Player Behavior reports and market data
649 documents·113 writers·7,946 charts and tables
Documents
Report29 pages
Essential Video Game News: French People and Video Gaming (November 2020)
Video gaming has established itself as a cornerstone of French culture, with 71 percent of the population engaging with the medium as of late 2020.
- As of November 2020, 71 percent of the French population engages with video games, establishing the medium as a cornerstone of national culture.
- Parental awareness of digital safety is high, with 88 percent of parents familiar with parental control tools and a majority actively using the PEGI age-rating system.
- During the COVID-19 pandemic, over 50 percent of French players reported that gaming served as a vital tool for strengthening interpersonal relationships and providing psychological escapism.
SELL – Syndicat des Éditeurs de Logiciels de LoisirsNov 2020
PocketGamer.biz31 min
Does Personalisation Exist in the Industry? The Need for a New Segmentation Approach
Traditional player segmentation methods, which rely heavily on demographic data and monetization history, are increasingly inadequate for the demands of modern live-service games.
- Traditional demographic segmentation (age, gender, geography) is ineffective for in-game operations because it fails to capture the primary drivers of player behavior and engagement.
- Monetization-based segmentation, which focuses exclusively on high-spending 'whales,' risks game instability and shortened lifecycles by neglecting the remaining 97% of the player base.
- Successful games achieve high conversion rates through broad engagement, such as Candy Crush Saga at 30% and Fortnite at 70%.
PocketGamer.bizOct 2020
PocketGamer.biz28 min
Fireside Chat: #PlayApartTogether, not just a Campaign. It's a Lifestyle
The gaming industry experienced a significant shift in 2020 as the #PlayApartTogether campaign evolved from a temporary public health initiative into a long-term lifestyle.
- The #PlayApartTogether initiative catalyzed a permanent shift in gaming, moving it from competitive entertainment to a primary social platform for broader demographics, including millennials and female players.
- Integrated real-time engagement (RTE) tools, such as voice and video chat, are now considered standard features rather than optional additions, as users prefer them over standalone video conferencing.
- During the 2020 pandemic peak, some gaming platforms experienced a 50-fold increase in monthly active users, establishing a new baseline for engagement that has persisted post-stabilization.
PocketGamer.bizOct 2020
PocketGamer.biz29 min
Uncover Market Opportunities & Expand Your Product Portfolio by Understanding Gamer Preferences
The presentation introduces Game IQ, a specialized analytics platform designed to help mobile game publishers identify market opportunities and refine product portfolios through granular data.
- Mobile gaming is the dominant sector, projected to reach $100 billion in consumer spend in 2020, significantly outpacing both PC and console platforms.
- Core games, specifically strategy and RPG titles, account for approximately 50% of global mobile consumer spend.
- While hyper-casual games lead in total download volume, core games command the majority of user time and revenue.
PocketGamer.bizOct 2020
PocketGamer.biz31 min
Uncover Market Opportunities & Expand Your Product Portfolio by Understanding Gamer Preferences
The mobile gaming industry has evolved into a highly complex ecosystem, necessitating granular classification systems to navigate its diverse landscape.
- The mobile gaming sector is the industry's fastest-growing segment, with global consumer spending projected to exceed $100 billion in 2020.
- Market performance is bifurcated: hyper-casual games lead in volume with over 5 billion downloads in the first half of 2020, while core strategy and RPG titles capture the majority of consumer spending and time spent.
- Monetization strategies are shifting toward hybrid models that combine traditional advertising with advanced mechanics such as loot boxes and gacha systems.
PocketGamer.bizOct 2020
Game Developers Conference27 min
Business of Fair Play
The professional discipline of player dynamics, which focuses on managing and shaping social behavior within digital gaming environments, is currently undergoing a maturation process similar to the evolution of user experience (UX) design.
- Riot Games utilizes a six-level 'Player Dynamics Maturity Model' to assess an organization's progress in managing player behavior, ranging from 'Reactive' (penalties and reports) to 'Societal' (external community programs).
- To implement player dynamics effectively, teams should follow a five-step process: identify core values, define disruptive behaviors, codify behavioral expectations, prioritize and develop features, and measure/adapt based on performance.
- When introducing new player dynamics initiatives, teams should seek 'quick wins' to build internal confidence and momentum, especially when formal buy-in from leadership is not yet established.
Game Developers ConferenceSep 2020
Game Dev Unchained61 min
LIVE | Abusing the Legs today | Gamer Physique
The Gamer Physique initiative serves as a platform to promote physical health as a vital component of mental well-being, specifically targeting the gaming and game development communities.
- The Gamer Physique initiative promotes physical strength training as a primary tool to enhance mental well-being and daily productivity for gaming and industry professionals.
- The training methodology prioritizes compound movements, specifically squats, deadlifts, snatches, and cleans, to engage multiple muscle groups for comprehensive strength development.
- Proper form, characterized by an upright chest and stable posture, is emphasized as the critical factor for preventing injury and maximizing movement efficiency.
Game Dev UnchainedSep 2020
Game Developers Conference43 min
Designing for Multiple Minds: Crafting the Craft of Player Dynamics
Player dynamics represents an emerging design discipline dedicated to the intentional cultivation of healthy, cohesive social interactions within multiplayer environments.
- Player dynamics is a design craft that requires intentional integration from the ideation phase, rather than being treated as a reactive problem to be solved solely through punishment or the removal of disruptive players.
- Designing for cohesion requires understanding player populations, context, and the 'curse of knowledge'—where developers must avoid creating friction by assuming players inherently understand complex game systems.
- Matchmaking should prioritize aligning player intentions and roles to reduce pre-game friction, as seen in League of Legends' team builder queue and Overwatch's role-selection systems.
Game Developers ConferenceSep 2020
Game Developers Conference29 min
What Online Games Can Learn from the Failures of Social Media
Online games have evolved into essential digital social spaces, yet they currently face significant challenges regarding hate, harassment, and extremism.
- Gaming platforms face a critical safety crisis, with 74% of players reporting harassment and 65% encountering severe incidents like stalking, doxing, or identity-based discrimination.
- Exposure to extremist content is a documented risk, as 23% of players reported encountering white supremacist ideology within gaming environments.
- To avoid the regulatory scrutiny and public distrust currently facing social media, the gaming industry must shift from prioritizing engagement to adopting 'anti-hate by design' principles throughout the development lifecycle.
Game Developers ConferenceSep 2020
Game Developers Conference45 min
Skill-Building Series: Emotion in Game Design (A UX Perspective)
Effective game design requires a sophisticated balance between functional usability and emotional engageability.
- Game design should prioritize 'engageability'—the intersection of motivation, emotion, and flow—to move beyond basic usability and ensure players are actively interacting with the system.
- Effective game feel relies on the 'three C's' (camera, controls, and character), which should be prioritized during pre-production to establish a solid foundation for player interaction.
- Presence and physical reality are enhanced when UI elements feel like a natural part of the game world rather than an overlay, as demonstrated by the loot box design in Fortnite which uses a reactive, thematic 'llama pinata' instead of a generic chest.
Game Developers ConferenceSep 2020
Report31 pages
Video Gaming in Lockdown: The Impact of Covid-19 on Video Game Play Behaviours and Attitudes
The COVID-19 pandemic served as a significant catalyst for video game engagement across five major European markets during the second quarter of 2020.
- During Q2 2020, average weekly playtime across five major European markets increased by 1.5 hours as individuals used gaming to cope with social distancing.
- Nearly 20% of players reported that video games served as essential support for mental health, helping to mitigate anxiety and isolation during the lockdown.
- Increased engagement was primarily driven by social and psychological needs rather than transactional ones, as the surge in playtime did not lead to a proportional rise in spending on in-game extras.
Video Games EuropeSep 2020
Extra Credits7 min
The Bystander Effect - Standing Up From the Crowd - Extra Credits
The bystander effect is a well-documented psychological phenomenon where individuals are less likely to offer assistance to someone in need when others are present.
- The bystander effect occurs when individuals fail to intervene in emergencies due to the diffusion of responsibility, where people assume others will act, and social mirroring, where observers look to the crowd to determine if a situation is serious.
- In multiplayer gaming environments, players often neglect to assist teammates because they rely on other group members to provide aid or fear their intervention is unnecessary.
- Individual willingness to help is frequently inhibited by personal biases related to race, gender, and socioeconomic status, as well as concerns regarding personal safety or a perceived lack of skill.
Extra CreditsAug 2020