out details, and creating the first 3 seasons and their seasonal powers.
Genies & Gems was unfortunately affected by a company restructuring nearing the end of development for Enchanted Vault and was never fully released.
Each season would be themed differently and introduce a new Wish power along with new characters