What comes to your mind when you think of the word “entertainment”? Music, movies, television, amusement parks… What about video games? Can you imagine that the global games market value grew to $135 billion in 2018? To put that in context, the global film industry shows projections to nearly $50 billion in 2020. How come games are bigger than Hollywood? Clearly, this is the industry worth paying attention to, especially for advertisers, it seems like a huge opportunity. We may not be able to develop and distribute the game, however, there are some valuable lessons to take into consideration when building our own content marketing strategy.
What to learn from the video game industry?
Despite the fact that video game was considered a niche industry, it is growing consistently and breaking into mainstream markets. As of today, there are more than 2.5 billion video gamers globally, with over 1.23 billion gamers from the Asia Pacific. What’s even more surprising that millennial gamers, aged 18-25, worldwide spend an average of 3 hours and 25 minutes each week watching other people play video games online. What’s in it for customers they keep playing anв coming back for more? Let’s see some key metrics:
- Strong Titles – the game title has the same impact as a brand title. If a company has a difficult name to remember or understand, there is a big chance that customers will miss it for the long term. Such examples as NBA 2K14, Grand Theft Auto or FIFA 2019 instinctively let the consumer know what the game is about. Another great example which became massive is the Super Mario series created by Nintendo featuring their mascot. The very first title was released back in 1985. Super Mario became so big, that developers came up with new releases almost every year, including media such as film, television, print media and merchandise. According to IGN Super Mario World is recognized as the best game.
- Trailers – similar to the film industry, trailers became a powerful tool for video game marketing content strategy. It’s a way to introduce to people what the game is about, driving an interest before they even get a chance to try the game. There are 36% of youngsters and 31% of adult gamers watching video game trailers, previews or reviews. Video game marketers use three simple steps in creating up to the 90-second trailer:
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- Short, attention-grabbing introduction, usually using sound effects;
- Story-telling plot using footage from the game;
- A strong call to action (CTA) to tell the viewer when and where the game is available.
It’s not new, that video content is the most engaging and converting more that text post, picture or infographics. In 2019, 87% of businesses use video as a marketing tool, it is by 6% more than in the previous year. Some marketers are mistaken, that video production is very expensive – not anymore. With the help of online video makers and the fact, that 92% of marketers make videos with assets they already have, businesses can produce video content with ease. Renderforest is a great example – a truly affordable video maker tool, giving a chance to create a video within a few minutes in your browser. The main idea is to select a template from the Renderforest library. The selection is so big, that you can find even scenes inspired by the cinematic actions. All you need to do is to upload the image, insert the text, add music and hit preview.
- Pre-buying – getting a new game release became as intensive as receiving the latest iPhone. People used to queue for the upcoming games until the time when video game marketers decided to run early order incentives – so-called pre-orders when people buy a game before it is even released. Usually, such action is rewarded with extra content or discounts. Such a technique can be equated to demo version marketers are putting up for their products and services.
- Going Social – In 2017 there were around 666 million people globally watching others play video games, this number is expected to grow over 740 million by 2019. WePC in their report states that Twitch with is the leading platform for viewing gaming video worldwide, not to mention YouTube which has the most share of gaming video content viewers (44%). This proves that video content becomes a megatrend nowadays and the reason why the Internet of things (IoT) has changed the reality of the video game industry.
What is IoT and why is it attractive for video games?
IoT is an ongoing trend where the power of the internet comes beyond computers and mobile devices to the range of other processes, allowing businesses and people to be connected to the world around them. IoT has brought endless opportunities in the gaming industry. While desktop devices and consoles are still remaining popular, there is a significant rise in mobile gaming, social channels, eSports and mass adoption through digital distribution.
One of the key potentials of using IoT in video game industry is bridging the gap between the actual platform and its players, in other words, is a possibility to connect to the device of your friend when playing a game. The best example is the casino, operators connect with players directly. If previously you had to be tied to your console at home via plugs, today, all you need is your mobile phone. 76% of customers prefer to play games on mobile devices while 62% prefer playing on PC/Mac. It makes it more accessible for all type of people.
At the end of the day, the Internet of Things allows people all over the globe to connect to play together from any point they are at the moment. The game industry is enjoying a positive switch affected by IoT and continue building more interactive and engaging content. Literally, new video gaming is fully satisfying customers and fulfilling genuine human needs that the real world is unable to satisfy.