The gaming industry as a whole doesn’t suffer from a lack of potential customers. There is a massive range of games and gamers out there, meaning that companies can explore different options. However, this also means that there is a massive amount of competition. In this landscape, gaming industries and other companies hoping to branch into the gaming market need to be able to take advantage of potential gaps in this market.
This allows them to set themselves apart from the competition and create a name for themselves. Here are a few different options that gaming industries can explore, whether they’re just starting out or are hoping to expand even further.
The Cost of Gaming
One of the most prohibitive parts of gaming as a hobby is the high costs of certain games. This is especially true of triple-A games, which are often some of the most popular and well-known games out there. They boast top-of-the-line graphics and systems, but they also have a massive price tag to suit.
As well as the costs of games, gaming itself can be a very expensive hobby. New consoles cost hundreds of dollars, and if players want to venture into PC gaming, they might need to constantly buy new and more powerful machines and parts to keep up with the technical requirements of triple-A games.
These games cost so much for a few reasons. First, people will buy them. If people are willing to spend nearly $100 on a newly released game, then it makes sense to set the prices where you will make more profit. But there’s also the fact that these huge, triple-A games cost huge amounts to produce. Behind the polished exterior, there’s often the hard work of skilled game designers, developers, story writers, artists, and so many other people who put time, money, and effort into the game production.
These high costs have led to the rise in popularity of indie games, on both the development side and the customer side. Indie games cost much less to produce and to buy than triple-A games, and some of them have taken the world by storm. These games include well-known Indie titles like Hollow Knight, Hades, Stardew Valley, Subnautica, and What Remains of Edith Finch. While they have seemingly humble beginnings, they have become household names due to their unique design, gameplay elements, and storytelling.
The lowered costs of production of Indie games, as well as the smaller teams involved in their production (some famous examples only involved one creator), mean that the developers can take more risks. A triple-A game generally has to tick boxes to appeal to the widest audience possible and make money, as well as appeal to shareholders. This means that they might not be as imaginative as they could be. However, Indie games have the ability to take these risks and aim for niches in the market, while still making a profit.
Both new and well-established gaming companies benefit from exploring Indie options, and they’re also a great choice for gamers wanting to break into the hobby without breaking the bank or being forced to dedicate hours of their life to a game.
Keep It Simple
This leads to the next potential niche for gaming companies, which is for quick games that don’t take too much from their players.
Some people love complicated systems and stories that allow them to explore them for hours at a time. But gamers have different lifestyles and needs, which leads to potential for smaller, simpler games.
One very popular option is to create online versions of card games and board games that people can play whenever or wherever they want. Solitaire is an especially popular option because it’s easy to get into, but allows players to have a few moments of gaming time.
This is ideal for people who are traveling, taking breaks at work, or who just want to kill a little time while they stop for a drink or wait for an appointment. It’s a low-impact, low-commitment style of gaming. These games are also very easy to understand and get into, whether you have experience with card games or not.
Games on the Go
Online games are great because you don’t need a particularly powerful machine or a console to play, and you can still have a lot of fun. You can also play some online games on your mobile phone.
Dedicated mobile games are also very popular for developers and gamers alike. Some of these games are played by casual gamers who do just want something to pass the time on their phones. But some mobile games are also designed for people who enjoy gaming and just want something for when they’re on the go.
There are two main types of mobile games. Some mobile games are free to play, but feature advertisements and sometimes in-game purchases, including an option to pay to get rid of ads. People often spend more on in-game purchases than they might be willing to pay on a game in the first place, allowing these free games to make a lot of money. Even if people don’t purchase anything, the game still generates advertising revenue.
Another option is paid mobile games. These games are often geared toward people who enjoy different forms of gaming and don’t include ads. Some of these games do have in-game purchases, but many don’t. They’re still much cheaper than buying a Triple-A or even some indie games, and they can be very high quality, just designed for your mobile device.
Finally, you can’t talk about games on the go without considering consoles designed for gamers who want to play their favorite games in different places. The Steam Deck, Nintendo Switch, and other handheld devices are designed with this purpose in mind. The Nintendo Switch can also be played as an ordinary console at home, so you have both options.
Both Triple-A and indie games have been ported or specifically designed for these consoles, so you have a lot more options than if you just played mobile games. Portable consoles have been around for years, but the technology now allows people to enjoy great graphics and performance while they’re traveling.
Accessible Games
A lot of these strategies involve making games and gaming more accessible in different ways. Either making games cheaper and simpler to play, or giving people more options so they can play games even when they’re away from home and their devices.
Another thing to consider is accessibility. Some customers can’t enjoy gaming because of physical limitations, but this doesn’t mean that there aren’t ways to reach these potential players. Most modern games now include accessibility features, which allow more people to enjoy them.
Story-based games, for example, often have a story mode. This means that people who aren’t able to play at higher difficulty levels for whatever reason can still enjoy the main draw of the game, which is an interactive story.
You can also often remap controls or change your controller, which is ideal for people who have limited mobility. You can change the graphics settings to make the game easier to see, even if you perceive color differently, and you can even use text-to-speech functions or, in some cases, change the font to one that’s easier to read. Some games even have features or mods that remove spiders for people who have arachnophobia, making them easier to enjoy.
The more that game designers think about the players, the better games will become for everyone.
