Mobile gaming experiences can be ‘premium’

Activision Blizzard Media, which owns gaming titles such as Call of Duty and Candy Crush, is on a mission to dispel the notion that mobile gaming constitutes a low-end platform for brand messaging.

It's yet another way that gaming companies continue to challenge advertiser stereotypes of the industry – one of the most notable being the perceived predominance of young, male gamers.

Premium by design

A new report – revealed at Advertising Week Europe in London – explores whether mobile games can be considered premium.

The company surveyed 2,000 mobile game players in the US to get their views. Unsurprisingly, given the nature of the audience, 73% said they consider mobile games to be high quality. Perhaps less expected was that more than two-thirds (69%)­ of PC and console gamers also perceive mobile games to be of a high standard.

Other findings include:

• Explicit factors determining a game as premium include being “stress reducing”, “thought-provoking” and “worth the price”. Implicit qualities prompted by premium mobile games are feelings of “fun”, “relaxing” and “competitive”.
• 61% of respondents said that high-quality graphics were important for a premium gaming experience, while 51% wanted to be challenged.
• Mobile gamers are more concerned with value for money: 54% said premium games must be free to play, versus 49% of gamers across all devices.
• 87% of those surveyed prefer mobile gaming ads to be “short”, while 78% prefer ads in game to be reward-based.

Why it matters

Gaming is at a tipping point which may bring it closer to mass media – perfectly exemplified by Activision Blizzard’s on/off acquisition by Microsoft. Brands understand that gaming reaches vast audiences, especially among younger consumers, but many remain hesitant to invest. For gaming media owners, a key challenge will be persuading marketers that their campaigns can be effective.

Key quote

“The bar for premium games is high but the payoff for brands is clear. Players have expectations for how they want experiences to look and feel, and brands should be committed to meeting them where they are. When they do, everyone wins” – Melinda Spence, Activision Blizzard Media.