Prize Design
Have you ever wondered how Webkinz Challenges are created? We sat down with Michael Webkinz to learn more about his creative process.
In this 6-part series, we’ll break it all down: How are Webkinz Challenges made?
Part 3: “Prize Design”
What makes a prize feel worth it?
“Throughout the years you find out reading on social media. Reading on Webkinz Newz just fan feedback in general, what kind of prizes they like. And I’ve tried to be a little bit more creative when coming up with new prizes.
So recently we’ve released potted plants that work as growing garden plots, but instead of planting them in the ground, they would grow in a pot.
We’ve also released buildings recently where your pets can sort of sit inside the buildings. There’s been food trucks that work as fridges, so we’re always just trying to come up with new sorts of prizes.
I’ll often feature those in challenges to get people excited and to play through the challenges.
And, you know, an interesting fact is that we also have stats on how many players play through the challenges, how many players completed the challenges. I’ll review those stats and then look to see what those prizes were to see if that had a part in enticing people to play through.”
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The prizes for the various kinds of challenges, are what influence me as to if I play that challenge or not. Also, I will often decide not do a challenge if it requires playing a game in the Tournament Arena. I am doing them for these Adventure Park games, but it’s not fun. It’s stressful! I actually like the Adventure games, just not when it requires playing in the Tournament Arena. Also, it would be nice if you could win the main prize in the Adventure Park games, no matter how many times you play the games, be it when given freely like they way it is for the Summer Adventure Challenge, or if you purchase the Adventure games in the eStore 20 times! I have missed several of the major prizes and had to look in my other accounts to see if I have that certain prize, then KinzPost it to the account that needs it, then send it back to the account it was on. This summer’s Adventure Challenge has not be hard, it’s actually been mostly fun, but the glitches and lack of receiving the main prize, has made it VERY STRESSFUL! I do want to Thank you all for working so hard to make Webkinz an awesome place to play, even for us older adults! This game is my downtime game. I play it to relax and just chill for a bit. Don’t need or want any major stress. Maybe not have two floating things at the same time. Maybe have prizes that have been “retired” more often. I mean, how can a virtual item be “retired”? :-/ No matter how much I “fuss”, I really REALLY DO love Webkinz! Thank you all for putting up with me, but mostly THANK YOU for all the creative fun y’all give us! You are all TRULY appreciated! :-)
Growing plants/pots/trees are some of my favorites, as well as a huge variety of DISPENSERS!!!
love that you guys have all the stats… I lowkey have still never completed the Winter Games Mega Challenge…. lol
I will admit that there have been challenges I didn’t do because I really disliked the game we had to play and I didn’t deem the prize to be worth the aggravation.
Math! Statistics! I KNEW it! Not only are you all creative people, but you are math nerds! (or at least Michael Webkinz is!) I am not very creative, but if the two can go together, maybe there is hope for me yet.
Looking forward to the follow-ups! I’m enjoying this series
So cool that you guys keep stats! I know the prizes definitely sway my motivation. Have been loving them lately, though, thank you! Have to say love getting clothes, vehicles and “buildings” as prizes.