Posts Tagged ‘Q interactive’

Females are big casual gamers, but don’t ask them to pay

Tuesday, February 16th, 2010

A new study released by Q Interactive further confirms the results from their earlier study released last November, indicating that women are big social gamers. But don’t call them gamers, nor ask them to pay to play.

770 women were surveyed in January and questioned about their knowledge of online gaming and virtual worlds. 36 percent indicated that they regularly play games on Facebook, with 54 percent admitting that they play at least on social game per day. Mafia Wars and Farmville scored top ranks on female gamers’ choices.

“This provides a terrific opportunity for brands to serve as a trusted, valued partner to them. By having a presence in the game and app space, brands get the benefit of reaching an influential consumer set,” said Ian Johnson, Director, Social Media World Forum. “With the support of brands, advance in games and apps and we’re finding also get information from brands they value.”

And while women may be huge consumers of casual games, please do not refer to them as ‘gamers’. Less than half of those surveyed (42 percent) would call themselves a ‘gamer’. However, these ‘non-gamers’, 67 percent of them, consider between 1 and 5 hours per week a socially acceptable amount of online play time. Likewise, when asked if they would pay (i.e. use real money transactions) to play, over three quarters of them (77 percent) indicated that they would pull the plug on their ‘non-gaming’ addiction playtime. 97 percent said that they would rather ‘earn’ virtual currency through games rather than investing actual, real-world money.

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CES 2010: Virtual Goods go from Zero to Hero

Monday, January 11th, 2010

While it’s often a short but sweet affair, this year’s Consumer Electronics Show came to a close on Sunday, but not without a multitude of new gadgets and gizmos, the associated press that comes with them, and of course, a number of industry talks.

ces_logoOne talk in particular revealed some great numbers for the virtual goods sector. In his opening speech on Thursday, Consumer Electronics Association President and CEO Gary Shapiro acknowledged that 2009 was, “a year none of us would wish to repeat,” noting that the industry overall dropped 7 percent over the course of the year.

However, for those working in the virtual goods and online gaming sector, 2009 might have seen a number of twists and turns, but overall, it was a very good year. A random sampling of vendors at CES estimated that U.S. virtual goods revenues went from zero to hero during 2009. That is to say, the sector went from almost negligible numbers in 2008, to a $1.2 billion dollar industry in 2009, with many saying that these numbers will at least double in 2010. If this were to be the case, the U.S. virtual goods market would not still not equal even half the global industry’s take, which current estimates put around the $6 billion mark, with the Asian market leading the charge.

But what exactly is driving this massive upswing in virtual goods purchases? While initially created to thwart pirates, the microtransaction business model has it’s birth in the MMO world, but has taken on a new character of it’s own. A number of industry experts point to social networking is a major force. David Laux , IBM global executive of games and interactive entertainment clearly agrees with the Q Interactive study that was released earlier this year, stating, “Midwestern housewives are willing to spend on virtual goods,” when referring to Zynga’s FarmVille.

The days of creating that one solid ‘killer app’ may be a thing of the past, but there are a number of ‘critical apps’ that have spawned a generation of similar applications and products. If one were given the choice, it’s not far off to say that Zynga’s FarmVille may just be the one that broke the camel’s back. That is to say, it’s a wildly popular, simple game that just about anyone can play – including Midwestern housewives. Through promotional work, word of mouth, and the ever crucial monetization method that makes it fun for all, Zynga managed to tear down the walls of buyer trepidation through cute virtual cows and corn rows. And how? By designing virtual goods into the virtual world from the very beginning. “People are in these worlds to play and socialize,” says Mark Hansen, Lego director of business dev and project leader from the upcoming Lego Universe MMO. “Items that help gamers accomplish those objectives will be successful.”

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Nielsen study finds increase in Seniors using the web – Facebook #3 destination

Monday, December 14th, 2009

A recent study conducted by Nielsen has found that in the past five years the number of seniors (age 65 or older) actively using the internet has increased by over 55 percent. While this demographic still makes up less than 10 percent of the overall internet population, 17.5 million users is still an attractive number to any advertiser.

The study found that female seniors are more active web users, outpacing male usage3 by 6 percentage points. The amount of time that these users are spending on the web is increasing as well. In November 2004, seniors reported on average 52 hours per month online, whereas November 2009 saw an increase of 11 percent, raising the total time per month to 58 hours.

“The over 65 crowd represents about 13% of the total population and with this increase in online usage, they are beginning to catch up with their offline numbers,” notes Chuck Schilling, research director, agency & media, Nielsen’s online division. “Looking at what they’re doing online, it makes sense they’re engaged in many of the same activities that dominate other age segments – e-mail, sharing photos, social networking, checking out the latest news and weather – and it’s worth noting that a good percentage of them are spending time with age-appropriate pursuits such as leisure travel, personal health care and financial concerns.”

Nielsen

So just where are these seniors heading? It should come as no surprise that the number one destination was Google, with 10.3 million unique senior visitors. In second place, Nielsen reports Windows Media Player with approximately 8.2 million unique visitors, which is slightly odd, as MWP isn’t really a web destination. And in a strong 3rd place, Facebook, with 7.9 million unique senior visitors. This is a major victory for social networking site Facebook, as just one year prior, they ranked number 45 on seniors’ radar. This statistic falls right in line with an overall increase of 53 percent of seniors’ usage of social networking and blog sites. Overall, 8.2 percent of all social network and blog traffic is over the age of 65, only 0.1 percent less than teenage visitors.

This data could be the genesis of a new marketing strategy employed by some advertisers on Facebook. The data reflecting increased female usage seamlessly falls in line with Q Interactive’s study indicating that women are competitive and loyal customers of casual games. While most gaming companies are focused on pulling in the teen and middle aged crowd, who’s to say that if approached correctly, seniors might have the same buying power as the other two? With only a 0.1 percentage less than teens, and the fact that there’s no asking to use the credit card involved, seniors represent a huge untapped market. The question is – who’ll be first on the scene to develop a product that appeals to them, one that they’d be willing to make a financial commitment to?

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New Study: Women competitive, social, brand engaged, loyal casual gamers

Wednesday, November 11th, 2009

There was a time when the term ‘gamer’ held a certain negative connotation to it. Past studies have shown that this once held preconception is vastly different today. With the advent and popularity surrounding casual gaming, the gaming landscape has changed dramatically. Just how dramatically? A new report released by Q Interactive and Social Media World Forum has found that female gamers are highly engaged with brands and virtual currency consumption.

QinteractiveWhile the sample size is still relatively small, approximately 2000, the results are enough to make any marketer or developer of casual games jump for joy. The study found that female gamers are passionate and competitive about Green Patches and Happy Aquariums, and often stock up on virtual currency. The study also found that women are highly engaged in branded virtual goods, and are much more likely to acquire virtual currencies through winning more, or accepting a branded offer, as opposed to paying for it with “real world” money.

“As brands seek relevant and natural ways to shake hands with women via social media, the gaming and application marketplace holds tremendous potential to integrate in a consumer-friendly, meaningful way,” said Matt Wise, President, Q Interactive. “Women seek a partner to support their entertainment, which is exceptionally important given their busy lives.”

A closer look at female gamers

  • 85 percent of those surveyed use five or less games and/or apps regularly, indicating an inclination to be loyal to a handful of favorites; approximately 15 percent regularly invest in six or more games/apps at a time
  • More than half (57 percent) are earning/spending virtual currency daily
  • Introduction to new games and apps rest heavily on word-of-mouth: Nearly three-quarters (74 percent) got involved in a game or app due to “a recommendation” by family or friend or because they “noticed a friend or family member’s score”
  • 95 percent utilize virtual currency primarily to “gift” and/or advance games
  • In interacting with games and apps, 57 percent feel virtual gifting – for example, giving a bag of virtual makeup from Sephora – is as meaningful as real life gifting

How Brands and female gamers interact

  • All but six percent (97 percent) of women prefer to earn virtual currency through either winning more or accepting a branded offer – versus paying for it with “real” money
  • While they game and app quite regularly, only one in ten women have actually used “real” money to purchase virtual currency; of that, 85 percent have spent under $100 in their gaming and aping activities – ever
  • Of women who have signed up for branded offers to get more virtual currency, 67 percent found the offer useful
  • 37 percent of those women chose the branded offers based on “content”; 17 percent went for offers with free products or services

“Applications and games are quickly becoming part of everyone’s daily lives,” said Ian Johnson, Director, Social Media World Forum. “This provides a terrific opportunity for brands to serve as a trusted, valued partner to them. By having a presence in the game and app space, brands get the benefit of reaching an influential consumer set. With the support of brands, advance in games and apps and we’re finding also get information from brands they value.”

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