![\"arcade](\"http:\/\/christweten.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/arcade-sticks.jpeg\")
The more a player can understand the game, the better. Understanding the data behind the gameplay will allow them to make better risk vs reward decisions. There are a finite number of moves in the game. Some are more difficult to pull off than others. This creates a web of decisions, limited by the player\u2019s physical dexterity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Optimal strategies require more physical prowess to execute. Stronger dexterity means you won\u2019t have as much trouble with performing more powerful, risky, or optimal techniques and strategies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lab Monster:<\/strong>\u00a0This is the term for the\u00a0mad scientist-type person<\/a>\u00a0who puts hours into training to improve their skill. With enough practice, the full web of decisions is unlocked. The risk for these strategies is lowered through stronger execution. Their goal is to make the gap between technical limits of the game and their physical skill as small as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The lab monster in marketing has a title: The Growth Hacker.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Growth hacking is experiment-driven marketing, according to\u00a0Sean Ellis<\/a>. The keyword here is experiment.<\/strong> Growth hackers are a different type of mad scientist. We create a hypothesis backed by data and run an experiment to test it. We repeat these experiments until we find tactics that are repeatable and scalable.\u00a0The key difference is scale: technical limits of digital marketing are far less restraining than the rules in a video game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As mentioned earlier, it\u2019s important to understand the data behind the game. It will allow you to know what your optimal options are in any scenario. Frame data<\/a> will become the backbone of your technical understanding of the game. Beyond this, having full knowledge on game mechanics and the physics engine can shape your decision making process in-game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Just like gaming, the start of any good growth hack begins with data analysis. In social marketing, the features of platforms are public knowledge. The mechanics and data behind these features are typically withheld. Without this knowledge, we cannot begin to understand the technical limits of a feature. If there aren\u2019t any resources on it online, then it\u2019s best to collect your own data. Form a hypothesis around a feature until you have a better picture of its technical limits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once you understand how a platform works, your experiments will be more results-oriented. You\u2019ll begin thinking of the light at the end of the tunnel. You\u2019ve got the data. Now it\u2019s time to put it towards your goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In Street Fighter, there are several player archetypes that represent one\u2019s overall strategy. The lab monster we mentioned earlier is one of them. Their typical flaw is that they don\u2019t have a strong feel for how humans actually make decisions in-game. Technical prowess aside, some can be defeated with better strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Testing the opponent\u2019s game knowledge and physical execution will reveal their personality. It will show you the patterns in the web of decisions your opponent has and how to adjust your own strategy. In any scenario of the game, there are only a certain number of moves available. Which ones do your opponent favor? What is their most likely reaction to your strategy?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou just naturally start learning to read people and trying to \u201cgame\u201d the situation. Being a good fighting game player often means you have a good read on the psychology of other people.\u201d<\/em><\/p> James Chen<\/a> <\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n In growth hacking, we use\u00a0buyer personas.\u00a0Buyer personas are a fictional representation of your ideal customer, based on market research and real data about your existing customers. Who are they? What is a day in their life like? How do we contact this person without being intrusive?<\/p>\n\n\n\n After discovering where a buyer persona hangs out online, we now form experiments around that platform. If you\u2019re a visually-focused brand, they\u2019re likely on Instagram. By using buyer personas, you can make data-backed predictions on their behavior within a community. Growth hacking Instagram starts with manual testing. From here, proven tactics can be taken to the technical limits with\u00a0Instagram automation<\/a>. When approaching these limits, you have to consider community psychology rather than just individual psychology. How will an individual react within a group? How will the group itself behave as a whole? Theorizing these reactions using data will make your experiment\u2019s predictions more accurate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In Street Fighter, there are risks involved with every attack you choose. Many can\u2019t be safely used without your opponent having an opportunity to counter. There is depth to every button pressed. There are decisions made in every second of gameplay. Do you play relatively safe and minimise risks? Do you go on the offense and make high risk, high reward plays? It all depends on your opponent\u2019s playing style. What would be the optimal way to take the match against them?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Balancing risk vs reward in growth hacking usually involves choosing if, and how, you should scale up a tactic.<\/strong> If it\u2019s a technical exploit, you need to think about anti-spam measures and automated moderation features of a platform. How do you minimise the risk of your account getting banned? If it\u2019s a community exploit, you need to think about the potential damage to your brand if your growth tactics were revealed. How would your customers feel if they knew how you converted them?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before even thinking about growth hacking as a concept, I was a gamer. This meant doing research and chatting with other players about their strategies. It meant making logic-driven decisions in-game. It meant looking for glitches that broke the established rules of the game. If it isn\u2019t outlawed by tournament rules, it\u2019s legal. Play to win.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n #1 Takeaway:\u00a0<\/strong>The competitive gamer mentality of trying to find the most optimal ways to win are effective in marketing.<\/strong>\u00a0Growth hackers first learn the overarching rules, restrictions, and community behavior. Next, we challenge our own assumptions by designing experiments with data-backed hypotheses. It\u2019s a process built towards long term results that rewards finding exploits as early as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Daigo](\"http:\/\/christweten.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/daigo-umehara-red-bull.jpeg\")
Data Analysis<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
Psychological Analysis<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
![\"James](\"http:\/\/christweten.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/james-chen-street-fighter-caster.jpeg\")
Risk vs Reward Analysis<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
We can learn plenty from competitive gaming.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/christweten.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/gamer-joker.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"