How to Create Breakthrough Worldwide Hits, with Amy Jo Kim

Playmakers - The Game Industry Podcast

In this episode:

Jordan sits down with Amy Jo Kim, a game designer, community architect, and innovation coach, named by Fortune as one of the “Top 10 Influential Women in Games.” Amy Jo has contributed to hit games like The Sims, Rock Band, Ultima Online, and Covet Fashion, and has worked on non-gaming products such as eBay, Netflix, and NYTimes.com. She is also the author of “Community Building on the Web” (2000) and “Game Thinking” (2018).

Amy Jo dives deep into her concept of “Superfans” and explains why they are critical to achieving market success. She discusses her approach to creating innovative products, how to find superfans early, and how this methodology can scale projects to achieve global success.

Topics covered:

• What are “Super Fans” and why they are critical to getting a “beachhead” in the market
• Why the “Fast Follow” method limits growth potential
• How to quickly find and engage with Superfans to grow your product
• How to create innovative projects that scale in a BIG way
• Amy Jo’s Superfan Challenge: A free challenge designed to help teams identify their superfans

For more game industry tips:

• Learn more about Jordan & Bright Black
• Listen on iTunes | Spotify (Support the show and leave a review)
• Visit www.playmakerspodcast.com for the full blog post and more!

Episode Timestamps:

02:58 Introduction to Amy Jo Kim and her journey in the gaming industry

06:26 Combining game design with innovation across industries

07:44 The power of Superfans: engaging early adopters to drive product success

12:12 Avoiding the “Fast Follow” strategy: learning from copycat games

16:14 Testing your core game loop with superfans and early adopters

20:07 The role of Superfans in evolving game design

22:06 Why tuning the core loop is essential for success

25:38 The connection between the core loop and player journey

28:22 Using Superfan techniques to build a community

34:43 Identifying superfans in casual games

38:31 Join Amy Jo Kim’s Superfan Challenge

Resources & media mentioned in this episode:

Connect with Amy Jo Kim:

• Amy Jo on LinkedIn
• Amy Jo on Twitter
• Take Amy Jo’s FREE challenge: Superfan Challenge
• Check out Game Thinking: GameThinking.io
• Amy Jo's Podcast: Getting2Alpha
• Books by Amy Jo Kim:
• Game Thinking: Innovate Smarter & Drive Deep Engagement with Design Techniques from Hit Games
• Community Building on the Web: Secret Strategies for Successful Online Communities

Games & companies mentioned:

• Rock Band (Harmonix)
• The Sims (Maxis)
• Ultima Online (Origin Systems)
• Covet Fashion (Crowdstar)
• Zynga
• Guitar Hero (Harmonix)
• Left 4 Dead (Valve)
• Minecraft (Mojang)
• SimCity (Maxis)
• Fortnite (Epic Games)
• Roblox (Roblox Corporation)
• Dance Dance Revolution (Konami)