Beat the Intro

 
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Elevating the "Name That Tune" Experience on Alexa

Objective

To redefine the "name that tune" genre on Alexa with a premium, engaging experience.

Game Overview

"Beat the Intro" is a voice-controlled "name that tune" game featuring a dynamic, voice-acted DJ, a vast and diverse music library, and both single and multiplayer game modes. The game utilizes a subscription-based monetization model.

Development Process

Leveraging Musicplode's existing DJ persona and extensive music catalog, we developed a voice-based game prototype. The design was iteratively refined through two private beta phases and ten in-person playtesting sessions.

Key Learnings and Implementation

  • Audio Signposting for Enhanced Feedback: In voice-only interfaces, players can struggle to track game progress, such as their score. Instead of relying solely on numerical updates, we implemented audio signposts to reinforce game mechanics and provide an intuitive sense of performance. For example, a correct answer within 12 seconds, identifying both artist and song title, is acknowledged with: "You got the artist and song name (bling bling sound) somewhat quickly (bling sound) for 30 points." This layered audio feedback provides an immediate, satisfying indication of success, subtly reinforcing the scoring system. It moves beyond simply telling the player their score, to showing them their performance through sound.

  • Designing for Latency and Inaccuracy: Accurately measuring player response time in a cloud-based game presents inherent challenges. Network latency, client-side processing, and variations in internet connection quality introduce a significant margin of error. Instead of striving for unattainable precision, we embraced a "bucketed" approach. Response times are categorized into broad tiers ("very fast," "fast," "somewhat fast," "slowly"). This provides consistent feedback within the player's experience, even if the underlying measurement isn't perfectly precise. User testing and customer feedback confirmed the effectiveness of this approach. We prioritized perceived consistency over absolute accuracy.

Results