Entering the videogames world market

Entering the videogames world market

Pietro Polsinelli @ppolsinelli [email protected]

mailto:[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

March 25, 2012 games in the world market 4

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?


World videogame market: numbers?

The point is numbers…

or access?


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…)


Growth

So as the gaming

market is expanding in

all directions, so is it

easy to be successful?


Niches and access

A lesson in gaining access…


WTF…

Amazing technology

Great stories

Beautiful art

Stunning animations

Wonderful soundtracks


Zynga’s “evil” principle

“Scam people to play

repeatedly with

variable reinforcement

and cheating game

play telling them that

they are winning

anyway”

March 25, 2012 12 games in the world market

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.


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


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81F1qSOq3cs

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


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


New stuff: Gamification

This was on Twitter

last week.


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.


Make it clear

Technical

innovation is

not a story.

A private

story is not

an editorial

plan.


How can I put together an editorial plan?

Start selecting ideas by their

compatibility with a plan,

instead of the other way

round.


Readings


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.


An existing, important brand


Competion is scarce…


Even more important…

This can be news. You

can make many “unique”

pitches for the press.

This can be news,

asteroids… can’t.


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.


“Dig it”


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/


http://www.gamesforchange.org/

http://casualconnect.org/lectures/marketing-pr/casual-for-kids-leveraging-casual-gaming-as-marketing-brianna-klemm/





















http://vili.lehdonvirta.com/

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










































http://anthony.liekens.net/index.php/Lego/Index


















http://www.flickr.com/photos/djpd/2226223458/sizes/l/in/photostream/





































Entering the videogames world market

Economy & Finance

Transcript of Entering the videogames world market