Entering the videogames world market
Pietro Polsinelli @ppolsinelli [email protected]
Question: How can a small Florence based gaming startup hope to sell in the world market? I just have one suggestion - later. March 25, 2012 games in the world market 2
The videogame market
Total is…
2010:
65.000.000.000$
/ year
+ 3.000.000.000$
/ year
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But…
What is the world market?
Does it include #gamification? Does it include
#seriousGames (#specialGames)? Does it include
#gamesForSchools? Does it include direct PayPal
sales? Promotional games? #virtualItem sales?
E.g. #virtualItem horse dung sales via eBay?
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World videogame market: numbers?
The point is numbers…
or access?
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Game classifications: the puzzle
There are more kinds of games on earth than you can imagine…
Console games
Mobile games
Browser games
Facebook games
Indie games
Retro games
Special games
Promotional games (Lego…)
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Growth
So as the gaming
market is expanding in
all directions, so is it
easy to be successful?
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Niches and access
A lesson in gaining access…
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WTF…
Amazing technology
Great stories
Beautiful art
Stunning animations
Wonderful soundtracks
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Zynga’s “evil” principle
“Scam people to play
repeatedly with
variable reinforcement
and cheating game
play telling them that
they are winning
anyway”
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Still…
There must be
something good
there. Why so
many non gamers
play it? Can it be
all that bad?
Try listening to the
game’ creators.
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Zynga’s “evil” principle - revisited
“We all want fun & social in our lives, its just too hard to get it”
“We need to lower the barriers for play & fun”
“All it takes is a 10 minute break”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81F1qSOq3cs
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A new niche was discovered
You find it, buy it, install it, have a free afternoon,
learn the rules, play and master it.
All these are BARRIERS for the non gamers niche.
You don’t find it -> You don’t install it
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The videogame story
Before browser story Casual social game
I saw the game in a shop, or I saw the game in a review.
My real FB friend told me about it
I bought it Its free
got the cd / downloaded the game, installed it
No install – start immediately in my familiar FB environment – even while working
Went through the tutorial No instructions needed
Played for hours in the weekend Played 10 mins at work
Played the whole week end, mastered it No need to waste week ends
And stopped playing Contents extends continuously
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New stuff: Gamification
This was on Twitter
last week.
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One suggestion
One suggestion
Have a great
idea, a business
plan, great game
design…
BUT MOST OF
ALL have a story
and an editorial
plan.
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Make it clear
Technical
innovation is
not a story.
A private
story is not
an editorial
plan.
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How can I put together an editorial plan?
Start selecting ideas by their
compatibility with a plan,
instead of the other way
round.
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Readings
March 25, 2012 games in the world market 22
An example
Think global / local
An example: Botticelli.
Botticelli is a free global brand.
Possible games:
Botticelli works. Rebuild the picture.
Work in the “bottega”. Painting a
Botticelli. The natural framework.
Knowledge in Botticelli’s time.
March 25, 2012 games in the world market 24
An existing, important brand
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Competion is scarce…
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Even more important…
This can be news. You
can make many “unique”
pitches for the press.
This can be news,
asteroids… can’t.
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Game market?
•Nothing specific in the App Store
•While there are infinite many old and new revisions of asteroids, there is nothing specific using this free, typically Florentine brand. It’s a desert.
•Depending on the quality of the app, it can appeal also to non gamers. It could have applications in art history teaching, and so on.
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“Dig it”
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References
Games For Change
http://www.gamesforchange.org/
Casual for Kids: Leveraging Casual Gaming as Marketing | Brianna
KLEMM
http://casualconnect.org/lectures/marketing-pr/casual-for-kids-
leveraging-casual-gaming-as-marketing-brianna-klemm/
Vili Lehdonvirta
http://vili.lehdonvirta.com/
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Image attributions
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pmiaki/3588917349/in/set-72157606565476780/lightbox/
http://aboutus.lego.com/en-us/news-room/2012/february/lego-minecraft-micro-world/
http://laughingsquid.com/lego-star-wars-make-your-own-story/
http://www.smosh.com/smosh-pit/photos/20-incredible-video-game-lego-creations
http://anthony.liekens.net/index.php/Lego/Index
http://www.danishmama.com/2011/11/toys-lego-house-number/tumblr_ll3ptjaksp1qb2cl6o1_500/
http://www.wonderlandblog.com/wonderland/2011/12/lego-for-girls.html
http://www.geekosystem.com/zynga-is-evil/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/djpd/2226223458/sizes/l/in/photostream/
http://www.geekologie.com/2008/11/your-moneys-safe-with-me-a-leg.php
http://nl.lego.wikia.com/wiki/Obi-Wan_Kenobi
http://www.actnow.com.au/Opinion/The_Rise_of_the_Citizen_Journalist.aspx
http://legoexpress.tumblr.com/post/243677620/lego-book-small-coptic-bound-book-with-a-build
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