New devices, growing interest and improved internet stability is transforming the world of games
There is potential for gamification to enter more areas, such as increasing employee performance, aiding education and in personal development, according to a new report.
As more people and devices become connected, industries are being transformed, and the digital gaming industry is changing like never before, shows a new Ericsson ConsumerLab report, 'New ways to play games'.
Gaming has become more socially acceptable as a mainstream form of culture and consumers are looking for game immersion and socialisation, said Ericsson. This leads to a desire for devices and tools to be continuously improving, offering new, enhanced gaming experiences.
'The introduction of very personalised, app-based, multi-purpose devices such as the smartphone has enabled gaming to reach a much wider audience,' said Niklas Heyman Rönnblom, senior advisor at Ericsson ConsumerLab.
The report shows that the profile of a gamer is changing. Altogether, 85% of those questioned in South Korea, 75% in US and 53% in Brazil play fixed or mobile games. There is also an even split between males and females, apart from Brazil which had slightly more males.
When questioned, respondents said it is not bandwidth that is the most important aspect of the network quality for gaming, but rather the stability and reliability. The number one pain point for gamers is disruption of the seamless experience.
As games become more commonplace, consumers are becoming used to gaming elements. This will drive uptake of gamification into other areas, such as learning and personal development.
Of the gamers in US, 50% were over 34 years old, whereas in South Korea 50% were over 40. In Brazil almost 60% of the gamers were under 30 years old.
'Many of today's games are leveraging internet connectivity to add more aspects such as multiplaying. As this continues to develop further it will stress the importance of improved coverage, performance and reliability. Any interruptions to the gaming experience are a great source of frustration,' Rönnblom added.
This report is based on online interviews with 60 gamers (20 per country) in the US, South Korea and Brazil, 8,000 online respondents from Brazil, US and South Korea (Ericsson ConsumerLab, Analytical Platform 2013) and 13 interviews were made with industry and academic experts.
