Everyone’s a gamer, says Matmi
By Simon Fuller. The days when computer games were the sole domain of adolescents in bedrooms are long gone. Now we’ve got gaming on consoles, on mobiles and on social networking sites, and what’s more, how consumers are interacting with these games is very pretty varied, too.
“Lots of people are playing in different ways,” said Jeff Coghlan, md at digital entertainment outfit Matmi, speaking at brand-e’s recent The Games Brands Play event in London. “People are using games more than other media while watching TV. But television isn’t dead, digital and TV can work well together, people might use a tablet and TV together [for example]. People play games at the same time as watching TV, so TV has an important part to play alongside digital.”
Demographics have changed, too. Consumers of many age ranges are increasingly open to gaming, and while massive online titles like World Of Warcraft may still be favoured by young males, other forms of gaming appeal to different audiences – for example, online casual games are played and shared by more women than men, allowing brands to enter the sector to target various markets.
“Everybody is a gamer,” explained Coghlan. “Everyone plays some form of game. So [when it comes to brands getting involved], brands should decide what they’re seeking, what audience. If they’re trying to talk to 18-to-34 year-old males, they should look at Xbox-style games.”
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