Author: BWild

Social gaming picking up momentum

| January 23, 2013

social gaming picks up momentumSocial gaming represents several potential benefits

Social gaming is gaining ground both online and on mobile platforms. These are a new breed of game that have a strong focus on community and typically have a very close link to some kind of social networking site, like Facebook or Twitter. The vast number and variety of games in this genre belies the fact that social gaming is a relatively new trend. In a short amount of time, the genre has become a very promising market, with more than half of all social network users playing a social game of some kind.

Report highlights growth of social games

eMarketer, a leading marketing research firm, has released a new report concerning the growth and emerging trends seen in the social gaming sector. The report predicts that more than 141 million people in the U.S. alone will be playing social games of some kind by 2014. Another 101 million people are expected to play social games on their mobile devices over the coming years. The report also notes several trends concerning social gaming that may part of the reason this genre has become so popular with advertisers and not just consumers.

Social games prove popular among advertisers

The report notes that in-game advertisements are 100% viewable by gamers, making their exposure to these advertisements exceedingly high. Given the fact that many social games are designed to keep players engaged in the game itself for as long as possible, these advertisements have a high probability of interaction with consumers. Another aspect of social gaming that makes the sector attractive to advertisers is the fact that most social games are available on a wide variety of platforms. Mobile devices are not the only platforms that can play social games.

Social gaming has some catching up to do

Social gaming is on its way to becoming a massive and influential market. eMarketer suggests that social gaming will become a thriving enterprise in the coming years. Game developers have already put a strong emphasis on social games, but the appeal of this genre has not yet matched the allure of mobile gaming and other traditional focuses on the game industry as a whole.

Secure Element Manager wins Visa approval

| January 21, 2013

secure element manager visa approvalSecure Element Manager has been approved by Visa for the BlackBerry 10

Leading technology company, and creator of the BlackBerry platform, Research In Motion has received approval from Visa for its NFC-based mobile commerce platform, known as Secure Element Manager. The platform is designed to be used with the company’s next generation BlackBerry 10 device. Thus, owners of the BlackBerry 10 will be able to make mobile payments for products thanks to the device’s support of NFC technology and the approval for the system granted by Visa.

Platform may help with security concerns

Visa has shown a great deal of interest in mobile commerce in recent months. The company has become one of the major players in this emerging industry through its various partnerships and the services it provides mobile consumers. The Secure Element Manager helps address one of Visa’s most significant concerns when it comes to mobile commerce: Security. As such, the platform has won the support of Visa, which will allow its customers with BlackBerry 10 devices to use their accounts to make mobile payments.

Security continues to be a problem for mobile commerce

Security has long been an issue that has made mobile commerce somewhat unpopular. NFC technology itself does not boast of any latent security features. As such, many believe that the technology can be easily exploited. If NFC technology is exploited, a consumer’s financial information may be at risk of theft, creating a serious problem for those involved in mobile commerce. Until recently, there have been few efforts to bolster the security of mobile commerce.

Secure Element Manage meets Visa expectations

The Secure Element Manager not only helps keep the financial information of consumers safe, it also acts as a management platform for various mobile commerce systems. The platform meets the strict requirements that Visa has adopted concerning mobile commerce systems, making it one of the few systems that Visa is willing to support. Moreover, it is the only mobile commerce platform for the BlackBerry that has the full support of Research In Motion.