Lloyd Melnick
Chief Customer Officer

Lloyd Melnick
Chief Customer Officer

First, given that the game had a two month development cycle and it was Merscom’s first real Facebook title, the numbers are great.  With less than $10,000 in marketing, it already has about 250,000 monthly users (MAU).  It is also monetizing at a rate consistent with industry norms.

It’s not the monetization or quick growth, however, that I see as an indication of the value of brands.  It’s the way both Merscom and Starz were able to work together to get value that other social game companies are not able to achieve.  On Starz’s side, let’s not underestimate the value of the movie’s marketing campaign.  With over $30 mm spent on marketing, there was incredible awareness of the IP, which made it much easier for us to get people to try the game.  Additionally, that marketing spurred a lot of interest in the movie that Starz could then leverage for the game.  For example, the following post to Fans of the movie reached over 150,000 people:
 

From Merscom’s side, we were able to generate a lot of interest in the film.  An email to player’s of the game suggesting they go see the movie the weekend it premiered had a phenomenal 40 percent click-through rate to the Fandango link.  A link within the game driving traffic to the movie fansite generated over 25,000 clicks.  And we have just put the following pop up at various levels of the game to drive additional traffic to theaters:

It’s still early, but to say I am pleased at the way we were able to use a major media property in a social game is a great understatement.  I am now more confident than ever that we can replicate our success in the casual space that largely came from working with media companies in the social space. 

Lloyd Melnick
Chief Customer Officer

What it also suggests is that the vocal proponents of the I Don’t Care About Your Farm, Fish, Mafia, etc., groups really don’t get why their friends are playing and posting.  It’s not about the farm or the cafe or the mafia, it’s an object for your friend to interact.  What these people are saying is either I don’t understand social media/Facebook or I don’t care to interact with you: how rude.

Lloyd Melnick
Chief Customer Officer

Although I’d like to take all the credit for this success, what it really shows is the value of properties in social games.  The Crazies is based on the upcoming Overture movie and our game is co-produced with Starz, which provides the star power (get the pun, I’m funny) to overcome the limited marketing spend.  Definitely bodes well for our next few Facebook releases.

Lloyd Melnick

Chief Customer Officer

With millions of people forced to cut back on their shopping habit, they need to get their fix somewhere.  Enter the virtual stores on Farmville, Happy Island, Mafia Wars, Cafe World, and such.  There they can spend 30 minutes or more a day buying items without worrying about getting a call from Chase or Citibank the next day.  I really think that people’s desire to shop and the economic shackling of that desire is one of the key reasons behind the popularity of social games.

Lloyd Melnick

Chief Customer Officer

The social media game by Merscom, The Crazies Tower Defense Game on Facebook, changed my mind completely!  It is actually challenging because you have to earn your weapons and upgrades rather than simply being handed them. That makes strategy a key to the game because you have to choose what weapons and upgrades you will purchase. You have to become an active part of the game because not only do you have to place towers, but you must also actively collect the money the dead Crazies leave behind and make sure your towers do not run out of ammunition.

Unlike all the Tower Defense games, The Crazies keep on coming even after you have logged off! So make sure you have sufficient ammunition and defenses or else your base will not be safe! This lends to a more authentic feeling because a general can’t keep watch 24-7 over his troops right? No, he provides the resources and prays that when he awakes the next morning all will be safe.

The largest part of the battle that is normally missing from typical TDs is alliances. In the Crazies TD social game, alliances are an important aspect of warfare because you can give gifts to your friends and in return receive them. The more gifts, the more likely you will last the incoming hordes of Crazies!

There is a passionate and networked community out there of “grownup gamers.” In truth, we’re still gaming and never did give it up as our parents suggested. Obviously, not all of us are your “typical gamer.” We’re parents, teachers, engineers, and college students.  We are young and old, male and female. One thing is for sure: we’re showing the world that gamers care about people, animals, and the environment with our donation dollars.

There are many ways games can be used to raise money for charities. One way is from offering in-game items with special abilities (cuteness being one of those abilities).

Some companies don’t actually make games or sell virtual items, but raise awareness about a charity through gaming conventions and comics about games.

Penny Arcade is doing just that with their charity, Child’s Play. They were able to raise almost 2 million dollars last year for stocking children’s hospitals with video games and toys. Nothing is worse than being sick and having nothing fun to do. You can learn more about this charity and donate by visiting their site here: http://www.childsplaycharity.org/

CCP, creators of the popular sci-fi themed MMO Eve, is offering a virtual item that adds 30 days of game time to your paid subscription. This item will be available until February 15th. Once you purchase this item, all of the proceeds will go to the Red Cross disaster relief efforts in Haiti. More on that here: http://www.eveonline.com/devblog.asp?a=blog&bid=726

Social games developer Zynga raised a stunning 1.5 million in 5 days for the recent earthquake disaster in Haiti by selling virtual goods in 4 of their most successful games: FarmVille, FishVille, Mafia Wars, and Zynga Poker. This is a huge accomplishment and it shows that their tagline “Transforming the world through games” might be becoming more of a reality. Zynga also helps animals in need by donating to the San Francisco SPCA to the tune of over $90,000 by selling virtual tabby cats and bull dogs in Yoville. You can find out more here: http://zynga.org/

Merscom has plans in the works to offer special virtual items in their social games which will help raise money for non-profits and charity organizations. Keep an eye on http://www.mercom.com for upcoming information on what you can expect to see soon!

For brevity’s sake, here is a list of some other game companies and publishers who are generously sharing their space: Sony Online Entertainment, Free-to-play MMO publisher Outspark, London-based developer Tall Trees, Runes of Magic publisher Frogster, Xbox and Activision.

With the number of large game companies following this trend, it’s safe to say if you play online games there is a good chance that you’ll be seeing a charity tie in soon. 

If I missed a great charity or cause, which is related in some way to gaming, I’d like to hear about it.

Also, would you buy one virtual item over another if you knew it was for a good cause? Have you donated to charities through games before? What was your experience like?

Thanks for reading and until next time.

Melissa Loy

Associate Producer

First, it was very interesting to see the breadth of games my friends are playing.  It’s not just Fishville, Happy Aquarium, Mobsters 2 and the other top games, but there is huge variance among people.  They also seem to be very open to trying new, innovative titles.  Though anecdotal, it shows people are not as set in their purchase patterns as they are in, say, the casual gaming space.  Although the games often share a core game play mechanic with leading products, it demonstrates that by fast following with a unique twist that reaches customers on an emotional level there are tons of opportunities.

My second observation is how aggressively the major social game companies are advertising on the game dashboard to people already playing their games.  This shows the importance of ensuring the games monetize well to justify the cost of bringing the player back (and I have seen these ads even for games that have a high level of organic engagement).

Although you will see many more posts across the industry about the Facebook games dashboard, these are my two cents (and you got them for free….how lucky!).

Lloyd Melnick

Chief Customer Officer

Not this time.  The Crazies have arrived! 

When I was asked to play The Crazies, I thought “this will be just another game to pass time.  I’m already playing Mafia Wars.  I have put so much time into Mafia Wars.” 

After, a little bit of pushing I agreed.  “WOW” would be a good word to use here.  After reading the instructions and working through the tutorial, I started playing.  From level one the intensity was incredible.  It started off slow to allow you to learn the controls like any other game.  By the time you reach level two or three, you are so involved that your heart feels as if it is about to beat right out of your chest.  The Crazies are coming out of the woodwork.  The Crazies came from the left…no the right…no from top to the bottom.  With each wave of the Crazies, they become more reluctant die so the intensity and quick reaction of the player becomes electrifying.  Eyes and hands are moving from side to side trying to insert barriers and shooters to stop these Crazies, but they just keep coming at you. 

The Crazies game is nothing like any other Facebook game that I have seen.  For those who like badges and metals, you will not lose any of that.  The Crazies will post level promotions and badges that you earn so your friends can still follow your progress and maybe even join in on your fun. 

I do recommend this game, but not to anyone with a weak heart!  This game will have you jumping up and down and shouting at your computer screen by the time you reach level 3.  So, go CRAZY and ENJOY.  It’s a great game.

Ronnie Bourgeois