iGaming
Mobiles will see PCs go the way of the Walkman
Virgin Games operations director Tina Thakor-Rankin, one of the speakers at Combating Cybercrime in Gaming, highlights issues that the industry is watching as it transfers to mobile en masse.
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Certainly there will be challenges such as connectivity issues, flash and the move to HTML 5, as well as providing the consumer with the best possible and uninterrupted user experience at a basic level, but I suspect that the potential size of market and opportunity will see these solved. The bigger challenge will probably be one of jurisdictions and criminality, especially where phone and web start to converge to the point where network operators potentially become ISPs.
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Gaming is becoming more and more regulated and jurisdiction specific. We already know that IP blocking and restrictions are not 100 per cent and it will be interesting to see how this maps out where a customer in one geographic location is able to access three different network providers. To give an example, when I go overseas and land, say, at Basel airport, I can effectively access three different networks in three different countries, two of which ban gaming but one of which does not. Physically I may be standing in a jurisdiction which blocks gaming, but, realistically, I can access a network for a jurisdiction which does not. We already know that cybercriminals use gaming and the web to their advantage in mature e-commerce markets. It is inevitable that we will see this trend in the emerging and, in some aspects, untested m-commerce market, especially with its natural annonimisers of pay as you go, top-up, contactless technology and, coming soon, mobile and tablet specific payment providers.
What else is there to be wary of?
What we perhaps do not have sight of right now is how susceptible mobile devices are to ‘unauthorised play’ gaming sites by intercepting traffic; although just being aware of such risks enables us to guard against them by using proven Webkit enabled applications. For example, Virgin Games mobile channel is simply an off-shoot of our primary proprietary platform. In short, we have taken what we already have, including all of the security protocols and player and payment safeguards which are currently applied to our PC playing customers and adapted them for mobile. Not only does this provide our customers with a continuity of experience through one unified account, it gives them a degree of assurance, as what they will see on their smaller screen is no different to what they currently see on their PCs - for Virgin Games customers it’s simply a
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hat new challenges does mobile gaming create?
case of they can now also access our games on mobile. Undoubtedly, as technology evolves, areas which need further attention will come to light, and we will continue to adapt and evolve as we have done with web.
So mobile is a ripe ground for criminals? Mobile will absolutely bring new opportunities for the villains which will pose challenges for us, but will they be new challenges or just the same old challenge wearing a slightly different coloured coat? We know what and broadly how undesirable activity takes place and we will have to enact the same mind-shift we did when criminals moved from land to e-commerce. Yes, it will be a challenge, and we might need the assistance of network operators in addition to our existing relationships with the ISPs and payment providers, but we will meet them head on and we’ll deal with it.
What problems do intermittent mobile connections pose for operators?
Arguably the same as we have now but on a slightly larger and wider scale. The use of laptops has increased the number of queries already as wireless and 3G connections drop in and out. Playing on a purely mobile device increases the chances of an interruption to the user experience particularly when users are, quite literally, on the move. However, gaming servers and engines and operating platforms already factor in the chances of disconnections, so in theory this should not pose too many challenges for operators at the moment aside of the usual queries. Poker and the increase of disconnection mid-tournament may be more of a challenge, but we have already seen how connectivity issues have been addressed over the last few years in general and, given that mobile gaming is increasing and operators are now using gaming as a selling point, it would seem that manufacturers are already tackling this issue.
So things are improving then?
If the fourth generation of mobile wireless standards, 4G delivers half of what it promises - stable connections and download speeds in excess of 100Mbps, compared to the ‘laggard’ that is 3G with its maximum speed of 7.2Mbps, some customers may find that their mobile experience actually becomes better than that on PC or laptop. Unfortunately, the UK appears to be lagging a little behind the rest of the world, but O2 announcing the start of its nine month 4G trial utilising LTE technology in London last month brings us a tantalising step closer.
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Consequently, whilst we might see an increase initially, the pace at which technology is moving and estimates of how m-commerce is poised to significantly eclipse e- commerce very soon, suggest that it won’t be too long before our PCs and laptops are joining their friends the Walkman and the 1980s mobile ‘brick’ at the back of the cupboard, or e-bay under the nomenclature of vintage or retro.
What can mobile manufacturers/network operators do to help the industry?
Engage with them more across all areas. We are where we are not necessarily as a result of mobile operators and manufacturers actively seeking to develop gaming
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