INSIDE TRADER 35


constructive/destructive impulses and the expression of violence (without the resulting criminal charges and social issues) are often expressed via gaming; as are the drives to test dexterity and skill, and to seek intellectual challenge. Now to be clear, not every gamer


exhibits all of these motivators, but it’s not uncommon for multiple drivers to be present. It’s also not uncommon for people playing a game together to have different motivation for playing, hence game playing often leads to friction, arguments and falling out, if one gamer is playing to win at all costs, and another is trying to deliver quality social time for all players – the fur may fly. So having looked at why people play games, we can also explore how they will play in the future with more insight, and recognise that technology itself is only ever a platform or medium via which the above needs and desires are met. The reality is that despite the vast technological advances of the past decade, the primary reasons why people are gaming haven’t changed. The precursor in looking at innovation is which of the above motivators will the new direction meet better?


I’ve described in previous articles the trends in gadgets and technology, but to briefly recap – the short-term will see increased momentum behind mobile everything, social media is still in its infancy, online virtual worlds continue to proliferate and looking a couple of years further into the future, television will evolve into the interactive gateway. Vast fortunes will be created in the next three to five years based on embracing these trends, but only if the experience delivered meets the proven gameplay motivators above.


And what of the more traditional gaming formats? How will they fare in the next few years? Board games, consoles, specialist handheld gaming


devices and other 20th century innovations face seemingly unavoidable shrinkage, surely? To look at board games first – an area close to my heart having spent a fair proportion of my bumbling career nurturing classic (and not so classic) board games – the format is frankly clunky and old fashioned, however, still serves a purpose as a social facilitation tool. And while the category has been under severe pressure in most major markets in the last few years, strong brands with heritage, innovative new titles and a more ‘gift’ oriented purchase dynamic should see a bottoming out, and a sustainable base level. For consoles, the longer-term future seems somewhat bleaker. It looks like we’re heading for the last console cycle as we know it. The Wii U, and next iterations of PS and Xbox may be the final passage in a journey that started decades ago. Originally the purpose of the console was to provide the best gaming experiences in terms of playability, graphics and gameplay depth, which could only be delivered by specialist hardware. The challenge is that while broadband penetration and speed was not strong enough at the start of the last console cycle to compete, it is now. And when our TV sets become the key fixed interactive device in homes, with processing power to


While the board games category has been under severe pressure in the last


few years, strong brands with heritage, innovative new titles and gift-oriented purchases should see a bottoming out.


match, what is the point and where is the value for consumers shelling out hundreds of pounds for bespoke hardware with costly software? Developers and publishers have to question the sustainability of investing the majority of development costs in advance of launch with ever expanding scope, versus launching with partial content, then adding new content in proportion to the actual commercial reality of the product – a la social media gaming.


The same argument applies in effect to specialist handheld


devices – is the current generation the last? Sure kids can be seen all over the land today, nose-deep and fully immersed in handheld devices, but as mobile device penetration gets ever younger, we appear to be heading towards the last throes of the bespoke handheld gaming business. And as for the damp squib that is 3D technology so far – in the end what counts is extra immersion, but it’s difficult to be immersed if you’re squinting to process the confusing shapes and movements the 3D screen is representing. Having said that, 3D will get more realistic and robust over time, and that should aid immersion. Along that trend is virtual reality, I remember using a VR helmet back in 1995 at a student union, and it was good in some regards, but too clunky to be effective (although my state of inebriation affects my clarity of recall), have we really not got the technology for true mass market VR yet? Watch this space – it’s out there already, just too expensive to mass produce for now. The final trend is consumer


expectations of gaming technology – they are sky high – technology works more and more like people want it to, as opposed to however companies deliver it. With the juggernaut of social expression that the internet facilitates, there is no hiding place – products and platforms that don’t meet expectations just will not survive. And so, the last decade saw increasing technical capacity, power, speed and broader gaming proliferation, while the next will be about intuitive interfaces, ease of engagement and zero tolerance for any gaming not hitting key motivations with minimal hassle factor.


Steve Reece runs a leading brand management company, working in the toy & games industry (he is also a games geek on the quiet, but don’t tell anyone). Check out his blog at www.stevenreece.com.


MARCH 2012


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