Viverna Social Club

16/03/2025

Ever wondered why some games keep you hooked for hours? It's not magic: it's psychology. 🎮🧠

The way Pokémon Pocket rewards players, builds anticipation, and balances gameplay is fascinating; it's all about Skinner box mechanics.

Check out my latest article! 👀👇
https://www.viverna.it/?hl=b20250316-PokemonPocket

The gaming hub you are gonna love!

11/11/2024

Prototyping in game dev isn’t just about building fast—it’s about knowing when to stop. After 3 weeks, if the spark's still there, it's worth going further. Just finished Wave 1 on my latest project, and things are looking… interesting.

Full article on my blog 👉 https://www.viverna.it/?hl=b20241111-RollingWave

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The gaming hub you are gonna love!

16/06/2024

Coming up with a name is tough, finding a great one is even tougher... and if it's for a commercial product, it turns into a real ordeal!

As always the first thing to consider is the target audience; you need a name that's understandable and ideally sparks curiosity. It should sound good when said aloud and, of course, be easy to remember.

Then there's a big debate between two schools of thought: those who prefer to create new fanciful names, and those like me who think that a name should be the shortest possible summary and instantly convey what it's all about.

In 2011, I released my second mobile video game called "Pizza Puzzle" and even years later I still think the name was perfect; it involved a match-3 concept where players gathered ingredients to create pizzas!

Fun Fact: Do you know why are Pearl Jam called that?
Eddie Vedder (the singer) once said the name came from his grandmother Pearl, who was married to a Native American and knew the recipe for a Jam made with pe**te!!!

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Blog: "Speaking of Names..."
https://www.viverna.it/?b20240616-AboutNames

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09/04/2024

In every programmer's life, there's a recurring question constantly asked by pals and acquaintances: "I have a brilliant idea for an app, but please, promise not to steal it if I tell you!"

Typically, the level of concern is inversely proportional to the person's computer skills 🤓, but this article isn't about teasing my friends; it's about the immediate consideration that follows: is it wiser to keep a project under wraps or disclose it to as many people as possible?

At first glance, one might be inclined to respond, "It depends on your business," right? Wrong! The mind-blowing answer is "both at the same time!"

While it's obviously essential to keep certain mechanics that would benefit your competitors secret, it's equally crucial to slowly cook your audience, building up the hype and interest. A treasure hunt, where clues are revealed and shown little by little until reaching the finish line: the product release.

Could this article be the first clue of a new treasure hunt? 😉

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Blog: Share to hype or NDA?
https://www.viverna.it/?hl=b20240409-HypeVsNDA

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The gaming hub you are gonna love!

22/03/2024

Among professionals, certifications are extremely important, in my opinion even more so than academic degrees. Once you step out of the realm of amateurism, simply knowing about a subject is no longer sufficient; you need to master the best practices within that field.

It's self-evident that the prestige of a certification is inherently tied to the prestige of the certifying body. In my sector, the absolute pinnacle of excellence on a global scale is represented by the Project Management Institute.

One of the perks extended to members within the organization is the access to a generative artificial intelligence known as "PMI Infinity." This GenAI has undergone training incorporating all pertinent information and documents related to the field, resulting in remarkably precise output.

I then asked Infinity to provide me with the list of the primary PMI certifications ordered by difficulty in obtaining them.
Wanna see the response? 🤓

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"PMI Certifications" article on my Blog
https://www.viverna.it/?hl=b20240322-PMICertifications
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-Infinity

The gaming hub you are gonna love!

02/03/2024

Generational gaps are a thing, despite having a dynamic mindset. Look at me: an early Millennial born in 1981. 😉 There are certain formats of media aimed at Gen Z that I really struggle to get on board with.

TV broadcasting was totally aimed at a boomer crowd, Blockbuster home videos targeted Gen X, and video on demand was clearly meant for me and my peers. And then came the social media video shorts... When I first saw them I thought they were a stretch, like a video version of tweets, but the truth is I was wrong. And it took me months to get it. 😵

Only now, since I've started using them, I do realize how powerful they are.

Communication has become lightning fast: information needs to be bite-sized. I need to thoroughly explore this format even in my Zero Player Project on the Viverna Marble Run video series!

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"Video Shorts" article on my Blog
https://www.viverna.it/?hl=b20240302-VideoShorts

Viverna Marble Run
https://www.youtube.com/
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23/02/2024

For regulars of my blog, you should know by now: my expertise lies mainly in the technical and managerial realms, but if there's one thing that truly captivates me, it's design; 🤩 it feeds my creative side like nothing else.

Every designer's forbidden dream is to be so influential that any idea they sketch becomes trending. Unfortunately, in reality, we're faced with the harsh truth that what really matters is what resonates with your target audience, not just with you.

Understanding preferences isn't an exact science, and we've got a handy technique called AB Testing to help us out. Simply put, we compare two versions (A and B) with a control group (such as different game modes in my recent videos) to see which achieves better results, like gaining subscribers or increasing average view time.

Based on my last 3 videos, can you tell what I've AB-Tested? 😉

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Watch Now on Youtube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acQcmPr6uvY

Blog: "AB Testing matters"
https://www.viverna.it/?hl=b20240212-VMRBattleRoyale

Viverna Marble Run
https://www.youtube.com/
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🏁 Welcome to the Marbledome Viverna Playground! 🏁🏎 "Inaugural Grand Prix" - Day 3: Time Trial 🏍---Grand Prix Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?l...

12/02/2024

We left off with the question: what's on the next sprint? 🤓
Let's see if you're on the mark.

To ensure user satisfaction, I've introduced a fresh gaming experience: Battle Royale. What is it? Check out the video, everything's explained there!

I also realized that the applause were a bit excessive and starting to bother the viewers, so I scaled them back. Boosting the engagement is definitely business value.

Ultimately, the most likely future for this project is to become a game for public release, so I've decided to invest time in reworking some classes in the programming code to make them more reusable and streamline future development.

Quite captivating, isn't it? Dive into the video for further details and please do share your feedback!

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Watch Now on Youtube
https://youtu.be/kYM_MoYzeeI?si=xuFOEs9HsaLOLPd3

Dev Blog
https://www.viverna.it/?hl=b20240212-VMRBattleRoyale

Viverna Marble Run
https://www.youtube.com/
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🏁 Welcome to the Marbledome Viverna Playground! 🏁🏎 "Inaugural Grand Prix" - Day 2: Battle Royale 🏍---Day 1: https://youtu.be/kStTBpwp9lEDev Blog: https:/...

07/02/2024

Without delving too deeply into theory, let's establish a fundamental point: a project is essentially something done at some point in time to achieve a specific outcome.

No matter which life cycle or approach you go with, the main goal remains the same: delivering business value.

However, perspectives on what constitutes value can vary significantly. Drawing from my experience, I generally classify it into three main categories: user satisfaction, business impact, and developer efficiency.

A well-rounded and effective sprint should then include elements that are easily recognizable and appreciated by the user, components that drive business progress, and aspects that enhance the production chain.

Following the recent MVP release of my zero-player project "Viverna Marble Run", can you predict the objectives for the upcoming sprint based on the strategy I've just outlined?

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Blog: Value-Centric Planning
https://www.viverna.it/?hl=b20240207-ValueCentricPlanning

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The gaming hub you are gonna love!

05/02/2024

Getting straight to the point here: creating a game is a real challenge, it's actually much more demanding than developing a regular app or software.

Once you've got that initial idea brewing, the crucial first step is shaping a concept. This gives you a bird's-eye view of what you're aiming for, helping you gauge if the game is as enjoyable as you envisioned. This preliminary version is often referred to as the MVP, your Minimum Viable Product.

A solid one should strip down to the bare essentials, focusing solely on core game mechanics with just one distinctive feature. The catch? It needs to be whipped up in three weeks or less.

Picture it like a slice of cake - it's got all the layers and ingredients, but just in a compact, concentrated form.

Remember my latest project, the zero-player game? Well, the concept MVP is officially in the bag! Check it out, drop a comment, and stay tuned for all the upcoming updates!

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Blog
https://www.viverna.it/?hl=b20240205-VivernaMarbleRunConceptMVP

Watch Now on Youtube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kStTBpwp9lE

Youtube Channel (Please subscribe!)
https://www.youtube.com/
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🏁 Welcome to the Marbledome Viverna Playground! 🏁🏎 "Inaugural Grand Prix" - Day 1: Free Rounds 🏍🌟 Get ready for an adrenaline-pumping spectacle as we ki...

19/01/2024

In the theory of game design there is a concept that, even though it might sound extreme, is indeed very popular. I'm 100% sure you've already encountered it without recognizing it; I'm talking about zero-player games.

If you're wondering, 'What on earth is it?' then it's exactly how it sounds: it's a game that has no player.

To be precise, there are players, usually a lot of them, but they are differently referred to: they are spectators.

The target audience is officially termed 'popcorn gamers' and this genre manifests in various forms: sports games (such as tennis or football), pachinko and slot machines (where, although players insert coins, the core game mechanics involve watching), esports, speedrun videos, and the list goes on.

I'm highly interested in exploring this genre; in fact, I'm currently developing a concept MVP. We'll delve deeper into the topic throughout the year. Stay tuned!

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Blog: A game with no players
https://www.viverna.it/?hl=b20240119-ZeroPlayersGame

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The gaming hub you are gonna love!