08.09
Some of the DNA Advertising team pushed aside their mice and picked up their joypads as they headed down to Extended Play, Plymouth’s first Games event discussing the future of the games industry and the positive impact it can have on the region’s emerging and talented producers, artists and developers. From console to phone, web to multiplatform, the games industry has become a dominant force in the media and design world. With the southwest traditionally being a fertile breeding ground for game developer talent, Extended Play looks to highlight the slowly emerging games industry in the region and uncover what opportunities exist for studios.
The British Council’s young interactive entrepreneur of the year, 26 year old Paul Croft of MediaTonic, took to the stage for his keynote, centering his talk around the ‘origin point of success’, about his experiences in becoming such a recognised player in the industry and the future of brand game design and scope for ‘advergames’.
Traditionally smaller developers take most of the risks without pressure from clients and company overheads, riding the curve and making their mark at just the right time. This window for exploitation however, is extremely narrow. As the technology and route to market become more conventional and a trend begins to form, it’s only a matter of time before well-known development houses grab the monopoly, running with the idea and doing it bigger and better. This is even more apparent today, with a 6 monthly transition in fads, making iPhone apps ‘so last season’ and with Farmville being the biggest game in the world, it’s now all about social gaming and everyone wants a piece of the pie. Although it may still seem fresh, within the industry the App bubble has pretty much burst. There is still money to be made, but with over-saturation of Apps it’s already no longer the method of choice… On the flipside, with over 61.6million active users of Farmville on Facebook, it affirms the potential of social online gaming as the next big advertising and brand building medium… In another 6 months it’ll no doubt be another story.
Interesting stuff – but do you really think the App bubble has burst? Surely this is simply another platform on which good ideas can flourish? Yes, competition is now more fierce than it was, but where isn’t it?
It isn’t fierce where it has yet to be established – ahead of the game is where the developers are looking, the next big thing. I was voicing the overriding opinion on the panel an it would seem that there are new and upcoming routes to exploit – being at the forefront when they emerge is the most desirable and profitable position to be in. I don’t agree it has burst, but within the industry it’s certainly no longer a hot topic.
Nice fresh post!
Are there any videos of this event available to view online? It would have been good to have added them if there are into this post.
My own experience of advergaming to date was mainly evident when playing THQ’s brilliant title on the PS3 (a brilliant console) which was MX VS ATV UNLEASHED. It featured a rich array of dynamic advertising placements allowing advertisers to reach millions of gamers through real-time media buys.
Interesting times ahead that’s for sure.
“being at the forefront when they emerge is the most desirable and profitable position to be in.”
Very true my friend, Farmville isn’t the biggest game in the world because it’s the best. Being first when the time is right is often more crucial. That’s why advances like the Mega CD and the Atari Jaguar(who?) can fail, yet the Wii and DS, which have a much lower spec than their competition can flourish.