Game Market people who play games. Your target of this market should not be “everyone” In 2010 a poll found that 67% of US households play games on a regular basis Adult gamers have been playing for appx 12 years 64% of gamers play games with others in the same room 64% of parents believe that games are a positive part of their children’s lives 48% of parents play computer and video games with their children at least once a week Player Motivation Why do people play games? Some developers create games without considering why their audience would want to play them Components of games that are most attractive to players are not utilized enough by developers to keep players interested Social Interaction When more than one person is playing a game, players might be motivated to interact socially With opponents or teammates Players in MMO’s are often allowed to communicate through the game itself Sometimes conversation is non-game related

Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe Physical Seclusion Players who want to be secluded are still interacting socially with people But in privacy of their own physical environment Some would argue that people who prefer to stay at home and play MMO are antisocial Others would argue these same people might be highly social They are most likely interacting with many more people than would be possible at a dinner party Competition The competitive spirit has ben associated with games throughout history Makes sports industry successful Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe

Guitar Hero III Knowledge Can be motivated to gain knowledge of particular concepts, processes, and strategies by playing games If players made it clear that they truly wanted to learn while playing, games developers might market their games as educational tools Mastery Some are motivated to master the game itself Demonstrating their ability to dominate the game world and figure out how to become advanced players Mastery is most obvious during games that depend on increasing character skills to “win” These players focus on assessing their status in the game by attaining high scores and rankings Guitar Hero III

Escapism Players want to escape from the ongoing stresses and challenges of real life Imaginary game world follows its own rules, some less restrictive than real life Although people can escape in “worlds” of other media such as books and movies They can’t directly participate in those worlds like they do in games Borderlands

Addiction The tendency to focus on one activity at the expense of all others Once of the best compliments a game developers receive is their games are addictive Unlike “passive” entertainment like TV and film, games offer players the opportunity to take active roles in the experience This can be highly rewarding for players but also make them crave and indulge in continuous play neglecting more important areas of their lives There are other motivating factors as well: Form of therapy to work out troubling issues in a “safe "environment Some like to exercise and work on dance moves (Dance Dance Revolution) Physical and rhythm games (Kinect, Sony Move, Wii)

Geographic's JN JN South Korea Japan China Germany JN JN

Geographic's—South Korea Relate to the players geographic location US alone does over 10.5 billion worth of gaming annually Ncsoft, the largest game developer in South Korea Launched the Lineage MMO in September 1998 This was amidst a major economic crisis in South Korea Overnight game developers were become game room entrepreneurs overnight charging $1.00/us per hour to “escape” the current crisis Without having to own a computer After recovery in South Korea Baangs have grown in popularity Entertainment centers as fancy as Las Vegas casinos Offer his/her own chairs so couples can play online games together Online gaming isn’t just a pastime, but a competitive national sport Many game competitions being televised regularly South Korea represents the worlds most developed online game market The World Cyber Games started in South Korea Olympics style event with players competing from all over the world converging for world finals, which lasts a week Professional gamers work their way up representing their schools, neighborhoods, and companies South Korean game called (Lineage)—check it out

Geographic—Japan Initially ,Japan didn’t even appear on the list of most wired countries due to being dominated by NTT DoCoMo This is a wireless service that has a telecommunications monopoly in the country Presence was so strong that is charged by the minute for Internet use This caused the gaming industry to revolve more around video game consoles and not online gaming Japan now has one of the most affordable and most advanced broadband experiences thanks to Softbank Japan has a major export in the console device Using licensed properties bas become a content issue in Japan and other countries Properties such as Star Trek are not nearly as popular as in the US Germany Another content issue in market geographic includes the depiction of violence in games Quake II didn’t have a launch in Germany (2nd largest computer game market in world) Due to level of violence In order to sell Command & Conquer: Generals—Zero Hour in the German market, games graphics had to be modified so that all military unites were robots, not people Meant no humans killed during game In Germany, all games must avoid showing blood, shooting humans, and anything that glorifies Hitler, the Nazis, or the Third Reich Markets can differ widely, even at National level. US certain pastimes such as hunting and fishing are popular in certain regions such as Midwest This might affect sales of a game such as Bass Fishing or the Deer Hunter series Games associated with sports are popular on the East Costs(squash, lacrosse, and fencing)

Geographic—China There is no console market in China Everyone only plays massively multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPG’s) And online casual games that cannot be pirated All MMORPG’s in China are also free to play No subscription based China has a very differently cultural history and many elements that might be found in a story or game in the US may not be understood by most Chinese Science fiction genre is not liked or understood Even Star Wars was not well received They are beginning to open to new types of games

Demographics Gender Early personal computer gaming was dominated by boys (left), but adult women gamers (including the Frag Dolls, right) now outnumber male gamers ages 6-17.

Demographics Include statistical information such as gender, age, income level, education level, marital status, ethnicity, and religion Gender Toy commercials aimed toward girls focus on toys that encourage nurturing play (domestic items such as baby dolls and toy ovens) Toys toward boys focus on toys that encourage aggressive play (guns/tanks) Home console era still focused on advertising to boys so they could play at home with their friends Although young ladies were around, arcade going brothers helped keep the “boy” era around PC industry was also dominated by male players It wasn’t until the advent of the commercial Internet that electronic games became more gender-balanced Since 2003 the ESA has found that adult women make up a larger % of players than boys ages 6-17 Females of all ages now make up 40% of the game-playing population

Generation Considered part of demographics and psychographics Although associated with a discrete age range members of each generation as a group have experienced particular historical events and climates Including economic, cultural, social, and political shifts during their lifetimes This will give them a certain set of beliefs, attitudes, and values Some believe that people as a group retain the same values over time, those people might continue to like the same type of entertainment over time as well Generations breakdown Silent generation (70-90) Boomer (50-70) Generation X (30-50) Millennial Generation (10-30) Homelander generation (10 and below)