Sandro Wahl, CEO and founder of PreAlpha, shares insights from his journey in creating Make It Meme, a viral multiplayer game centered around meme creation. He discusses the challenges of moderation and monetization while highlighting the game's unique gameplay mechanics. Sandro reveals the dynamics of meme culture within the game and its community impact. Exciting updates for the future are also in the spotlight, showcasing how player engagement shapes the evolution of this innovative game.
Sandro Wahl's journey highlights the evolution of Make It Meme from a simple party game to a cultural phenomenon centered on meme creation.
The challenges of moderation in user-generated content were addressed through innovative strategies to ensure a safe and engaging community experience.
Deep dives
The Origins of Make It Meme
The inception of Make It Meme can be traced back to the creator's experience with gaming during the pandemic, particularly through casual game nights with friends. Originally designed as a simple party game for a closed circle, the idea was to create a meme-centric gaming experience where users could generate jokes together. The creator gained inspiration from the popularity of meme culture and wanted to make the process of meme creation accessible and entertaining. This casual development turned into a commitment when peers encouraged him to consider sharing the project publicly after their positive feedback.
Game Design and User Experience
Make It Meme facilitates a fun gaming environment where players generate humorous captions for pre-selected meme templates within a time limit. The game's design emphasizes social interaction, enabling players to share inside jokes and connect through laughter. The scoring system was carefully designed to incorporate user interactions, allowing players to vote on their favorite memes after each round. This promotes engagement as players see their humorous contributions recognized by peers, enhancing the experience of creating and sharing humor together.
Moderation and Community Challenges
As the game gained popularity, maintaining a safe and enjoyable environment became a pressing concern. The developers implemented a two-layer moderation system to tackle inappropriate content, balancing user-generated memes with community safety. This involved real-time filtering of chat messages and a reporting system for users to flag problematic behavior. The need to safeguard interactions became vital as the game's user base grew significantly, necessitating a proactive approach to moderating community interactions.
The Future of Make It Meme
The developer is embarking on a major update, aiming to launch a version 2.0 that enhances gameplay and expands features more suitable for social interaction. This update will focus on creating a more robust platform that encourages content sharing and personalization, reflecting the communal nature of meme creation. As the creator builds a team to support this expansion, they aim to foster community involvement and gather feedback from players, ensuring the game continues to evolve in response to user experience. The anticipated changes promise to deepen engagement and further cultivate the social aspects that have made Make It Meme a hit among players.
In this episode, we chat with Sandro Wahl, CEO and founder of PreAlpha, and the mind behind Make It Meme, a multiplayer game that turns meme creation into a social experience.
Sandro shares his journey of creating the viral game, Make It Meme. He discusses the challenges of moderation, monetization, and the upcoming 2.0 version of the game. We also explore the social dynamics of memes and how Make It Meme has become a cultural touchstone for its players.