Player Engagement Metrics: What Keeps Gamers Coming Back?

It’s no secret that virtual entertainment is booming. But what makes players return to the same game again and again, when there are thousands of options just a click away?

The answer lies in various player engagement metrics and motivators. Sure, dazzling graphics and engaging stories may attract players out of the gate, but it’s the ongoing engagement that keeps them in the race.

What Makes Player Engagement Difficult to Measure?

First, attempts to quantify it and break it down into KPIs are incomplete. Several are easy to measure with low engagement. Getting a lot of referrals, for example, doesn’t automatically indicate engaged users; it could be overly aggressive marketing. 

A second issue is comparing engagement across games. In the early stages when you don’t have memory or hindsight, you don’t know what metrics to look for. A fantastic new game might show lower engagement simply because no one is a “veteran” player yet.

Third, most industry metrics don’t normalize for engagement. If you put more in-app pop-ups to push players back into the game that would likely increase “retention” by logins but may actually be decreasing genuine engagement if players are alienated. You can learn more about these metrics in online resources like sweepspulse.com

Core Player Engagement Metrics That Count

1. Daily Active Users, DAU

How many unique engaged users enter your platform in a day? It’s one of the strongest habit-forming metrics as, if your users come daily, your app is becoming their daily routine. Highly social gaming products often see steady DAU numbers. This metric’s especially suitable for social casinos, live betting, and multiplayer games.

2. Weekly Active Users, WAU

How many unique engaged users enter your platform in a week? WAU shows how well you retain your players on a slightly longer timescale.

3. Monthly Active Users, MAU

How many unique engaged users enter your platform in a month? This metric gives you a sense of your wide reach and spotty usage.

In combination, these metrics create the DAU/ WAU/ MAU toolset for any gaming platform.

4. The frequency of the session

A player who logs in five times per week is more engaged than someone who logs in once per month. This number tends to go up if you have daily challenges or time limited promotions going on. Other ways to increase frequency are progressive jackpots and seasonal events. They create anticipation and urgency.

How do we define a session in online gaming? 

Essentially, a session starts when a player logs into their account and begins playing games. It ends when the player logs out and leaves the site. players might stay for one short session, or continue playing multiple games for hours on end.

This is where we see the value of a metric like session duration as opposed to a higher level industry benchmark like revenue per player which could shave out the exception-long-term player cohort from the overall average.

Session length is going to do a better job of highlighting the subtle differences in game design and player preferences that regulation should account for in a responsibly run online gaming environment.

What Helps For Repeat Engagement?

We know the stats show they’re coming back for more – but why is that the case? What secrets do psychology and player motivation research have to divulge on the subject? Here’s what we know… 

Reward Systems and Progression

Humans love to be winners. And when they go on a winning streak, they want to feel like they’re making progress. Systems like points, levels, and unlockable rewards all feed this intrinsic motivation.

On your site or app, tiered loyalty programs, cashback offers, level based bonuses and milestone achievements give players a goal to work towards. And the more they visit, the more likely they are to keep coming back.

Personalization

Your players don’t want to feel like just another number. Nowadays, they expect experiences tailored to their unique preferences.

Efforts like recommended games, and personalized bonuses do this in real time while targeted campaigns and dynamic homepage updates show them games they like based on their interests. It’s the difference between an experience that feels pushy and one that feels natural.

Seamless User Experience

Site doesn’t load quickly? Tricky to get your money out? Can’t find your way back to the homepage? These are typical problems that can reduce player retentionfaster than you can say bad user experience. In an ideal world, your players should never even have to think about the user experience.

They should be able to jump from page to page, game to game and in and out of lobbies with ease. Fast withdrawals, mobile optimization, clean design and easy navigation features are all critical comfort factors.

In certain competitive areas – like with many crypto casinos – minimal verification and instant withdrawal of winnings are a significant retention factor.

Community and Social Interaction

Gaming is all about competition and, undoubtedly, socializing in one form or another. Facebook login, chat feeds, tournament interfaces, leaderboards, multi-player options, and live dealer modes all offer an element of interaction and competitiveness between players.

Livestreams and the inclusion of other players in your game (for example with Betgames or multi-player Texas Hold’em) increase the immediacy and competition of player vs player games.

Consistent player interaction and likeminded communities are what turn a generic game or gambling experience into a shared social media type space. 

Conclusion

The metrics of player engagement are more than the sums of a report.

With daily activity, retention rates, session frequency, and long term value, you can estimate and understand the behaviour of your users.

But the true motivations for loyalty are in what we taught you: psychology, trust, seamlessness, and rewards. Players come back every day when they are entertained, and rewarded for their commitment. They don’t come back when they feel manipulated or disrespected. 

In the end, the whole difference lies in the approach: some aim to hook their customers. We like to think that we aim to give our players a reason to come back.