When you think of gaming, social connectivity is probably not the first thing that comes to mind. The act of playing a video or mobile game is most often depicted as an independent and often isolating, activity.
But gone are the days of gamers strictly spending hours in a dark basement with no interaction other than their carefully crafted avatars. The players in today’s gaming landscape are creating more connective opportunities that enable people to build real and viable social interactions while engaging in gaming content.
Gaming revenues are growing in spades. Southeast Asia, in particular, is in the throes of a gaming boon. As indicated in a 2017 VentureBeat article, the gaming industry in the Southeast Asia region alone could hit US$4.4 billion by 2021.
The growth accounts for both mobile and PC gaming, which means that gaming providers and content creators around the world should be paying attention to the massive interest stemming from this region.
iCandy Interactive is one organization that is rapidly expanding its mobile gaming portfolio to keep pace with the growing demand; just last November iCandy purchased 318 games from Animoca from US$3.8 million. As more money is being invested in
Other South Asian countries are seeing similar gaming growth. Al Jazeera recently reported on a group of powerhouse Pakistani gaming companies showcasing female contributions and leadership, while Roar Tech has spotlit prominent Sri Lankan game developers. International gaming companies can’t afford to ignore gaming consumption and design innovation going on in South Asia.
As mobile gaming grows across the globe, connectivity and social accessibility will become even more integral to success. Boutique gaming organizations must find ways to connect with users and build bridges among users, even outside of their regions.
One way to accomplish this is to tap into the social and communications platform’s increasing focus on gaming.
Merge gaming and social communications opportunities
Every game developer knows that target gaming audiences live on their mobile devices, which means it should be easier than ever to reach them through application downloads, right?
Well, not necessarily. Convincing gamers, both novices and experts, to download your singular application and then, continue to use it and upgrade, can be a struggle. But there are other ways to get your games out to mobile audiences.
Also Read: Southeast Asia’s gaming industry is on a growth trajectory, and here’s why
The mobile-friendly game development company, GAMEE, recently announced a partnership with Rakuten Viber, to launch their first gaming chat extensions which will makeover 70 of their games playable directly within Viber’s messaging app.
This expands GAMEE’s reach greatly because Viber currently serves over 1 billion users across the globe. By bringing their games to mobile environments where audiences are already spending their time, GAMEE has found a way to deliver an unobtrusive gaming solution that does not force mobile-users to exit and open new applications when they want to begin gaming.
Tap into platforms with existing audiences
Political problems aside, Facebook remains one of the most powerful social media entities. Facebook’s 2.13 billion monthly active users turn to the platform to connect with their social circles, stay informed, and, yes, play games.
Gone are the days when Farmville dominated your NewsFeed, but now Facebook is ushering in a new generation of gaming with its recent Instant Games announcement. Now, developers have the tools to build HTML5-based web games for anyone using Facebook or Facebook Messenger.
This solid foundation gives emerging game developers and companies the opportunity to build for an existing audience and (potentially) forge loyal connections among gamers who flock to the developments.
Final thoughts
Although we live in a world where brands and development companies theoretically have instant, 24/7 access to connect with consumers, it’s not actually that simple.
Yes, people are constantly using their phones and the gaming community is always on the hunt for new interactive gaming experiences, but with all of this accessibility also comes a lot of excessive noise.
Also Read: Southeast Asia’s gaming industry is on a growth trajectory, and here’s why
It’s difficult to break through all of the content, platforms, and applications mobile-users are bombarded with 24/7.
By creating gaming experiences that allow gamers to easily play and connect with their social circles, as well as bringing those experiences to platforms where gamers already live, organizations will be able to build products and gaming experiences that actually fit seamlessly within user’s lifestyles.
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