Ahri's unqualified thoughts #52

Easy to consume content: 1 quote, 1 tweet/storm and 1 article/video.

In today's edition, we highlight an excellent Twitter thread featuring sick plays from the initial games of the League of Legends Worlds. Additionally, we have an insightful article on the traditional gaming "Battle Pass" by the gigabrain Sergey Galyonkin, the mind behind Steam Spy and former Director of Publishing at Epic Games.

1 quote

"Work nourishes noble minds" Seneca

1 tweet/storm

League of Legends Worlds are currently being played in South Korea, showcasing nail-biting games marked by pixel-perfect teamplay and some mechanical prowess (that I still dream of).

LoL insider LEC_Wooloo has launched Sheep_Esports, a new media platform. They've just published a thread highlighting some of the most breathtaking plays from the tournament so far. While I might not be the biggest fan of playing LoL, I can’t hide my admiration for the game, lore, esports, music, and their whole strategy. Long live LoL.

1 article/video

I won’t spoil the exact details of Sergey’s article, but he perfectly unpacks the concept of Battle Passes. He delves into their history, mechanics, key milestones, and much more.

The article covers:

• Tracing the roots

• The basics

• Strategies for retention

• The free track

• Quests & tasks

• Social play elements

• Completion rates

• The catch-up mechanism

• End-of-season fatigue

• Rewards

I really recommend spending time reading the article. It sheds light on one of the most important tools in today's game monetization and retention strategies. Most (all?) major successful online games adopt this model, making it crucial to understand it both from a business and a social lens.

On my end, I can confirm that every time I grind a game, I get the passes (Honkai Star Rail, Hearthstone, LoL - to name a few). They allow me to “feel” rewarded, but also to keep me coming back for that little dose of dopamine.