Since the last generation of consoles were released 7 years ago, the gaming industry has been through a seismic revolution with social media and mobile technology creating completely new types of gamer. With the next generation of consoles from Sony and Microsoft likely to be available later this year, we wanted to explore this fragmented gaming audience landscape and measure the challenge that lies ahead for the two giants. In the first of a two part post, we interview four people from within the gaming industry to understand how they see the landscape and where the power to engage and own gaming audiences lies.
2. Since the last generation of consoles were released 7 years
ago,the gaming industry has been through a seismic revolution
withsocial media and mobile technology creating completely newtypes
of gamer. With the next generation of consoles from Sonyand
Microsoft likely to be available later this year, we wanted
toexplore this fragmented gaming audience landscape andmeasure the
challenge that lies ahead for the two giants.In the first of a two
part post, we interview four people fromwithin the gaming industry
to understand how they see thelandscape and where the power to
engage and own gamingaudiences lies Gaming Insights 3. Contributers
to this piece are:Mike Masuku, Senior Marketing Manager Digital,
SEGAPrash Mistry, Playstation GamerChris Dring, Games Editor MCVTom
Botting, Xbox GamerGaming Insights 4. In the latest 7 year console
cycle, at least two newand powerful types of gamers have emerged
with the rise inprominence of social media and mobile. How wouldyou
categorize this fragmented gaming audience and what, ifany,
commonalities exist between them that can be exploitedby the new
generation of consoles? 5. Mike Masuku: There are still some
commonalities, particularly around demand and quality. A gamer
always wants quality, irrespective of the platform. Its just that
our interpretation of what quality is has to change dependent on
the platform. For a mobile game, quality can actually mean the ease
of play. Its about repetition and retention. Short quick bursts.
This is completely different from a console title, where quality is
measured in the look and feel of the graphics and how long it takes
for the narrative to unfold. Its five minutes versus an hour. But
its the same Price is also another commonality; the perspective of
getting value for money can be transient across platforms. Whether
youre paying 1.99 for a mobile game or 50 for the latest console
game 6. Prash Mistry: Most of us would have grown up playing Snake
on the old Nokia 5146, but we wouldnt be classed as a gamer. I
wouldnt categorize gamers by platform but by behavior. Id say:
Social gamer All my friends are playing so it must be good Bored
gamer I only play because I have nothing else to do Entertainment
gamer I enjoy playing games and get a buzz out of it Hardcore gamer
I am going home especially to play my favourite game. 7. Tom
Botting: Id say those that play games through social media and
mobile dont necessarily take gaming as seriously as those that
invest in consoles and are more concerned with playing something to
pass the time whilst on the go. The type of content they download
and engage with is normally whatever is top of the charts or new
that week, so its based on trends, in many ways its comparable to
the Harlem Shake or LOLCats. I think the two are separate to some
degree, I think that any mobile versions/extensions of XBOX games
are pointless, but I think console gamers like the idea of retro
games such as Golden Axe, Sonic and Streets of Rage being available
on mobile and at the same quality they are used to at the time of
release so that opens up a whole new area for gamers 8. Chris
Dring: I would categorise social and mobile players as casual
players or as I prefer, mainstream gamers. This is the same sort of
audience that invested in DS and Wii. People that arent interested
in 40-hour story-driven epics, but something light, well-built and
with social elements. Consoles face a challenge to win over these
players as buying a dedicated gaming machine is not something they
feel the need to do anymore. If they can get a fun, simplistic
(although Im not saying all games on tablets and mobiles are
simplistic, just the most popular ones are) gaming experience on a
tablet, why would they need to go out and buy a PS4, Wii U or PS3?
9. Do you think that the social and mobile gamers valueconvenience
over quality and what implications does this havefor the likes of
PlayStation and Xbox in terms of engagingthem? 10. Chris Dring: Not
all gamers of social and mobile titles are casual gamers. And there
are plenty of deep, hardcore experiences on these platforms.
However, on the whole I believe the casual fans of these products
do like the convenience and immediacy of mobile and tablet. The
accessibility of Angry Birds, in terms of it being on your phone
and its affordability, is far superior to New Super Mario Bros 2 on
3DS. However, consoles are starting to learn a thing or two from
the mobile world. The fact that you can boot up PS4 in seconds,
with all updates happening behind the scenes, is significant. As is
the fact you can start playing your game before it is downloaded.
This accessibility might make it easier for PlayStation to engage
these fans. However, Sonys marketing pitch the future of play is a
telling one. PS4 isnt being pitched as a multi-entertainment device
like a tablet (although it is). It wants to win over the
high-spending gaming audience first and foremost. 11. Tom Botting:
I think convenience over quality, but also gameplay over graphics,
content or theatrics. Games like Angry Birds have become successful
due to their addictive nature through simple gameplay. In my
opinion the likes of PlayStation and Xbox dont really compete
however old school games are available to Xbox users to download
via the dashboard so they can offer this service too 12. Prash
Mistry: Convenience is very powerful. It also helps that in times
of boredom or time passing, a game is always available in the palm
of your hand, on a device that you will be carrying either way. The
key things about playing on a console and why I would ideally like
to play on one if I had the choice of both would be so I can be
fully immersed into the gaming experience; with a large HD screen
with amazing graphics, high quality surround sound, and
communication with peers via a headset. If there was a way to
continue my game, via my mobile, that doesnt require those other
facets of immerse gaming I mentioned earlier then that would be
amazing! 13. Mike Masuku:social and mobile game developers remove
the barriers tosuccess, which encourages a different kind of
engagement withthe games. These gamers value ease, speed, price
andaccessibility if you want to call that convenience then yes,
butits a different paradigm to console gamers. But
consolesmanufacturers are looking to remove those barriers to quick
andrepetitive gamely with the FTP market. We could see this at
thePS4 event, when Sony mentioned nothing about the cost of thenew
machine but spoke at length about enabling FTP andstreaming games.
This arcade mode is the middle groundbetween mobile & social
gaming and immersive console games 14. Are we seeing a natural
maturation of the gamingindustry, where theres a far broader and
more diverseaudience that cannot be dominated by one type of
technologyor service? In which case who has the most power to
engageand retain these audiences? Game developers,
hardwaremanufacturers or the social platforms? 15. Chris Dring:
Developers need to put their games where consumers are. And they
are spending so much time on Facebook and iPhone and Android, and
these are dominant players in the broader games industry. However,
content is key. It is always about the games. Facebook and iPhone
would not be interesting gaming platforms if developers arent
making interesting games for them. The power to retain and engage
audience has always been with the developers. Top game makers will
pull gamers with them. Nintendo may be struggling right now, but
its fortunes will turn around the moment they release Mario Kart
(just look at 3DS) or another of its top, quality IP. The mass
audience is particularly fickle, and will go from playing Wii
obsessively on minute, to spending all their time down the cinema,
to spending all their time on Facebook. Making great, attractive
games is the best way to keep them engaged in the gaming market.
16. Mike Masuku: In my opinion, right now the hierarchy is
Publishers, Hardware then social platforms. The ambition has to be
to have one title across many game pillars and have gaming
communities that are built around games, not platforms. In this
world, the developers and the publishers have the power. But the
challenge, which is not really being fully met yet, is to truly
bake in social media as part of the experience. This is where the
social and, to some extent, the mobile platforms hold the power.
The big buzz tech is asynchronous multi-player where mates can
ghost race each other or play against people that have already
played hours before. This makes the whole experience more social
17. Tom Botting: I think social/mobile gaming has created a new
audience of gamers who would never normally have considered
purchasing games on any platform, but with the introduction of
games on mobile and the popularity of said games this has created a
new era of gaming. With this in mind I think the social platforms
have the most power 18. Prash Mistry:An all-round integrated
service for gaming will be most useful toeveryone, so you can
continue your favourite console gamesfrom your mobile device, and
enhance one overall score ratherthan start again on your mobile
device. Game developers andhardware manufacturers will be forced to
use social platforms toretain their audiences, as they offer more
reach and accessibilityto the wider audience, as opposed to signing
into server specificforums and gaming hubs. Social platforms will
set the tone forhow gaming will be perceived and advertised to the
wideraudience and play a key role in making a game a success or
afailure. 19. In part two of this piece we willexplore how these
different gamingaudiences can be engaged and howpublishers,
platforms and hardwaremanufacturers must evolve
