why tweens aren't playing your games
DESCRIPTION
More than half of tween girls in the U.S. are playing online games. So, why aren't they playing yours? Developers need to take the time understand this lucrative demographic, what makes them tick and the unique set of challenges they face online (hello age restrictions, content that simply isn’t designed for them and parental monitoring!). The stakes - and the payoff - are high, and in this session Spil Games’ Game Development Director, Peter Hofstede, will expose the secret world of tween girl gaming. He'll explore best practices and share insights on:Do’s and dont's for girl game designersAssessing popular gameplay genres and mechanics, pulling from real examples from platforms and developers that have successfully reached the tween girl demographicLooking to the future, understanding the necessary steps to reach the next level in this market.TRANSCRIPT
Why Tweens Aren’t Playing Your Games
Peter Hofstede, Game Development Director
@Hofstede
15 languages
Close to 200 million active unique users each month
11 billion game plays in
2011
Partnership with leading developers
like Bigpoint and Digital Chocolate
Platforms for Girls, Teens and Families
Girls www.girlsgogames.com Ages 8 – 12 7.6M MAUs in the US Variety of games
About Spil Games
@Hofstede
Sources: ABC News, Wikipedia,
Entertainment Software Association
Evolution of games
80’s Golden Age
90’s Consoles, start of online
?
@Hofstede
2000 - Casual Gaming Online Gaming Tween Girl
Games - Today
12% Female players 47% Female players
@Hofstede
Sources: ZDNet, Bloomberg Businessweek, CNET, NYTimes
Tweens market: Generation “C”
68% broadband access
$50B spending power
Very fragmented
7.5 hours of media each day
2 of those hours on mobile devices
More than 50% own smartphones
Amount of time with television is decreasing
@Hofstede
Sources: Harvard Business Review
Gameplay behaviour
@Hofstede Age groups
Sources: Harvard Business Review
4 – 6 discovery 7 – 8 follow 8 – 12 diverge
@Hofstede Media consumption
Sources: Harvard Business Review
@Hofstede
@Hofstede
Tween Girl Top Genres
@Hofstede
1 Fashion, makeover, beauty
@Hofstede Roleplay 2
@Hofstede
3 Animals, Pets, caring
@Hofstede
ME! ME! ME!
80,000 pieces
of content
added daily
4 Personality tests and self expression
@Hofstede adventure 5
@Hofstede
@Hofstede
Top design tips
@Hofstede
Be too wordy
Make it look like Homework
Overcomplicate it
Ignore parents Don’t:
Trust your intuition
@Hofstede
Get to know what tweens want
Focus on the visuals
Mine the real world for inspiration
Do:
Keep it simple
Love your game
@Hofstede