Aside from vloggers and traditional online gamers scurrying around with their own different contents on the social media, we can also see mobile gamers making their own names nowadays that sometimes, they even become more famous than the social media influencers.
That’s not something to be surprised of because mobile gaming is really a rising trend today. People from all ages and all walks of life can be seen clinging on their phones while holding into their phones.
In fact, according to studies, consumers revealed that most of them are willing to give up social media apps or TV for their favorite mobile games
This has paved way to in-game advertising which has now become more compelling to U.S. consumers than the traditional ads that can be seen in other media. A survey found that 41% of people are likely to pay attention to ads in mobile games, ahead of the internet (17%), magazines (15%) and billboards (15%). While consumers consider many forms of digital ads as annoying and intrusive, 72% said they like interacting with ads in exchange for in-app currency or premium content.
Compared years ago, the portion of consumers who identify as a “gamer” already rose to 60% from 27% this year. This explains why social networking companies like Facebook, Snap, etc. are now investing on gaming platforms to motivate their users. In fact, Facebook introduced a new gaming tab for streaming content while Snapchat launched a multiplayer gaming platform. On the other hand, Google and Apple are also making their way into gaming. These gaming pushes by mobile-first companies will potentially create new opportunities for marketers as well as game developers.
In addition to this, gaming also demonstrated that there is an evolution happening on which games are also slowly becoming similar to the social networking sites where users are able to gather to play, watch others compete, chat, share strategies and even attend virtual concerts. This is followed by tons and tons of developments and spinoffs by all other competent developers as they battle for the attention of the consumers. There are even awards being given by Google Playstore to developers for their remarkable mobile games.
Along with this, independent game developers who seek to monetize their products are paving way for various kinds of advertising within their apps. One example is the rewarded video or opt-in video ads that give gamers incentives after watching a video. It can be in the form of points or other valuable gaming content like levels, energy or virtual equipment and weapons. This format produced the highest click-through rates among video ad formats, according to a research from a mobile ad platform, and is offered by 65% of mobile game developers.
This era of smartphone era has been revolutionary for the successful growth of its consumer base from a small group of teenagers into a mainstream content and marketing platform. E-sports is now next in line being eyed by marketers to integrate into their industry.