It's in-game marketing week at OLDMTA, and all week long I will be posting sections of an upcoming white paper I have been working on for some time on the subject of in-game marketing.
This week of posts is designed to provide the marketing generalist with the basics of the gaming industry and how to leverage game marketing tools to improve marketing effectiveness. It is not designed for a gaming expert but rather for the person who is curious about the space but not well versed in it.
It covers:
• Game terminology
• Core game genres
• Casual game genres
• Statistics on who games
• Marketing issues to consider
• Game marketing options
• Game marketing providers
• Other ways to leverage the appeal of gaming
After reading this week of posts, the user will be equipped with the knowledge to take a strategic approach to exploring the potential for In0game marketing opportunities for their brands.
This week of posts is designed to provide the marketing generalist with the basics of the gaming industry and how to leverage game marketing tools to improve marketing effectiveness. It is not designed for a gaming expert but rather for the person who is curious about the space but not well versed in it.
It covers:
• Game terminology
• Core game genres
• Casual game genres
• Statistics on who games
• Marketing issues to consider
• Game marketing options
• Game marketing providers
• Other ways to leverage the appeal of gaming
After reading this week of posts, the user will be equipped with the knowledge to take a strategic approach to exploring the potential for In0game marketing opportunities for their brands.
INTRODUCTION
While not yet a large sector of digital advertising, the growth rates for spending on in-game advertising are tremendous. Partly this is a result of the changing realities of use and viewership of other media. That is, marketers are reacting to declines in TV usage among certain demos as game time increases.
But there are other factors as well. Games are the quintessential “lean-forward” medium – users are absolutely paying attention when they game, and advertisers work to capitalize on this opportunity to reach and connect to engaged minds.
GAME GLOSSARY
There are thousands of gaming terms from developer words like polygons to trash talk slang, which is akin to SMS slang.
Cinematics: Many games show mini movies at startup between levels of a game to help immerse the player in the game experience and to give the player something to look at while the level loads.
Console: There are a variety of machine types that play games. Those classic arcade machines, PCs, Macs, and Consoles, a term which refers to machines created especially for gaming. Examples are XBOX 360, PlayStation 3, and the Nintendo Wii.
Controller: This is the device on a console or PC game that lets the player direct their character or vehicle in a game. Used to be called a joystick.
Core Games: this refers to what most people think of when you hear the term “video games” – complex, graphically intense multilevel gaming experiences. They differ from Noncore games, which is a term that refers to generally less deep or graphically intense games like Bejeweled that are played in shorter periods of time. A trivia game is Noncore. A game where the emphasis is on blood and guts is a Core game.
E3: The Electronic Entertainment Expo was the major annual trade show of the core gaming industry. Most of the game developers and platforms display their upcoming goods. Recent E3s have become more intimate, less of a spectacle. This may be because the one upsmanship of past E3s raised the cost to participate to prohibitive levels. It’s hard to justify spending tens of millions for a booth.
Frame Rate: Similar to when the term is used in a movie, frame rate refers to the speed at which the action in a game is rendered on a screen.
Handheld Games: Another gaming format, handheld games are played on portable devices like the PSP and the Nintendo DS. These devices also have the ability to play music and movies, store photos, and the like.
Joystick: See Controller.
Levels: Many games offer multiple “levels” of play that get more challenging as the game progresses and the player gets better at playing. The first level of a game is going to be much easier than the thirtieth.
Massive Multiplayer Online Gaming: Often referred to as MMOG, this refers to large numbers of people playing a game over the Internet. Everquest is a MMOG, and so is Warcraft. Another MMOG increasing in popularity is Eve.
Multiplayer: Refers to a gaming mode in which multiple people play the same game simultaneously. Some may be friends; some, enemies. Multiplayers can be played over an office LAN or over the Internet. Most core gamers prefer multiplayer gaming because of the variability of play and the community/communication/competitive aspects of playing with one another.
Persistent Universe: This refers to a game experience in which what happened yesterday affects the environment and game play today, and what happens today will affect characters and play tomorrow. Particularly relevant for online role playing games, the idea is that if for example your castle is leveled by a competitor, it won’t magically reappear tomorrow. Go to the location tomorrow and you will see the rubble and carnage created today. This enables a game to host characters that change and grow over time to reflect past experiences and accomplishments.
Polygons: This refers to the pieces of game art that are displayed in a game. An object is made of a number of polygons. For illustration, consider the following “person I have created with 6 polygons:
As you can see, six polygons can make an approximation of a person, but hundreds of smaller ones could create far more realistic characters. The ability of a computer or console to render lots of polygons more or less instantly is what contributes to greater visual realism in a game. Game companies often employ blue screen filming of actual people to use as models for polygon characters. Imagine how many polygons are needed to create this realistic a football player in Madden Football 2007:
Shrink Wrap Product: This refers to games that are sold on CDs, in boxes, with shrink wrap around them. These are distinct from downloaded games. For obvious reasons, there can be a lot more “to” a game where the user gets a CD to load instead of requesting a download. But increasing Internet speeds are making very complex and graphically intense games easier to deliver online.
Single Player: Refers to a game playing mode in which a single gamer plays against the computer’s artificial intelligence (AI).
XBOX Live: This is a multiplayer gaming service for Microsoft’s XBOX and XBOX 360 Consoles. The idea is that individual players can compete against one another – all you need is the service and a desire to play. In addition to letting you play over the Internet, the system also offers tools so you can trash talk with gamers you have never met – in Nevada, Norway, or Namibia. XBOX Live also offers a marketplace to acquire, buy, and sell game and other content, as well as buy online versions of older arcade games.
I suggest you go here for a complete list of terms, and use it as a sort of dictionary.com for the industry. http://www.whattheyplay.com/features/30/
There are thousands of gaming terms from developer words like polygons to trash talk slang, which is akin to SMS slang.
Cinematics: Many games show mini movies at startup between levels of a game to help immerse the player in the game experience and to give the player something to look at while the level loads.
Console: There are a variety of machine types that play games. Those classic arcade machines, PCs, Macs, and Consoles, a term which refers to machines created especially for gaming. Examples are XBOX 360, PlayStation 3, and the Nintendo Wii.
Controller: This is the device on a console or PC game that lets the player direct their character or vehicle in a game. Used to be called a joystick.
Core Games: this refers to what most people think of when you hear the term “video games” – complex, graphically intense multilevel gaming experiences. They differ from Noncore games, which is a term that refers to generally less deep or graphically intense games like Bejeweled that are played in shorter periods of time. A trivia game is Noncore. A game where the emphasis is on blood and guts is a Core game.
E3: The Electronic Entertainment Expo was the major annual trade show of the core gaming industry. Most of the game developers and platforms display their upcoming goods. Recent E3s have become more intimate, less of a spectacle. This may be because the one upsmanship of past E3s raised the cost to participate to prohibitive levels. It’s hard to justify spending tens of millions for a booth.
Frame Rate: Similar to when the term is used in a movie, frame rate refers to the speed at which the action in a game is rendered on a screen.
Handheld Games: Another gaming format, handheld games are played on portable devices like the PSP and the Nintendo DS. These devices also have the ability to play music and movies, store photos, and the like.
Joystick: See Controller.
Levels: Many games offer multiple “levels” of play that get more challenging as the game progresses and the player gets better at playing. The first level of a game is going to be much easier than the thirtieth.
Massive Multiplayer Online Gaming: Often referred to as MMOG, this refers to large numbers of people playing a game over the Internet. Everquest is a MMOG, and so is Warcraft. Another MMOG increasing in popularity is Eve.
Multiplayer: Refers to a gaming mode in which multiple people play the same game simultaneously. Some may be friends; some, enemies. Multiplayers can be played over an office LAN or over the Internet. Most core gamers prefer multiplayer gaming because of the variability of play and the community/communication/competitive aspects of playing with one another.
Persistent Universe: This refers to a game experience in which what happened yesterday affects the environment and game play today, and what happens today will affect characters and play tomorrow. Particularly relevant for online role playing games, the idea is that if for example your castle is leveled by a competitor, it won’t magically reappear tomorrow. Go to the location tomorrow and you will see the rubble and carnage created today. This enables a game to host characters that change and grow over time to reflect past experiences and accomplishments.
Polygons: This refers to the pieces of game art that are displayed in a game. An object is made of a number of polygons. For illustration, consider the following “person I have created with 6 polygons:
As you can see, six polygons can make an approximation of a person, but hundreds of smaller ones could create far more realistic characters. The ability of a computer or console to render lots of polygons more or less instantly is what contributes to greater visual realism in a game. Game companies often employ blue screen filming of actual people to use as models for polygon characters. Imagine how many polygons are needed to create this realistic a football player in Madden Football 2007:
Shrink Wrap Product: This refers to games that are sold on CDs, in boxes, with shrink wrap around them. These are distinct from downloaded games. For obvious reasons, there can be a lot more “to” a game where the user gets a CD to load instead of requesting a download. But increasing Internet speeds are making very complex and graphically intense games easier to deliver online.
Single Player: Refers to a game playing mode in which a single gamer plays against the computer’s artificial intelligence (AI).
XBOX Live: This is a multiplayer gaming service for Microsoft’s XBOX and XBOX 360 Consoles. The idea is that individual players can compete against one another – all you need is the service and a desire to play. In addition to letting you play over the Internet, the system also offers tools so you can trash talk with gamers you have never met – in Nevada, Norway, or Namibia. XBOX Live also offers a marketplace to acquire, buy, and sell game and other content, as well as buy online versions of older arcade games.
I suggest you go here for a complete list of terms, and use it as a sort of dictionary.com for the industry. http://www.whattheyplay.com/features/30/
TOMORROW: GAME GENRES - CORE AND CASUAL
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