Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length

 
Advanced search

1411274 Posts in 69323 Topics- by 58380 Members - Latest Member: bob1029

March 28, 2024, 03:32:17 AM

Need hosting? Check out Digital Ocean
(more details in this thread)
TIGSource ForumsDeveloperBusinessHow to Target Gamers
Pages: [1]
Print
Author Topic: How to Target Gamers  (Read 780 times)
Shyk62
Level 0
**


Hey Guys, Not a Dev Here :D


View Profile
« on: July 14, 2018, 04:51:18 AM »

When you start to target gamers you first have to identify who your target gamers are and what kinds of games they play. When you start out with this process it is quite confusing. You could say that my game is for that of ages 18 to 24 and loves this and that with a past time of socialising with friends.

What is actually the process to getting there?
You first need to know what kind of game you want to make. Then find 20 similar games as a basis for the kind of market you would like to tap.

1. What kind of game did they make?
2. How did they market their game?
3. What platforms of media did they use?
4. What kind of people are attracted to their art or gameplay?
5. What made them different from one another?
6. What age group did their game  attract?

When you are able to answer some of these questions you now have an idea for what market you would like to tap. Though the more you research into it I would suggest that you find only the important information that can help you efficiently. There is so much information out there and you would not need to know everything. Just know the list below and learn what works for you.

1. Age - You need to know this for when you decide on your game design and art style. You cant make a game for kids and package R18 things. Unless you are rockstar sure with what you are doing.
2. The audience - The audience is basically identified by how people interact with those games and what made it fun for them. The appeal, what is the strongest factor as to why these people love that game. Is it the multiplayer aspect? Is it the story driven elements of the game? It will give you a sense of what they like and what is missing in the genre.
3. The Art Style - I cant stress this out more. The art style will basically identify the kind of audience and age group the game is trying to aim for. Whether it is the cute artsy type or the Hellish feel you gotta know what appeals to the audience.

Then package your game differently and for what audience. You wouldn't want to make a game that is too similar.

Then you would know how to identify them. At first glance this would be your ideal target market. Though what if even identifying gamers in the traditional marketing sense is just the first step? Now that you know who to target, you have to know how you will capture these gamers and allow you to give them the opportunity to buy your game. To do that you need to take a few additional steps to specify the kind of gamer in your target market would be.

Essentially gamers can be categorised as a spectrum.

Hardcore Gamers
Characteristics: Usually have small number of games and loves a a challenge. Most of these Hardcore gamers love repetitive action and became known as the “Grinders”. When they play games that revolve around combat they are compelled to choose the harder difficulty to enjoy the game as a challenge.

Middle
Characteristics: These gamers are the big spenders when it comes to games. They have every title and console ranging from story driven games to challenge driven games. The key thing with these gamers is that it needs to be fun. It doesnt matter if they will lose big time or spend countless hours on story.

Casual Gamers
Characteristics: These gamers are the extreme of the other end of the spectrum. These gamers are geared towards single player adventures that are geared towards story.

So now knowing this . . . you have identified who you want to target and among those which one would most likely buy your game. Now you can set up a tone for how you will market your game. Do you want these gamers to see it as a challenge, story driven, or a super chill out game? It really depends on you. The truth is . . . you could have elements of all 3; games like Overwatch can target all 3.

Please comment if you found this insightful ^^ or you could bash me aswell, I am super open to criticism and discussion.
« Last Edit: July 14, 2018, 05:34:52 AM by Shyk62 » Logged

Pages: [1]
Print
Jump to:  

Theme orange-lt created by panic