Video-game makers adapt as demos shift
With more people than ever before playing video games, according to a new survey, data about those gamers are giving developers another weapon in their pursuit of customers.
Fifty percent more Americans ages 15 and older play video games than in 2003, according to this year’s latest American Time Use Survey from Bureau of Labor Statistics.
On average, American men who play video games average nearly 2½ hours a day in front of the screen. Women average nearly 2 hours a day. Even factoring in those who do not play video games, the average jumped from 10 minutes a day in 2003 to 15 minutes in 2016.
That insight helps developers build games that will sell, said Mel Weinert, an Orlando freelance artist doing contract work for Washington-based Hashbang Games.
For instance, if a company targets children, promotional material and game art would likely include brighter colors, she said.
“Knowing your audience is really important,” Weinert said. “It’s important to know who you are selling to.”
Understanding who plays video games is a crucial component to video game development studios. The $26.5 billion business has a large presence in Orlando, which Electronic Arts and dozens of independent studios call home.
According to the Entertainment Software Association, more than twothirds of households are considered gaming homes.
Businesses in any industry need to pay attention to shifting demographics, even if it’s just to make sure they keep selling their product, said Kunal Patel, who has been building video games for six years.
“The kids of 20 years ago are adults now,” Patel said. “They are now the programmers making the games.”
Patel heads Orlando Game Space, a downtown Orlando office that houses several companies and gives some artists like Weinert a place to work.
“You have to ask yourself, who are we making this for?” he said. “In the past, it was easy. We are making this for the 13-year-old boy. That may still be there but now there are plenty of female gamers and developers have to take into account, as well.”
The Time Use survey, which also looked at board game play, reveals another potential opportunity in older gamers, as their demographic participates in leisure activity more than most, said Rupert Meghnot, a longtime fixture in Orlando’s video game industry.
“If someone today started a game studio solely aiming at the 65-and-up crowd, and can create and release a game within 12 months, I’m sure it would be a hit,” said Meghnot, who supports video game companies in the area financially and whose company, Burnout Game Ventures, released its own game in 2015.
“That’s an opportunity. If … you notice another growing demographic, it behooves you to change and chase that new money,” he said. “Maybe we need to add that to our strategic mix during the next couple of years.”
Continuum Studios founder and CEO Chad Hoover said the challenge for smaller, independent studios comes from first determining their target market.
As the so-called “average gamer” changes, studios must seek ways to appeal to those demographics, he said.
“You have to find a particular market that you are pursuing.”
For Electronic Arts, the shifting demographics have driven an effort to hire a “diverse workforce,” said Daryl Holt, vice president and head of operations for EA Sports in Maitland.
“This proliferation is creating a greater demand and greater consumption of video games by different types of players,” he said. “We are always thinking about the player experience and personalizing curated experiences based upon how our games are played.”