Moon Active Games

With the success of Coin Master, and the disruption it is causing in the social casino space, many are looking to understand and replicate its success. Although Coin Master is unquestionably doing great and has found a Blue Ocean, it would be the second largest social casino product if it was officially classified in that category, you need to proceed with caution if you plan to imitate it.

Moon Active Coin Master Download
Google Moon Active Games

I will be writing in the near future about the Halo Effect and Survivor Bias, two heuristics that often lead to flawed decisions. With both of these heuristics, people look at a success and draw conclusions from that success in retrospect and are not repeatable (i.e. Monday morning quarterback). They miss, either consciously or subconsciously, many of the factors that led to the success and are necessary to replicate it, while potentially attributing the success to dynamics that actually did not contribute positively.

Moon active As one of the world’s fastest-growing mobile game startups, we produce engaging entertainment that is enjoyed by players across the universe. Our games have had over 100 million downloads in more than 136 countries worldwide.
Join your Facebook friends and millions of players around the world in attacks, spins and raids to build your viking village to the top! Do you have what it takes to be the next Coin Master? Can you travel through time and magical lands to battle it out to be the best Pirate, Hippie, King, Warrior or VIKING of them of all! Spin to earn your loot Spin the wheel to fall on your fortune, be it.

Download APK (62.0 MB) Versions. This release comes in several variants, See available APKs. Using APKPure App to upgrade Coin Master, fast, free and save your internet data. Win your loot by landing on coins or gold sacks so you can build strong villages through the game and move up in levels. Win shields to guard your village from other vikings trying to attack you. Become the Coin Master with the strongest village and the most loot! Attack and Raid fellow vikings!

Given its current momentum, it is very easy to dissect Coin Master and say A, B and C can help you make $250k/day. Rather than jump on the bandwagon, I decided to take a step back and look at what Moon Active is not doing well. I may look stupid in twelve months if Coin Master consolidates its position and continues to grow but there are some fundamental issues with the product that suggest it may decline rapidly, despite most social game franchises lasting for years (Slotomania, DoubleDown, Clash of Clans, Candy Crush, CSR Racing, etc.). The issues below suggest Coin Master might experience a much shorter life at the apex.

Lack of new content

Social casino products, and social games in general, drive most of their on-going revenue from new content. From the early days of Farmville and Mafia Wars to current top grossing games like Slotomania and Fishdom, new content most consistently contributes to revenue. New content drops are accompanied by much stronger player activity, including reactivating lapsed players and getting lapsed spenders to resume purchases, with little variance (unlike a new feature that may or may not resonate with the audience). This content can be a new slot machine, a new tournament format or theme, new virtual goods, etc., and for different games different content resonates (or falls flat) with its audience. Conversely, I cannot identify one top game where the content is largely unchanged from several years ago, let alone several months ago.

Coin Master, however, adds virtually no new content for the customer. They may add new villages for players who have completed every village, but that impacts very few players and those it does impact it touches very infrequently. Moon Active only has one slot machine that never changes. There are no new slots, new symbols or other new items to rejuvenate the gaming experience.

Deviation from random number mechanics

When I took my first social casino position, after being in traditional free to play games for several years, I quickly learned how strong casino mechanics are at driving monetization. Rather than finding artificial ways to “pinch players” or otherwise drive monetization, slots have generated revenue for over 100 years in a very straightforward manner tied to the core mechanic. Moreover, the random nature of casino games creates a fantastic roller coaster experience for players.

After playing Coin Master extensively, it is clear that rather than a random experience your outcomes are choreographed by Moon Active’s Product Managers. The patterns start to repeat and players see the same outcomes session after session. The hot and cold streaks that are part of gambling, driven by random numbers and the laws of probability, are absent. I have been involved with several social casinos where product managers believed they could create a better (or more profitable) experience than random number generation could and it never works. The gameplay gets stale or players realize they are being manipulated. In the long run (or even medium term as the experience is not as good), players enjoy a true random experience better than one created by product managers.

Uninspired elder gameplay

For a game to thrive for years, it needs to keep a base of loyal and valuable players and keep growing that base. Given user acquisition costs, you cannot grow a game to franchise proportions if you have to replace the entire player base less than six months from acquiring each player. It is this core of valuable players that provide a revenue floor each month that allows you to spend aggressively for new players without creating very adverse cash flow conditions. Most games appeal to their core of experienced players by adding new features or mechanics so the player is not doing the same thing day after day, month after month, year after year. Even in slot games, social casinos release slots with very different bonus games, graphic styles, math and mechanics.

Coin Master, however, is virtually the same game day one that it is if you have played it several hours a day for six or sixteen months. The mechanics do not change or evolve, depth is not introduced, and the experience is identical to past sessions. Even Microsoft Windows apparently evolves at a faster rate than Coin Master.

Poorly crafted advertising monetization

Advertising revenue is becoming an increasingly important part of the social gaming business model, an important additional revenue stream for games that rely on in-app purchases (IAPs) and increasingly it allows products to succeed even without IAPs. Hypercasual games, which now represent about 60 percent of app-store downloads, are almost entirely ad driven. Even more importantly, advertising works with the rest of the game to improve the overall experience and increase retention (watch to earn videos allow players to keep playing or earn premium currency).

Moon Active, however, still approaches driving advertising revenue in the conventional way. It identifies players not likely to monetize through IAPs, then forces players to watch ads. From the structure of how Moon Active uses ads, it is not concerned about users churning due to ads, instead it wants to get as much ad revenue as quickly as possible. This short-term approach is likely to reduce current user return rate (CURR), which is critical to maintain DAU. It is also important to deploy advertising smartly to optimize LTV, as it is better to have someone watch four ads per month for 12 month than force ten ads on them in a month and prompt the player to churn. Similar to the lack of new content and unsophisticated elder gameplay, Coin Master is not constructed to build its player and revenue base month over the long term.

Hygiene

In addition to these large issues, there are many smaller problems (often referred to as hygiene issues) that are likely to impact Coin Master negatively. As the genre gets more competitive, these issues can be enough to get players to switch to other games. Success in the social game space often reminds me of chaos theory, where a butterfly in Beijing can impact the weather in Chicago. Small issues can have big consequences. The hygiene issues in Coin Master include:

Stability and tech. People often underestimate the impact technical issues have on KPIs. A small change in loading time or app size, which the player might not consciously notice, often impacts KPIs 10 percent or more. Anecdotally, I have noticed that Coin Master’s slot will crash occasionally, sometimes freezing the player out until there is an app update. Even small crashes can contribute to user churn. Related, the absence of deep linking for push notification, usually a coding or tech debt issue, limits the ability to engage players through CRM.
Economy balancing. As players progress through Coin Master, the economy becomes a drag on the experience. While initially a reward (daily bonus, raid proceed, etc.) might be relevant, as the game progresses this relevance varies. As the player advances, less of the features are significant (for example, watching a video has so little value there is no incentive). This problem, coupled with the lack of new content and elder gameplay mechanics, make the game less (rather than the desired more) interesting for established players.
Portrait only mode. Coin Master is only available in portrait mode, creating a sub-optimal experience for players on a tablet or large smartphone who are looking for an immersive experience. While some casino games are limited to either portrait or landscape mode, the decision is often driven by an abundance of content (and the need to modify so much art). With Coin Master enjoying an uncontested market space, this limitation obviously is manageable (hence the $250k/day), but again it leaves them vulnerable to a competitor taking away some of Moon Active’s players who desire a landscape experience optimized to their device.

The future of Coin Master

It is impossible to predict the future and Moon Active has found an uncontested market space that protects it from many of its sins. That moat may protect it from the issues identified above and allow it to continue to grow Coin Master. More likely, Moon Active will either address these issues (it now has extensive resources available) or new entrants in the genre will surpass Coin Master.

Key takeaways

Despite being a runaway success, Coin Master generates about $250k/day, some limitations in the product suggest it will not become a long-lived franchise.
Unlike most successful franchises, Moon Active fails to regularly release new content into Coin Master or provide a deeper experience for long-time players.
Coin Master’s deviation from a true random gaming experience, unlike other social casinos, also provides a discernable pattern that will take away from player enjoyment over time.

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to purchase through my links, at no cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read the full disclosure here.

Outer Space Party Games and Activities

So, your little one is asking for an outer space themed birthday party, but you don’t know where to start in the planning. No worries, we’ve got you covered. Check out this list of 15 outer space party games and activities for kids. Start with an arts and crafts table and work your way through to the games. We have things that can be created by the kids to be used as decorations and things they can create and play. From start to finish, you will have no problems coming up with something to keep the kids busy throughout the entire party.

1. Grab a Planet

The creator of this game copied from Musical Chairs because this one is played in almost the same way.

Supplies

8 balls decorated to look like each planet
Hula-Hoop
Music
9 players

Place the balls inside the Hula-Hoop. When the music starts the players must walk around the Hula-Hoop. When the music stops the players should all grab a ball. The player who doesn’t get a ball is out. Before the next round, you should remove one of the balls from the hoop so there is always one less ball than the number of players. Continue to play until one person is left standing. The last player standing is the winner of the game.

2. Hot Moon

If you’ve ever played Hot Potato you will surely see the similarities with this fun game of Hot Moon.

Supplies

Playground ball
Music

All the players should stand and form a circle. One player is chosen to start the game by passing the ball. While the music plays the players should quickly pass the ball around the circle because when the music stops, the person caught holding the ball is out of the game. Play continues until one person is left standing. That person wins the title of Hot Moon Champion.

3. Weightlessness Race

Supplies

4 Bowls
40 Cotton Balls
2 Spoons
2 Blindfolds

Separate the cotton balls by placing 20 in one bowl and 20 in the other bowl. Divide the players into two teams and place one empty bowl and one bowl with the 20 cotton balls in front of the first player on each team. Blindfold the two players and give them each a spoon. Set a timer to 30-seconds and when the timer starts, they will compete to see who can get the most cotton balls into the empty bowl. It’s not as easy as it sounds though because they will only be allowed to use the one spoon they were given. They cannot use their hands for assistance. This will be tricky since the cotton balls are lightweight and they won’t be able to feel them on the spoon. When the time is up, they can remove their blindfolds and count the cotton balls they transferred into the empty bowl. The player who gets the most balls in the bowl wins that round. Play continues until all the players have completed the task.

4. Black Hole

Supplies

A large cardboard box
Black spray paint
String or rope
Frisbees, at least 3

To prepare this game you will need to spray the box with the paint. When the paint is dry, use the string or rope to tie the box from a tree limb or other type of object. Be sure you hang the box so that the opening is on the side. Line the players up and allow each player to take a turn throwing the frisbees into the box. The player who gets the most frisbees in the box wins a prize.

5. Moon Rock Hunt

You can begin this activity at the arts and crafts table before moving it to the games area.

Supplies

Several small sized rocks (You could ask each guest to bring a rock to the party)
Glow in the dark paint
Paintbrushes
Aprons or old shirts
Newspaper

Cover the table with newspaper and put aprons or old shirts on the kids. Allow the children to paint their rocks with the glow in the dark paint. Once the rocks are dry, hide them around a large room and turn off the lights. Allow them a specified time to search for the moon rocks. The one who finds the most wins.

6. Alien Bowling

Here is another activity that can easily start at the arts and crafts table and end with playing a game.

Supplies

Empty 2-liter bottles (You can ask each guest to bring one with them to the party if they have one)
Construction paper, glue, crayons, markers, paints, alien stickers, etc.
Sand or dirt
Rubber playground ball

At the arts and crafts table, let the children use their creative skills to decorate the bottles with the available supplies. They can put alien stickers on them, use glow in the dark paints, or draw pictures on the bottles, whatever their creative minds can come up with will work with this activity. Once the bottles are ready, pour a little sand or dirt into the bottom of each one so that they will stand securely (make sure the bottles have lids on them). Transform the bottles into bowling pins by lining them up as such. Allow each player to have a turn knocking the “pins” down using a rubber playground ball. The player who knocks down the most wins.

7. Star Catchers

Supplies

None

The children should form two single file lines. These two lines will consist of the “stars”. Choose two of the children to be the “star catchers” and put them in between the two single file lines. The first star catcher should say, “star light, star bright.” The second star catcher should then say, “how many stars are out tonight?” Once the star catchers have completed their phrases, each star should then run to the opposite line without getting tagged by the catcher. When a star gets tagged, they are out. The last two stars left standing, win the game and they become the two new star catchers.

8. Going to the Moon

Supplies

None

The children should sit in a circle on the floor and one person should be chosen to start.The first person should start by saying, “I’m going to the moon and I’m going to take________.” The next person must then say, “I’m going to the moon and I’m going to take____________ (that should be the word the previous person said) and___________ (this should be the word that person chooses). The game continues around the circle with each person repeating the previous words and adding a new one at the end. When a person forgets a word or says them out of order they are out. The last person left is the winner.

9. Moonwalk Freeze

Supplies

Space-related music

While standing, the children should dance and move with the music. When the music stops everyone should freeze. Those who don’t stop moving should be eliminated. The person who is left standing at the end wins the game.

10. Lost in Space

Supplies

Ball pit filled with balls
Many space-related toys

Prior to the game starting, hide the space toys inside the ball pit. Set a time limit for the game. When the game begins the children should jump in the ball pit and look for the hidden toys. The person who finds the most toys and the end of the time wins. You could offer the space toys as the gift to the winner.

11. Pin the Mask on the Astronaut Game

Space Themed Game Party Supplies,Solar System Out Space Planet Birthday Party Supplies Decorations for Kids Pin the Mask on the Astronaut Game

Package Including: 1 outer space poster + 1 blindfold + 24 black masks + 12 glue dots.
How to Play: This is a fun take on an old party game…pin the 'mask' on the Astronaut! Paste the poster on the wall with the glue dot included, then wear a blindfold and pin (tape) their masks onto the Astronaut. Closest one to the the Astronaut Mask wins a prize. Perfect fun for a Outer Space/Solar System themed party!