Banana Special: Exploring the Potential, Mechanics & Popularity of the Banana Game with/ Joseph Kim

This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let’s not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously.

Panelists: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jakub Remia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠r,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric⁠

Special guest: Joseph Kim

Youtube

Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2ftcc85es-CesThaafn9k0BIFSVAV8FQ

Agenda

00:00 Epic intro

01:12 Introduction and Setting the Stage

03:02 Exploring the Mechanics and Popularity of Banana Game

06:00 The Presence of Bots in Banana Game

09:03 The Marketplace and Monetization Potential of Banana Game

14:59 The Play-to-Earn Model and Speculation in Games

21:07 The success of the Banana Game and the role of bots

22:04 The appeal of UGC and meme-driven games

23:14 Exploring gameplay enhancements

24:26 The challenges of implementing community marketplaces on mobile

25:48 The potential of crypto solutions in games

26:42 The importance of assigning value to in-game items

27:34 The friction in implementing crypto solutions

28:01 The power of memes and viral marketing

29:29 The possibilities and limitations of Steam's community marketplace

30:04 Building a game with natural gameplay and engaging loops

32:24 The potential of mushroom-themed games

35:06 The future of similar games and the sustainability of trends

---------------------------------------

Matej Lancaric

User Acquisition & Creatives Consultant

⁠https://lancaric.me

Felix Braberg

Ad monetization consultant

⁠https://www.felixbraberg.com

Jakub Remiar

Game design consultant

⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiar

Joseph Kim

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jokim/

---------------------------------------

Takeaways

Banana Game on Steam has gained significant popularity, with a large number of players and high concurrent user counts.

The game's mechanics involve clicking on a banana to increase a number and collect banana skins.

The presence of bots in the game is evident, with a majority of the player base being bots.

The game's marketplace allows players to buy and sell banana skins, with some skins selling for significant amounts.

The success of Banana Game highlights the potential for the play-to-earn model and the underserved market for speculation and collection in games.

Game developers can learn from the success of Banana Game and explore ways to incorporate similar concepts into their own games. The success of the Banana Game highlights the potential of the Steam community marketplace and the appeal of UGC and meme-driven games.

Enhancing gameplay with progression, collections, and gacha mechanics can increase player engagement and retention.

Monetization strategies like referral codes and bonuses for sharing can drive user acquisition and community growth.

The conversation raises questions about the sustainability of games like the Banana Game and the role of bots in the gaming ecosystem.

---------------------------------------

Please share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it!

Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple!

Please share feedback and comments - [email protected]

---------------------------------------

If you are interested in getting UA tips every week on Monday, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lancaric.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & sign up for the Brutally Honest newsletter by Matej Lancaric

Latest article - https://open.substack.com/pub/lancaric/p/match-3d-ua-playbook-real-data-inside?r=7qqaf&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

Do you have UA questions nobody can answer? Ask ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Matej AI⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - the First UA AI in the gaming industry! https://lancaric.me/matej-ai