Gaming can cross all the boundaries
AS a video games developer of nearly 20 years, like most in my industry, I’d really never imagined that my target would ever be anything other than avid games players.
If you make bread, you sell it to people who eat it. If you make houses, you sell them to people who need somewhere to live. And if you make games, you sell them to people who love playing them. Or so I thought.
A lot of investment and research is going into video games at the moment, looking for different ways to channel them. The Nintendo Wii opened up the idea of using games for improving health, for example. The internet opened casual gaming for the masses and the declining return on traditional forms of marketing – television, radio and newspaper – made companies think about more innovative ways to advertise their products, such as through games and apps.
Cereal producers, car makers, television production, the NHS, universities, museums, house builders, students’ unions and more have dabbled with gaming technology to either aid their day to day business or to help bring in new custom through innovative marketing methods.
Video games development is now one of the most scalable industries in the world.
The attraction of games over traditional advertising methods is clear – games can be, when done right, extremely captivating.
iPhone and other smart phones have opened up the array of arsenal available to companies – geo tracking, tilt sensors and multi-touch screens can help immerse the user in your product in ways that previously were reserved for futuristic Hollywood movies. There’s much more to come to for future generations such as glasses-free 3D displays.
The health sector in particular has been showing a recent interest in the games industry. Therapeutically, one problem they’ve had has been in sustaining people’s interest – particularly children’s – with the exercise regimes that they’re given for their recuperation. Video games offer a fantastic way to get patients to stick to their regimes by keeping their interest levels up and by letting people see their progress overtime.
Car manufacturers have also invested a lot of time and money getting accurate copies of their cars into games, Gran Turismo 5, releasing within the coming months, will be a testament to this as it offers an unparalleled level of realism.
It’s worth asking yourself how your company can leverage gaming to bolster your business?
:: Robert Troughton is managing director of Pitbull Studios Limited.
