Comments on: 3 Reasons Why Online Gaming Will Become A Digital Marketing Tool of Choice

By: Study: Most Kids in the U.S. are Gamers | MsPixel: Gaming and Social Media

Study: Most Kids in the U.S. are Gamers | MsPixel: Gaming and Social Media — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 17:08:33 +0000

[...] In a previous post, I discussed how games have a social history and continue to be a way for people to stay in touch with friends and to meet new people. The findings of the study reinforce this idea. Nearly two-thirds play video games to socialize face-to-face with friends and family, while just over a quarter said they play with Internet friends. “It shows that gamers are social people,” says Amanda Lenhart, a senior researcher at Pew who led the report on the survey. “They communicate just as much. They spend time face-to-face, just as much as other kids. They e-mail and text.” [...]

By: 8 Myths About Video Games - Debunked by MIT Professor | MsPixel: Gaming and Social Media

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 05:24:08 +0000

[...] Much video game play is social. Almost 60 percent of frequent gamers play with friends. Thirty-three percent play with siblings and 25 percent play with spouses or parents. Even games designed for single players are often played socially, with one person giving advice to another holding a joystick. A growing number of games are designed for multiple players — for either cooperative play in the same space or online play with distributed players. Sociologist Talmadge Wright has logged many hours observing online communities interact with and react to violent video games, concluding that meta-gaming (conversation about game content) provides a context for thinking about rules and rule-breaking. In this way there are really two games taking place simultaneously: one, the explicit conflict and combat on the screen; the other, the implicit cooperation and comradeship between the players. Two players may be fighting to death on screen and growing closer as friends off screen. Social expectations are reaffirmed through the social contract governing play, even as they are symbolically cast aside within the transgressive fantasies represented onscreen. I started playing games with my dad when I was a little girl. It was a way for us to spend time together. For me and for many others gaming is an inherently social experience with a social history. [...]

By: bukolae

bukolae — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 13:48:56 +0000

Thanks Kareem! Whenever I see a subway ad for a video game I am reminded of the gaming industry’s place in mainstream culture. Sometimes I wonder if the coming recession will inspire companies to focus more on the targeted messaging you can do in the digital realm. With the rise of Google Analytics and Neilson’s Net Ratings it might be seen as another measurable way to reach consumers.

By: bukolae

bukolae — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 12:48:56 +0000

Thanks Kareem! Whenever I see a subway ad for a video game I am reminded of the gaming industry's place in mainstream culture. Sometimes I wonder if the coming recession will inspire companies to focus more on the targeted messaging you can do in the digital realm. With the rise of Google Analytics and Neilson's Net Ratings it might be seen as another measurable way to reach consumers.

By: Kareem

Kareem — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 22:05:45 +0000

You’ve nailed it on the head, and it fits trends we’ve been observing in the industry…. While there are some xbox titles (that have multiplayer) that feature in-game real world advertising (most Recent Burnout)… and the online game Hellgate: London also (at one time actually, feature has been yanked for now) included real ads in the subways….

Great read!

By: Kareem

Kareem — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 21:05:45 +0000

You've nailed it on the head, and it fits trends we've been observing in the industry…. While there are some xbox titles (that have multiplayer) that feature in-game real world advertising (most Recent Burnout)… and the online game Hellgate: London also (at one time actually, feature has been yanked for now) included real ads in the subways….

Great read!