A few weeks ago, I wrote about Alexey Savchenko’s book Game as Business, which provides an excellent description of the gaming industry from the perspective of production and working with publishers. However, it says almost nothing about what comes next. Especially if your game is designed to last for years: how to work with users, how to study their behavior, and, ultimately, how to make millions.
That’s why Vasiliy Sabirov’s book Game by Numbers, which was also published last year, serves as a perfect complement. Its subtitle, How Analytics Helps Video Games Thrive, speaks volumes.
But first, a bit about the author. Vasiliy Sabirov is an analyst with extensive experience. Over the course of his career, he worked as an analyst and head of the payment solutions department at Xsolla (one of the largest players in the gaming payment market), as a lead analyst at the gaming company Alternativa Games, and then moved on to the emerging devtodev (now the largest gaming analytics service in the Russian-speaking game development sector). At devtodev, he worked as head of the analytics department and also served as an evangelist for both the service itself and its educational platform, where he released a course, including one on gaming analytics. In 2020, he made a major life change, transitioning (and relocating) to work as a lead analyst at the gaming company Easybrain (also one of the major players in the mobile gaming market). In other words, Vasiliy knows what analytics is and how it works. I would even say that if you’re talking about game analytics in Russian-speaking companies, Vasiliy Sabirov is the first name that comes to mind.
Now about the book and game analytics. If people around you are throwing around strange terms like MAU, LTV, ARPPU, and others, and you find yourself staring blankly, it’s time to read this book. Because behind these intimidating acronyms lie concepts that aren’t all that complicated. Learning how to work with this data properly, however, is the next step. But let’s take it one step at a time.
Even before reading this book, I had completed Vasiliy Sabirov’s analytics course on devtodev, so I had a general idea of what to expect. The book largely repeats the information from the video course, although it delves deeper into certain aspects. So, even if you’ve taken the course (like me), the book is still interesting and valuable to read (at the very least, you’ll refresh your knowledge if you’re not actively applying it).
Vasiliy Sabirov begins his book not with the specifics of analytics but by explaining the skills a good analyst should possess, what lies behind their work, and how they should structure and visualize reports. Properly presented information can both clarify and mislead, so the author emphasizes that a good analyst doesn’t just create an easily understandable report but also provides conclusions and actionable recommendations based on their analysis.
Only after this introduction does Vasiliy dive into the details of product analytics. He starts by defining basic concepts and then explores metrics, organizing them according to when they should appear in a project’s lifecycle (assuming you approach analytics correctly and don’t treat it as an afterthought). He provides not only definitions but also potential ways to improve these metrics in your project, often using personal examples.
Once the key metrics such as DAU/MAU, churn, NPS, and others are introduced, the author dedicates a separate section to monetization analytics: why the relevant metrics (LTV, ARPU, etc.) are important, how to calculate them, and how to use them effectively.
He then delves into forecasting, game economy, working with promotions and pricing, and the overall data-driven approach. I don’t think it’s necessary to detail every section of the book.
What’s more important is that Vasiliy Sabirov explains these seemingly complex concepts—which often involve a lot of math and statistics—in a very clear and accessible way. There’s no need to worry that this book is only for experts in the field. Even if you’re not a mathematician, you’ll find it easy to understand most of the material. Well, almost all of it, to be honest. There are a couple of chapters where the author ventures into highly specific and mathematical territory, which might be challenging even for someone with a math background who hasn’t dealt with these topics in a while. However, such sections are few and far between and don’t significantly affect the overall experience. They’re more for those seeking a deeper understanding.
After reading this book, you’ll realize that much of what’s done in any product isn’t arbitrary. Analytics isn’t collected “just to have it”; every number in a report is meant to help you draw conclusions and make decisions for the next steps in improving the product.
Who should read this? Practically everyone. If you’re an analyst, you probably won’t find much new here. However, for junior analysts or those aspiring to enter the field, the book offers a well-structured approach. It’s also extremely valuable for any product manager since this data is a key part of their daily work (even if it’s analysts who prepare it). Moreover, it’s beneficial for anyone wanting to understand how to make not just games but any product better. The principles of game development presented here are largely universal and are applicable far beyond games.
I highly recommend the book, and my thanks to Vasiliy Sabirov for promoting this knowledge to a wider audience.
My rating: 4.5/5
P.S. I couldn’t resist, so forgive me, dear author. In one section, he explains the concepts of induction and deduction, stating, “We’ve all read books about Sherlock Holmes and remember his inductive method.” However, Sherlock Holmes always referred to his method as deductive or deduction—not induction. I say this as a longtime fan of the character.
[…] Moreover, when I say that the book has not lost its relevance, I am being slightly disingenuous—but only slightly. The tricks still exist and are even used today. However, they are no longer the “revelation of the century” (naturally, given that this book has been published for 70 years!). Many of the described techniques are now the ABCs for any self-respecting analyst. At the same time, truly professional analysts often consider it beneath their dignity to use such low-grade methods in their work (for example, some of these “tricks” are described as fraudulent by Vasiliy Sabirov in his book The Numbers Game). […]
[…] in books on broader topics. Even from those mentioned in my blog, you can refer to “The Numbers Game“ by Vasiliy Sabirov or “How to Lie with Statistics“ by Darrell […]