Videogames are designed around a core element: the player. The player’s role is to carry out actions aimed to get a reward, within the limits set by rules of the game. John Hopson has coined it “contingencies“: a set of rules under which the player acts, getting rewards and reinforcements. Experiencing different ways of rewards, different patterns of player’s response can be found.Read More
This will be the first of a series of posts about the new objectives of game designers.
Today, in fact, social-game designers have to consider revenue issues and business models since the beginning of their creative processes.
Games are one of the main reasons why people visit Facebook. In fact, it is estimated that about 40% of users are online to play social games. This means that more than two hundred million people enjoy playing on Facebook every month, and that the top ten titles on social network can boast over twelve million users each.
In the same way as the entertainment industry is rapidly moving toward online business models, for example cloud gaming, digital delivery and social gaming, so game designers need to adapt to this situation too. They have to develop their technical-cultural knowledge in order to link creativity with market laws, which have to be more and more aggressive and innovative; so, today, game designers have to find the perfect mix between fun factors and revenues.
This does not imply a leveling of gameplay in favor of monetizing for its own sake: in fact, gameplay is gaining importance even more than before, because of the fierce competition and the staggering growth of the sector. However, gameplay is increasingly focused on simplicity and on the emotional stimulus rather than on actions to do or on th aesthetic depth of the ludic architecture.Read More
We were interviewed by iPader.it about the strategies that led Alittleb.it to open the DarkWave Games department and to develop Master of Alchemy.
We explained our concentric diversification strategy, how alittleb.it’s skills and experiences can be very useful for game development, why to develop multiplatform production assets, how the created know-how is a competitive advantage in developing game-based marketing instruments (e.g. advergames and social games) and gamification systems for alittleb.it’s clients.
Unfortunately, the interview is available only in Italian…but maybe google translator could help you.
In the below picture, some data about the growth of Social Networking.
Each year, more people engage in conversation online, via social site and social tools – at a rate of about 30% per year.
From a marketing point of view, What Does This Mean?
What is mobile marketing?
Mobile Marketing Association says: “Mobile Marketing is a set of practices that enables organizations to communicate and engage with their audience in an interactive and relevant manner through any mobile device or network”.
Mobile marketing allows for a meaningful, personal, and long lasting dialogue with customers, driving engagement with brands and enhancing affinity for them.
Mobile marketing tactics mainly consists of SMS and MMS, Mobile Web, Native or Web-based Applications development, Mobile Advertising, In-Game Mobile Advertising.
Why companies must have a mobile marketing strategy
1. Internet will be more and more Mobile
According to Nielsen, the U.S. mobile Web grew at an average rate of 2% month over month in 2009. At this rate, combined with the accelerated adoption of smartphones and mobile-optimized sites, by the end of 2010, the mobile Web will reach more than one-half of the consumers on the wired Web. Read More
