The gaming industry has undergone significant changes over the past 5-10 years. This happens due to many far from trivial factors. This will be discussed in the article.
Trends
According to world leading analysts, the gaming industry market is undergoing changes. Gaming revenue is tens of billions of US dollars. Moreover, the information varies depending on the sources of information. Obviously, the vast majority of the market was captured by video games. Social games receive less attention.
However, due to demographic and age-related nuances among players from different countries, a decrease in the popularity of video games and the degree of demand for game consoles is expected.
It is believed that avid gamers who prefer traditional video games on disk media are people aged 15 to 40 years. And also the shift in economic priorities as a whole should be taken into account. In other words, not everyone has the opportunity to purchase a powerful computer that meets the requirements of a new game (such as "The Witcher 3" or Mass Effect: Andromeda), because the balance is smoothly shifting towards social games that are accessed through social networks. Or preference is given to a mobile application based on Android or iOS. And these games are very different from traditional ones.
Accordingly, the gaming industry is witnessing a gradual decrease in video game revenue and an increase in it from mobile applications. If video games bring developers finances only by selling at points of sale (it doesn’t matter if it’s a matter of quite tangible stores or how to sell them via electronic platforms), then gaming applications have monetized content, which contributes to a more dynamic increase in capital.
Analytics
The modern gaming industry is far superior to the music industry. You can only compare it with the film and television industry. However, due to changes in demand for games, many project analysis technologies are being developed. We are, of course, talking about social games, as well as online, which bring a more dynamic income due to the detailed monetization of aspects of the project. In the case of classic video games, only the sales volume can be analyzed.
Elements to be analyzed:
- DAU and MAU - the number of users per day and month, respectively;
- the ratio of one indicator to another: DAU / MAU;
- degree of involvement - reflects the amount of time a player spends in a project;
- coefficient K - reflects the average increase in the number of players in the game; something like a “degree of insanity” on the game world;
- ARPU - the average amount of money invested by a person in a game;
- LTV - the value of a particular player, depending in general on the finances invested in the game project, attracting friends through referral links, participating in the life of the project (promotions, contests, events), as well as off-game actions to advertise the project.
Monetization
The future of the gaming industry boils down to the study of the behavior patterns of players of a particular project, the study of their involvement, as well as the tendency to click on ads or in-game tips that contribute to the development of project mechanics.
Based on the data obtained, business models are compiled:
- Income from paying a subscription fee by a player. That is, a fee is paid for the right to enjoy the gameplay. An example is WELDER on iOS.
- The usual game with a donut. That is, customers invest real money to purchase goods within the game, contributing to the leveling of the character, victories in battles and a more comfortable gameplay. Most of these games. The introduced “real” is a “pass to the big leagues”. Developers are only required to maintain a delicate balance between donates and regular players. In projects where an insurmountable gulf exists between the two groups, people do not stay long.
- Monetization in the form of in-game advertising. Here, too, everything is simple: when any action is announced, a banner is displayed on the screen. An example is the “Mysterious House”, distributed through the VKontakte social network.
The gaming industry market is crowded with companies offering mixed business model options for the development of gaming projects. As well as external advertising mechanisms to attract new gamers.
Although the gaming computer industry is developing by leaps and bounds, the field of gaming analytics is still in its infancy. The whole kaleidoscope of mechanisms that take into account the individual gaming needs of each internal client has not been fully implemented. And technologies based on the principles of working with relational databases are not designed to store exabytes of information, much less adapted to work with such a volume of data. Such a volume of information is provided by the number of actions that are performed by the player.
Implementation of NoSQL technologies is required, the methods of which differ from traditional DBMSs.
Online casino
Another aspect of the gaming industry, which involves the introduction of funds into the game. Often when watching TV shows on a website you can hear an advertisement for the next virtual casino - slot machines that offer to play for free. We are talking about "free spins" - free attempts to rotate the game drum, which do not provide for reinforcing the attempt by any monetary iteration. In case of a win, the balance is replenished by a certain amount.
As a rule, the number of "spins" is strictly limited. The principles and mechanisms of building a business model are the same as in any "one-armed bandits" in real life. They are simply called in reality differently - slot machines. It’s rare for anyone to win something for free. Nevertheless, the income from such resources is rather considerable.
The gaming industry in Russia by the example of Mail.ru
The specified company takes far from the last place in the Russian Federation in the field of development of this market sphere. For example, “Mail” contributes to debunking the myth that computer games are the destiny of antisocial people and do not fall under the criteria of “serious pastime”.
The annual research conducted by Mail.ru Group in the field of gaming space analytics has established that the average age of a Russian gamer is 27-29 years. The year 2015 became especially difficult for the company, when a lot of players left the segment of social gaming applications (previously growth was observed - about 20% compared to 2014), but a number of online games releases saved the situation: Armata project, Black Desert, SkyForge . And everyone also knows the iconic online shooter called Warface.
According to statistics for 2016, mobile games in terms of popularity and income volume are almost equal to social ones, according to the head of IT-Territory studio Vasily Maguryan.
Print media
Interactive entertainment is not the only component of the industry. This also includes print media. Game magazines, designed to cover the events of the gaming world, to talk about events dedicated to the release of a new project, are an integral part of this area.
The most famous print publication in Russia is the Igromania magazine, published since September 1997. It owes its popularity to colorful covers, posters, as well as the way the material is presented - it is written in a simple language that is understandable to a wide circle of video game fans. The circulation totals 180 000 copies.
Game magazines are devoted not only to games, but also to computers in general: hardware, programming, databases, the Internet, technology and software. An example of such a publication is the slightly less well-known Hacker magazine - it has been published since 1999, the circulation has already exceeded far beyond 220,000 copies.
Gaming career
The dream of any sophisticated gamer (bordering on a slight insanity) is to work in a company that supports your favorite game. In principle, this is not difficult. It depends only on a number of circumstances: education, desire to work and develop in this direction, the presence of a company in the city, as well as vacancies. Of course, we are talking about an online game. Possible professions in the gaming industry are below.
Programmer Naturally, the name speaks for itself. Game development involves many hours of writing ornate script commands, correcting broken codes, and (worst) digging into someone else's code to detect an error. A programmer must be able to write in many languages. The profession is universal and highly regarded. But the gaming industry does not allocate much money for its internal IT component. Therefore, if you are interested in money, it is better to go to IT outsourcing, and not to game development. Or even gas trading.
The artist . Another integral part of the industry. But there are more difficulties than the programmer. If the drawing style does not coincide with the corporate and gaming, the applicant will quickly be refused. All because of the fact that it is difficult to describe exactly what requirements must be presented to the applicant when creating a vacancy.
If there are no abilities of both a programmer and an artist, but you are attracted to work in the gaming industry, you can try your hand at the role of a community manager . You need to know the game well, participate in the life of the gaming community, and also find a gaming company office in the city.
If successful, you can grow up to the producer . These grow most often from KM-s. The requirements for the candidate are simple, but severe: adequacy, responsibility and common sense. At the same time, the producer, like the game designer, is a bit of a jack of all trades: a little marketing, a little community, and more.
Actually a game designer. It is most difficult to become one because of a number of duties that cannot be entrusted to an ordinary “person from the street”. A person of this profession thinks through game mechanics, models the entire geometry of levels, develops ways to move around the terrain, and not only generates ideas by which a game will be created. If there is interest in this specialty, it is recommended that you first try yourself in the field of modmaking. Fortunately, the gaming industry is very rich. There are even many mod sites where everyone can try their hand (Portal 2, Unity, RPG-maker).
More options
If an MMO project is implemented, the need arises in such positions as PR specialists, marketers, customer support, testers. Each specialty has its own functions. If at the dawn of online games one department often performed several functions, then with the development of the gaming industry this phenomenon has become less common.
PR and marketers. People come here who are able to briefly and clearly convey information to the interlocutor, to interest him in something. A test task is usually given at an interview: to offer a number of diametrically opposite options for a business process that can provide a high number of users registered in the project with a very small budget for the gaming company.
Support service or technical support . As a rule, knowledge of the PC, some aspects of the work of the company in which there is a desire to get a job, and the features of the gaming industry are required. As well as the ability to convey information to the client. Most often, this position implies interaction with conflicting clients, therefore literacy and stress resistance will be a big plus.
A bit about online games
The gaming industry is as much a business as cinema, tourism or music. Aspects such as the development of classic video games on CDs cannot be compared with online, social games or mobile applications.
The differences are obvious: interactive entertainment in the form of browser-based online games involves the infusion of monetary resources on the part of the player to increase the level of skill, rise above the rest of the players. Such games cannot be "completed to the end." They are eternal, addictive, require you to devote a certain time each day to completing daily tasks. And also several times a week there are some competitions between players (clans) for the right to have a certain prize.
Video games can be played, they have a clearly formed storyline (unlike the above) and do not require strict periodicity of online presence.
Often, the player does not understand that the online project was created primarily for the earnings of the developers themselves, and not so that a person could play comfortably and do whatever he pleases. Misunderstanding the basics of this business model leads to negativity towards developers, spreading rumors that the project has slipped and will close soon. However, they are in no hurry to curtail. Updates come out one after another, and the absence of a player for a long time leads to the fact that the character becomes weaker than others. When the negative has passed, the person decides to return to the game and discovers that he has missed a lot, the character is not as strong as before. This again gives rise to negativity and thoughts that the game has slipped. An example is the RiotZone project from the aforementioned company Mail.ru Group.
If there is a lack of understanding of these elementary things, it’s best to use classic video games on a PC in order to have a good time.
cybersport
The future of the gaming industry will definitely bring success to companies that have taken their niche in the global market. Nowadays, gamers have already left the image of a typical homebody with an antisocial lifestyle. Many participate in game championships, receiving real cash rewards. Examples are Warface, Dota 2, and Hearthstone Championships.
Games as such have ceased to be perceived as something frivolous. Stereotypes such as "games give rise to maniacs" or "just wasted time" remained in the past. The industry has grown into a full-fledged informed business.
In addition, Russia became the first of the countries where such a concept as e-sports was recognized. It happened back in 2001. And in 2017, the term was finally recorded and entered on the register along with other sports like football, hockey or basketball. That is, now on the territory of the Russian Federation cybersports competitions can also be held. Winners may even be awarded the appropriate rank in a given discipline.
Games in which an element of surprise is provided cannot participate in the competition. The most colorful and spectacular competitions were held around the world from 2000 to 2013 as part of games such as Warcraft 3 and StarCraft. The team or single player who won the most points in the final battle won.
Conclusion
In the end, it should be said that the gaming industry has enormous potential for development and is rapidly striding towards a bright future. Design studios and their branches grow like mushrooms after rain, occupying ever new territories.
An example of this is the international company Plarium, which has branches in Israel, Ukraine, the United States, and Great Britain. A relatively recently opened office in Russia in the city of Krasnodar. The company is developing both online games and mobile applications.
And there are many such companies. Games come out almost every year. One is more colorful than the other. Once the idea of having your own PC seemed like a dream, but now every family has one. Technical progress does not stand still, each new game released surpasses the previous one in its graphic, technical and functional characteristics.
Therefore, avid gamers have to save money on more powerful computers that satisfy the system requirements of projects such as The Witcher 3 or Mass Effect: Andromeda. Few people want to play on minimums, because in this mode it is difficult to enjoy beautiful landscapes and dizzying battles in the dynamic world of the game.
Naturally, the owners of powerful computers do not hesitate and simply set the settings to the maximum, getting on the road through the game space. This factor also ensures the development of the gaming industry, albeit very indirectly. It's like a wheel: cool games come out - powerful computers are bought, these PCs are purchased - games with higher system requirements come out.
As mentioned above, the computer games industry is developing rapidly, technological progress does not stand still. And everything is done so that everyone can have a good time in their favorite game.