PlayFronts 2024 Round Two: Get Smart (TV) Game Opportunities Going
As day two of PlayFronts 2024 unfolded March 27 inside Convene's Rockefeller Center quarters, the focus went bi-directional. Whereas the previous day of Interactive Advertising Bureau's annual videogame ad and content showcase emphasized opportunities among audiences for mobile, tablet and PC/laptop vehicles, day two centered around the surging marketplace of games and game hubs launched over the last year by numerous smart TV set and device makers, including Samsung, LG, Roku, Amazon Fire TV and Telly. Another theme offered among these presentations: incorporate reward/loyalty elements with smart TV-minded gamers.
PlayFronts 2024 Round One: Play Your Ads Among Gamers of All Ages
PlayFronts, the Interactive Advertising Bureau's annual exposition of videogame advertising formats and trends, unfolded March 26 from Convene's Rockefeller Center branch. Day one of this two-day affair focused on how businesses and their brands can reach audiences who prefer to play their games on smartphones, tablets, personal and laptop computers.
Advancing Inclusivity in the Gaming Industry: Takeaways from the Esports Business Summit
Nearly fifty percent of US console gamers are female, according to Circana’s PlayerPulse, a monthly study tracking consumer awareness and engagement. Yet, less than 10% of these female gamers are recognized as professional esports athletes. Moreover, female esports players earn just 0.06% of what their male counterparts make. Despite exponential growth in recent years, when it comes to diversity and equity within the esports sector, there's a glaring imbalance.
Frameplay CEO Jonathon Troughton and Chief Strategy and Advocacy Officer Cary Tilds on Playing for Attention (Video)
Are you a gamer? Twenty years ago, only a small segment of the population would have defined themselves so. The implication then was that a gamer was stereotypically a male in their tween/teens in their basement playing Xbox or PlayStation. Well, that stereotype is no longer true. We are all gamers now and by all, I mean the entire planet, male, female, young, old, everyone. It is the one thing that unites us globally in this crazy world, whether you play on a console, on your phone, on your laptop or through a VR headset. We are playing our families. We are playing our neighbors. We are playing random strangers in countries thousands of miles apart. Gaming is a uniter. And you, literally, cannot look away.
It's the Noosphere, Not the Metaverse
The Metaverse is simply a bad name. There are many reasons to stop using it. Half of the name is what Mr. Zuckerberg renamed the company "formerly-known-as-Facebook." Felt like a bait and switch to take our eyes off a damaged social media entity from the fast-receding first stage of social media. Zuckerberg even acted like a bully. He wants to sell $1700 pieces of equipment as entry into this nonsensical place. The second part of the word is about something linguistic. Look it up.
Twitch and Its Communities' Growth Is a Seminal Moment for the Digital Era
Since the dawn of the broadband era, the media and marketing community has been eagerly anticipating that moment when a new form of entertainment would scale. One that would not just be a transplant of "traditional media," aka television shows onto a digital device and not just a "communication platform," but something that would take full advantage of everything that digital has to offer. With the record growth that Twitch and its communities have achieved over the past year, in tandem with their expansion into music and sports, they just may be the global, interactive, always-on, real-time entertainment service that will redefine the creator, artist and fan engagement experience.
Online Retailers Upped Their Ad Spend +77%
Standard Media Index (SMI) has graciously shared some topline views of what is going on in the eCommerce DTC category in the U.S. so far in 2021. Of course, we all knew that they would be upping their ad spend to take advantage of the stay-at-home pandemic lockdown. Rationally, this has to be one of the most dynamic verticals in the economy right now, so we decided to take a closer look.
Cxmmunity, Twitch and Verizon: Leveling Up HBCU Gamers
Interactive live video phenomenon Twitch and Cxmmunity, a non-profit organization committed to increasing BIPOC participation in esports, teamed up to create the HBCU Esports League, the first-ever league of its kind. Through the league, they aim to increase the profile and engagement of student gamers at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and advocate for HBCU students in Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM) careers. According to the International Game Developers Association, 83% of Black teenagers are gamers, but 68% of videogame creators are of European or Caucasian descent. Videogames, a continuously growing pastime and business, can encourage students to pursue a career in STEM if they had not previously considered it an option.
