KGC09 European Players - habits and patterns

European Players Behaviours and Play Patterns Thomas BIDAUX – ICO Partners

Presentation
Thomas BIDAUX
France Telecom
NCsoft Europe
ICO Partners
Who are you?

The Plan
Introduction (game as a cultural item)
Some History
European Players
European Operators
Conclusion

Disclaimer
All numbers are estimates
Facts apply to European players… but many facts hold true to American players as well
Focus on Online games
These slides are (already) online @ www.slideshare.net/ICOPartners

INTRODUCTION

Introduction
Books are cultural items
Movies are cultural items
Games are cultural items as well
Like movies and books, some games are really specific to each culture.
Like movies and books, some games have a cultural reach beyond their culture of origin.

Introduction Culture is what this presentation is about. What is the European game culture like? What are the European players expectations?

SOME HISTORY

Some History Games in Europe have a long history…

Some History Some games still have a really strong influence:

Some History (notice any similarities?)

Some History
However, it is not homogeneous across Europe:
Northen & Eastern Europe (Germany, Scandinavia, Eastern Europe)
Mediterranean Europe (France, Spain, Italy, Greece)
British Isles (Ireland, UK)

Some History
Video games as a cultural product:
Growing market
Expansion of the audience
Breaking away from the sociological bias

EUROPEAN PLAYERS

The market size – M of Players Source: idate Sept. 2008 European Players

European Players
Game Platforms
Consoles
11.2M PS3 (46%ww)
12.4M Xbox 360 (39%WW)
20M Wii (38%ww)
Source: VG Chartz

European Players Game Platforms PC is the most important platform for Online games Source: ICO Partners - %tage of projects in Europe live or in development

European Players P2P vs F2P Source: ICO Partners - %tage of projects in Europe live or in development

European Players Business models F2P vs P2P Red: Pay to Play Blue: Free to Play

European Players Red: Client-based Blue: Browser-based

European Players
Most common genres
Strategy/Mgmt
RPG
Virtual Worlds

European Players
Online games genres?
Game success depends on its platforms:
Arcade / Sports / Action on consoles
RPG/Turn-based on PC
Highly interactive on PC

European Players PvP or PvE?

European Players
Group play vs Solo play
Europe = individualist, non-hierarchical society
Everyone should be able to be a hero!
Europeans prefer playing with people they already know : leverage social networks, email scrapers, etc
Play on their own at home : make it simple to find groups
=> Grouping = choice, not necessity

European Players
Customisation Control
Eccentricity and uniqueness are seen as very positive values
Different motivations with same result: Roleplay or Real representation
Europeans want to look different from start
=> need detailed early customization

European Players
Showing achievement
(this is not so paradoxal)
Like to show off achievements with peers and compete indirectly that way
Like to compete with themselves
The collection appeal is very strong (Sticker book syndrom)
=> Achievements mechanisms are very popular

European Players
Questing versus hunting
Doing repetitive or mundane tasks is not seen as a proof of dedication but weak mind
European players expect to feel like a hero and do epic deeds from start of game
True also in PvP (eg GW PvP) – skill is more respected than time investment

European Players
Micro-transactions
Showing money off is despised in Europe
Micro-transactions relatively new but pretty popular in Europe
BUT suspicion against unfairness, especially in PvP
Outrageous to have an advantage if you have more money

European Players
Lifestyle & social habits : North /South divide
Northern Europe Southern Europe School day Finishes early (some countries morning only), short summer vacation Finishes late, long summer vacation Peak evening time Dinner 6-7pm Dinner 8-10pm Lunch Short, at desk Long, sometimes at home, sometimes nap Student life Short studies, leave home early, live alone or with friends Long studies, stay at parents home late sex, women/men relations Strong gender equality Relatively liberal attitude to sex & marriage Less gender equality, attitude towards sex & marriage more conservative

European Players
Gamers habits
Keyboard/mouse : 2 hands!
Console culture
Download/install : big barrier to entry
Play from home
PC user habits
Firefox (30-40%)
Netbooks
Internet landscape : big portals are declining (Yahoo, MSN…)
Social network explosion
APIs/RSS feeds/mashups…

European Players
Early criticism
European players not used to getting a lot of updates from Korean games licensed in Europe
Closed betas are generally really restricted, with NDAs
Players critical very early

European Players
Incognito / Real identity
Roleplaying vs Playing for fun
Cross-gender avatars
Culture of hidden identities is phasing out (facebook)
Representing yourself online

European Players
Parental controls
Few legal requirements
No time limit enforced
No age control systems
BUT
Kid games impose on themself strict rules
Parental control systems become more and more common

European Players
Community support/ contact with Devs
Want personal contact, not faceless company
Listening and communication are extra important
Accountability and transparency expected
Good example : EVE Online : Fanfest, Stellar Council Management

European Players
Cultural flavouring
Country specific holiday events
National items for international events
Cultural references in quest texts, emotes, etc
=> Much appreciated efforts

European Players
Game media and acquisition
Very fragmented : use networks, performance-based channels and leverage long tail for marketing
Viral marketing is king
Traditional video games media are biased against MMOs, especially if Korean and/or Free to play
PR is done long term, build hype by revealing info gradually

European Players Heroes in Europe Heroes are very different between different cultures and also very representative fo the differences between them. They also give an excellent insight ont he expectation of players for the avatars they are looking forward to.

European Players Heroes The American Hero

European Players Heroes The Asian Hero

European Players Heroes The European Hero

European Players
Art directions
Realistic art style very common in Eastern and Northern Europe
Asian art styles are also very appealing (esp in Mediterranean Europe and Germany)  the importance of culture

European Players
Asian art styles appeal?
France is the second biggest market for mangas after Japan!
TV influence in mediterranean countries
Now also big in Germany, UK…

European Players
The future
The kids are not necessarily following in the steps of their elders – many trends are evolving, usually in the younger layers of the population

EUROPEAN OPERATORS

European Operators
Just a snapshot:
World of Warcraft
EvE Online
Dofus

European Operators Blizzard – World of Warcraft Very European-friendly universe. Reminiscent of European middle-ages. Cartoonish visuals (similar to Warhammer). Traditional RPG system (D&D). Localised in French, German, Spanish and Russian .

European Operators CCP – EvE Online Sci-Fi Universe. Many European references (races). Strong genre in Europe – X series is hugely popular in Eastern Europe and Germany. Realistic visuals. Very hardcore audience – very faithful.

European Operators Ankama – Dofus Fantasy Universe. Very Asian artstyle. Turn-based game (Tactics game).. Cartoonish visuals. Inspired by Japanese animation. Very very successful in France and Spain

Conclusion
Learn about European players
Don’t expect them to be similar to Korean players…
… they are not Americans either
They are very diverse – research each territory separately
Time for Questions and Answers!

Thank you! Thomas Bidaux www.linkedin.com/in/tbidaux www.icopartners.com/blog [email_address] Slides @ www.slideshare.net/ICOPartners

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KGC09 European Players - habits and patterns

by ICO Partners on Oct 08, 2009

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KGC09 European Players - habits and patterns — Presentation Transcript