The current state of the gaming industry and the usefulness of marketing in gaming companies
山本大葵
The gaming industry has a tremendous influence on today's society. Through games, people gain enjoyment and stress relief, as well as social interaction and communication.
The gaming industry has experienced rapid growth since the beginning of the 21st century. Primarily, the following major trends are present today. The first is the resurgence in the popularity of PC gaming, which once lost market share but is now rapidly recovering. This is largely due to the widespread use of streaming technology and Steam (a digital sales platform for PC games). Second, there is the presence of mobile gaming. Smartphone games account for the majority of the market share. This trend is particularly evident in Asian markets, where some mobile games, such as Clash of Clans and Monster Strike, generate billions of dollars in annual revenue. Third is the rise of VR gaming: improvements in VR technology have also led to rapid growth in the VR gaming market. Some firms expect the market to be worth more than $10 billion by the 2020s. Fourth, there is cloud gaming. Game streaming technology is providing a new experience for those with high-speed Internet connections, and numerous cloud gaming services are emerging, including Google's Stadia and NVIDIA's GeForce Now. Fifth, there is the growth of the eSports market. eSports refers to electronic competitions in which teams or individuals compete. Some eSports competitions offer big prize money as well as professional athletes, and while professional gamers are emerging, they are also contributing to a decline in revenue from traditional competitions such as poker, bridge, and chess, which have been a limited market. Sixth, localization is a factor. In the past few years, Japanese domestic game companies have been expanding into overseas markets as "localization," translating and releasing PC and mobile games popular overseas into Japanese, has become more accepted in Japan. Because of the above trends, the game industry is expected to grow further. This situation has increased the usefulness of marketing in game companies. This paper will elaborate on the usefulness of marketing in game companies.1）
With the expansion of the gaming market, competition is intensifying. Therefore, marketing is essential for the success of their products. The use of marketing techniques enables a company to understand what its customers want and to offer products and services accordingly. It also allows the company to identify its strengths and differentiators compared to its competitors.2）
Market research is one of the most important marketing techniques in a gaming company. By conducting market research, it is possible to understand the needs, desires, and preferences of customers. This information can then be used to develop games that are in high demand. In addition, market research enables us to understand the trends and weaknesses of our competitors and to modify our own strategies.2）
In addition, advertising and promotion are marketing techniques. Advertising and promotion can make the existence of one's products and services widely known and stimulate the desire to purchase them. Advertising and promotion are often conducted through media such as television, radio, and social networking sites, and can be either mass-oriented or targeted. In the case of targeted advertising, the attributes and preferences of the target audience can be considered to develop more effective advertisements.2）
In addition, "beta testing" may be conducted by game companies to allow users to try out the game before it is released. Beta testing allows for direct feedback from customers, which can provide valuable information for product development.1） Furthermore, customer satisfaction can be enhanced by resolving any glitches or problems that arise during the beta testing period.2）
Finally, customer management is another useful aspect of marketing. Customer management can deepen relationships with customers and increase customer satisfaction by collecting, managing, and utilizing customer information. Specifically, customer attributes, purchase history, and real-time feedback can be collected to optimize services.3）
As described above, marketing in gaming companies is highly useful and an essential element for business growth.
Works Cited.
1）デジタルゲームの教科書制作委員会、「デジタルゲームの教科書 知っておくべきゲーム業界最新トレンド」、ソフトバンククリエイティブ、2010年
2）日経クロストレンド、「最新マーケティングの教科書 2023」、日経BP、2022年
奥谷孝司・岩井琢磨、「マーケティングの新しい基本 顧客とつながる時代の4P×エンゲージメント」、日経BP、2022年