Video: How social games evolved between FarmVille and CityVille

Courtesy of the GDC Vault is another free video from its extensive archive of recorded GDC sessions. This time, Zynga's Mark Skaggs discusses his lessons learned between launching FarmVille and CityVille, in a case study that shows how far social games have evolved in just a few short years from GDC Online 2012. Speakers: Mark Skaggs Track / Format: Design / Lecture Overview: The evolution that occurred in social games between the 18 months from the launch of FarmVille and CityVille represented a new "generation" of social games. In many cases, a traditional game would still be in development over that period of time. Hear Mark Skaggs, SVP of Games at Zynga, and creator of FarmVille and CityVille describe his top lessons learned from creating break out social games. Learn about Mark's new mindset on creating games today, how to tackle the challenge of making data-driven decisions, things that went wrong over various projects and what the "next generation" of games will bring.

About the GDC Vault

In addition to this presentation, the GDC Vault offers numerous other free videos, audio recordings, and slides from many of the recent GDC events, and the service offers even more members-only content for GDC Vault subscribers. Those who purchased All Access passes to events like GDC, GDC Europe, and GDC Online already have full access to GDC Vault, and interested parties can apply for the individual subscription Beta via a GDC Vault inquiry form. Group subscriptions are also available: game-related schools and development studios who sign up for GDC Vault Studio Subscriptions can receive access for their entire office or company. More information on this option is available via an online demonstration, and interested parties can send an email to Gillian Crowley. In addition, current subscribers with access issues can contact GDC Vault admins. Be sure to keep an eye on GDC Vault for even more new content, as GDC organizers will also archive videos, audio, and slides from other events like GDC China and GDC 2013. To stay abreast of all the latest updates to GDC Vault, be sure to check out the news feed on the official GDC website, or subscribe to updates via Twitter, Facebook, or RSS.