◼️Game Sessions
Game Sessions allow you to understand how players actually play - not just what they click or bet. By grouping gameplay into meaningful sessions, you can trigger campaigns based on real engagement (session length, intensity, wins or losses), identify high-value and at-risk players, and deliver more timely, relevant CRM actions.
What it is
A Game Session represents a continuous period of user gameplay activity across one or multiple games. A session starts when a user begins playing and ends when they stop interacting with games for a defined period of inactivity or explicitly exit gameplay. Smartico automatically tracks game sessions and enriches them with aggregated gameplay metrics, including duration, bets, wins, and game count.
Why it’s important
Game sessions provide a behavior-level view of player activity that goes beyond individual events or transactions. By analyzing sessions, operators can:
Understand real engagement (time spent playing, intensity, betting behavior)
Identify high-value or at-risk players
Trigger campaigns based on actual play behavior, not just single actions
Build more accurate segmentation for retention, reactivation, and rewards
In practice, session-based data enables more relevant, timely CRM actions, improving both the player experience and business outcomes.
How it works
Smartico groups gameplay events into sessions using an inactivity timeout (5 minutes by default, configurable on request). Smartico emits an Game session changed (gs_game_session_changed) event with aggregated metrics when a user switches games within an active session. Once the user becomes inactive beyond the timeout, Smartico finalizes the session and emits a Game session ended (gs_game_session_ended) event.
These session events can then be:
Used as triggers in campaigns and automations
Analyzed in reports and dashboards
Combined with other behavioral or transactional data for advanced segmentation
Game Session events and payload structure
Smartico tracks gameplay using two session-level events: Game Session Changed and Game Session Ended. Both events report aggregated gameplay metrics for a single gameplay session. They differ only in when they are emitted.
Game Session Changed is emitted only when a user switches games within an active session. The event reflects the session state up to the moment of the game change and includes identifiers of the previous and newly selected games. For example, if a player moves from Game A to Game B, this event captures their time spent on Game A.
Game Session Ended is emitted once the session is completed, after the inactivity timeout. It contains the final session metrics across all games played and should be used for post-session analysis and reporting.
Example: Game Session Changed
Example: Game Session Ended
Fields reference for Game session ended (gs_game_session_ended):
gs_total_bet_amount: Total value wagered during the entire session.gs_session_length_seconds: Total duration of the session in seconds.gs_avg_bet_amount: Average amount wagered per bet.gs_max_bet_amount: The highest single bet placed.gs_bets_count: Total number of bets placed.gs_all_game_ids: A list of all game IDs played during the session.gs_session_start_date/gs_session_end_date: Timestamps for the start and end of the full session.gs_event_delay_seconds: Delay between the last betting action and event emission
Fields reference for Game session changed (gs_game_session_changed):
Has the same fields as a game session ended, except
gs_all_game_idsgs_game_old_id: The ID of the game the user just stopped playing.gs_game_new_id: The ID of the new game the user has started.
Use Cases for Campaigns
1. Reward high-value, long-play users
Trigger: gs_game_session_ended
Conditions: gs_avg_bet_amount ≥ 10, gs_session_length_seconds ≥ 1800
Action: Send a bonus or a push notification to encourage repeat play.
2. Reactivate after low-engagement sessions
Trigger: gs_game_session_ended
Conditions: gs_session_length_seconds < 120, gs_bets_count < 10
Action: Send Free Spins to re-engage the user's interest.
3. Celebrate game-hopping behavior
Trigger: gs_game_session_changed
Action: Identify users who switch games frequently and offer a "Multi-game Explorer" badge or a custom mission to encourage continued play.
4. Promote similar titles
Trigger: gs_game_session_changed
Conditions: gs_game_old_id = [Adventure Game ID]
Action: If the user moves to a different genre, send a recommendation for a title similar to the one they just left.
5. Celebrate high-value sessions
Trigger: gs_game_session_ended
Conditions: gs_total_bet_amount > 1000
Action: Send a personalized “VIP milestone” message with a loyalty reward.
6. Offer a retry bonus for short sessions
Trigger: gs_game_session_ended
Conditions: gs_session_length_seconds < 60, gs_bets_count < 5
Action: Send a “Quick round? Try again with a boost!” message and offer 5 free spins on the same game.
Reporting
The Sessions Dashboard provides a detailed overview of the business performance from the perspective of users’ game interactions, allowing you to track performance, engagement, and general health.
Chart 1: Daily Trend - Session Length (Sec)
This chart tracks trends in unique users who engaged in gaming during the day, as well as the total duration of their activity.
Key Metrics Included:
Session Length (Sec) – Median – the median value of all the users’ daily betting activity periods.
Unique Users with Sessions – unique count of users that had betting activity.
Value to You:
Performance Benchmarking: Provides a baseline to evaluate how product updates or marketing campaigns affect user behavior.
Early Warning System: Identifies shifts in activity patterns, signaling potential technical issues or changes in user sentiment.
Volume vs. Quality: Distinguishes between sheer reach (User Count) and actual usage intensity (Session Length).
Chart 2: Daily Trend - Sessions Count and Session Length (Sec) per User
This chart monitors the trends of the average number of sessions each user had throughout the day, as well as the average length of each session per user.
Key Metrics Included:
AVG Sessions Count per User – how many gaming sessions each user had in average per day.
Session Length (Sec) per user - the average value of all the users’ daily betting activity periods.
Value to You:
Behavioral Patterns: Quantifies the daily "habit" of users by tracking how often they return (Frequency) versus how long they stay per visit (Intensity).
Engagement Profiling: Distinguishes between "snacking" behavior (many short sessions) and "immersion" (few long sessions) to define user segments.
Trend Stability: Detects shifts in baseline activity levels to provide an objective health check of daily user interaction.
Chart 3: Daily Trend - AVG Bet Amount and AVG Bet Count per Session
This chart monitors the Average Bet Amount and Average Bet Count, per user per day.
Key Metrics Included:
Bet Amount per Session – the average monetary value of the bets that happened during each gaming session.
Bet Count per Session – the average number of bets that happened during each gaming session.
Value to You:
Session Density: Measures the intensity of activity by tracking how many actions (bets) occur within a single session.
Monetization Trends: Identifies shifts in spending power or betting appetite across the user base over time.
Chart 4: Daily Trend - AVG of Unique Games Count per Session
This chart monitors the average number of different games that the user had bets on during the session.
Value to You:
Portfolio Breadth: Measures cross-game exploration to determine if users are engaging with multiple titles or sticking to a single game.
Cross-Sell Effectiveness: Evaluates how successfully the platform surfaces new or different content to users during a single session.
Chart 5: Daily Trend - Acquisition Quality (sessions count and duration for the New Users).
This chart monitors the trends of the average Sessions Count and average Session duration for the New Users (based on the RFM Segmentation).
Key Metrics Included:
Session Duration (Sec) - the average value of all the New Users’ daily betting activity periods.
Number of Sessions per User - how many gaming sessions each New User had in average per day.
Value to You:
First-Impression Benchmarking: Quantifies the immediate engagement level of new users to determine if the initial product experience is successful.
Retention Predictor: Uses early session frequency and duration as leading indicators for long-term player retention and potential churn.
Charts 6, 7: Sessions per User trend - split per Value Score
These charts monitor the trends of the Unique Users and average Sessions Count for the Users, split by Value Score.
Key Metrics Included:
Sessions per User - how many gaming sessions each User had in average per day.
Users with Sessions – unique count of users that had betting activity.
Key Presentation:
For a clearer view, the data is split into 2 charts: Top Value and High Value Users; Medium Value and Low Value Users.
Value to You:
Segment Health Tracking: Monitors the activity levels of specific cohorts to ensure "Top" and "High" value users maintain their expected usage frequency.
Growth Optimization: Identifies patterns in "Medium" or "Low" value segments that could indicate potential for promotion to higher value tiers through increased session frequency.
Table 8: Session Length and Retention per Game - top 50 games
The table lists 50 most popular games during the filtered period, showing which are the games, the users spend most time on (Duration per User) and which are the games, the user go back to after a break ("Stickiness").
Key Metrics Included:
Sessions per User - how many gaming sessions each User had in average per day.
Duration per User (sec) – the average value of all the New Users’ daily betting activity periods.
Value to You:
Portfolio Optimization: Identifies "Hero" games that drive maximum time-on-tool and recurring engagement versus titles that may require removal or updates.
Investment Prioritization: Directs development or licensing spend toward game mechanics that demonstrate the highest "return-to-play" rates.
Reporting use cases
Use the Game Session Reports tab to see how your entire user base interacts with your games and monitor behavioral trends as they develop over time. This high-level view helps you understand the general habits of your players and gives you the data needed to adjust your marketing and segmentation strategies.
Game Trends: Monitor how key metrics like average bet amount and total wagering change across your platform. For example, if you notice a general increase in bet sizes, it might be the right time to introduce higher-tier rewards. Conversely, a downward trend tells you when it’s time for a new retention campaign.
Monitoring Session Evolution: Track whether the average time spent playing is increasing or decreasing for the whole user base. If sessions are getting shorter across the board, it may indicate a shift in player interest.
Informing Segmentation Strategies: Use these global trends to define your player segments. For instance, if the data shows a growing trend of frequent game-switching, you can create a specific segment for these "Explorers" and target them with variety-based offers.
Detecting Intense Play Patterns: Watch for shifts in the number of bets placed per session across your entire base. A sudden spike in the frequency of bets can help you identify high-momentum periods on your platform, allowing you to time your most important offers for maximum impact.
Last updated
Was this helpful?