Author: Ellen Guon Beeman

Ellen Guon Beeman describes herself as mom, videogame producer, author, gadget geekette, fiddler, former TV writer and city commissioner, etc. She is an expert and consultant in game software production, usability, metrics, and monetization, and has worked on 40+ shipped games. She joined Origin to write and direct games in the Wing Commander series, and has also held salaried positions at Electronics Arts, Warner Bros., Microsoft, Gazillion, and Glu Mobile. As a freelance game designer, she worked on projects for Disney, Sega, Leapfrog, and other companies. Prior to her games career, Ellen was a screenwriter for several television shows, and she also has published four fantasy and science fiction novels and numerous short stories. Ellen has been a speaker at the Game Developer Conference, SXSW Interactive, Login, Game Design Expo, and other game industry events. Ellen teaches game software production as a Senior Lecturer at DigiPen Institute of Technology, and is also a consultant on game development.

Monetization Profiles: Meet “Carl”, a big spender

This is a series of interviews of different player profiles (non-paying players, moderate spenders, and big spenders), and how and why they monetize in free-to-play games. Introduction “Carl” (not his real name) is a game industry professional and frequently spends in free-to-play games. He shares some great insights into why he makes these purchases… Ellen: […]

Game Monetization Profiles: Meet “Chandler”, a big spender

This is a series of interviews of different player profiles (non-paying players, moderate spenders, and big spenders), and how and why they monetize in free-to-play games. Introduction “Chandler” (not his real name) is a game industry professional and what I would consider a big spender in free-to-play games, though with very specific criteria as to […]

Game Monetization Profiles: Meet “Bobbi”, a moderate spender

This is a series of interviews of different player profiles (non-paying players, moderate spenders, and big spenders), and how and why they monetize in free-to-play games. Introduction “Bobbi” (not her real name) is a game industry professional and what I would consider a moderate spender in free-to-play games, though as you’ll read, she isn’t always… […]

Game Monetization Profile: Meet “Able”, a non-paying player

This is a series of interviews of different player profiles (non-paying players, moderate spenders, and big spenders), and how and why they monetize in free-to-play games. Introduction “Able” (not his real name) is a game industry professional and generally a non-spender in free-to-play games, though he has some very specific criteria as to why and […]