Understanding the human to connect market strategies and gamers.
By: Andrés Lugo Sáiz
¿What motivates a person that dedicates numerous hours to gaming? ¿Which are the factors that provoked the exponential growth in the videogame scene on the last few years? ¿Which is the role of the market regarding this new social profile? These are some of the questions the present text will answer, based on our research.
It is essential to begin establishing that the gamers can be divided in four moods that change not only in how they play but also in how they approach playing. Meaning, that depending in which mood they find themselves, their game and their style of play will change.
The four moods mentioned before are: the competitive mood, the leisure mood, the interactive mood and the triumphant mood. It´s important to explain that moods are non-exclusive, meaning that a person can adopt anyone of the moods mentioned at any given moment or in the contrary, decide to play specifically in one of the four different moods. Moving forward, each individual mood will be explained and characterized for a better understanding.
The four moods mentioned before are: the competitive mood, the leisure mood, the interactive mood and the triumphant mood.
The competitive mood, as explained by its own name, is the mood frequented by the best players, the more hardcore players, understanding hardcore as those players that can play 20 or more hours in a week. These players play fiercely and this is the main reason why they are exposed to a rollercoaster of intense emotions which exhausts them, but at the same time is the reason they are granted with the ecstasy of victory and the acknowledgment of their pairs. In this interaction there is a necessity to establish a dichotomist power relationship in which the winning player establishes itself as the dominator and the other player, the looser, becomes the dominated, creating a highly competitive environment that also turns into the player’s comfort zone. When analyzing the four moods that gamers have, we can establish that the competitive mood is the predominant mood; the reason being that both games and players focus more and more each day in playing more seriously and intensely. In other words, and due to the fact that the game industry understands gamer´s behavior, there is a serious play assumed by individuals of all ages. The ecstasy of triumph, the disappointment of defeat and the vast understanding shown by the videogame industry regarding their consumers are some of the factors that have helped the consolidation of this mood as a huge product; after all, it´s here where the videogame industry has grown the most, from esports to streamers and their millionaire sponsorships. Adidas, Nike, Mercedes Benz and Red Bull are some of the world-renowned companies that can be mentioned as real examples of companies which are sponsoring the best and most popular esports as part of a clear and multimillionaire commercial and marketing intention. Why wouldn’t they?… After all, the reality is that esports are only getting bigger and as a positive consequence, they are having thousands of views and visits on their global tournaments, turning them in another popular sport. Proof of this is that both brands, Adidas and Nike are developing the team kits of some of the esports giants; in the same fashion they dress football players, they are now dressing the serious videogame´s players.
The next mood we are going to talk about is the triumphant mood. This mood, which has a similarity to the competitive one, requires a high level of commitment from its players, due to the fact that its players always want to give it their all. The triumphant players, don’t only want to play, they also want to unveil all of what the game has to offer; each achievement, every single skill they can unlock, as well as to be able to discover every portion of the game´s map. In a way, they play with the same intensity the competitive players do, although the main difference is that they aren’t motivated by competition; their motivation relies on the exploration, on the overall comprehension of the game. The person that embarks themselves in a game with this mood will most likely fail to find the ecstasy of winning, but without a doubt they won’t suffer the emotional and physical exhaustion that comes with competing at the highest level. Whilst some gamers play for the competition and the feeling of victory, others play to effusively explore and understand a new world throughout a videogame.
Those players who show a predilection for competition and therefore for the competitive mood need to rest, they need a space whilst playing these games where they can play for fun, where the serious play becomes fun play, this space is called the interactive mood. This is the mood the skilled competitors look for when they need a rest, but is also the common mood between the more casual competitors. With this mood, the player obtains a combination between social interactions and competition; after all, competition is enjoyed more friends play as teammates. Our research has allowed us to understand several things, one of these things is that competition is better enjoyed when shared with friends and also that there are moments to focus on winning as well as to prioritize the competition itself, and there are also moments to relegate the importance of competition and prioritize spending time with your friends and therefore to joke around while playing. That´s what the interactive mood is all about.
Lastly, there is a mood that is exclusive to those people who don’t really care about the game in anyway and furthermore, they don’t care about keeping up with it or its releases, nor visit social media like Twitch or Facebook gaming that is focused on creating content for gamers, which is very popular on players that are part of the other moods. This is the leisure mood, which described by its name is for players who find no interest or motivation what so ever in gaming. As a matter of fact, these gamers play when the chance presents itself, they don’t have any gaming habits, and therefore the game does not represent a priority. For these occasional players, gaming is nothing more than the last resource they have against boredom.
Having seen the four moods, the reader may wonder what is the importance of understating the behavior of a gamer and more important, what is the advantage of understating the player according to his profile? The reader may also wonder; how does this translate in the real world? At Atelier, we firmly believe that understanding the players, as well as their profiles, their motivations and their needs is essential to win over and attract this segment of the population that breathes and even lives by interacting through the videogames. If you asked us, what do brands like Red Bull, Nike, Adidas, Mercedes Benz and KIA have in common, to name just a few, we think that they mainly understand how to approach them, what motivates them and what they like, and even more, what their necessities are. The reality is, that in order to enter and successfully interact in the worldwide market, which is becoming supremely competitive, companies and brands must understand who the target is and how the target behaves. The level of understanding of behavior segments, plays a fundamental role, especially when designing marketing strategies both for companies and brands who are interested in connecting with their target or clients and reaching profit.
Bibliography:
https://www.marketinginsiderreview.com/grandes-marcas-patrocinadores-esports/
About the author: Andrés Lugo Sáiz is a student of the Universidad de los Andes who is currently on his last year majoring in philosophy, he is also a researcher for Atelier Consultoría y Estrategia. He is both passionate and knowledgeable on videogames and the understating of human beings in cultural and social contexts.