Mobile games may be more than entertainment tools
A new survey from WorldatWork and Buck Consultants suggests that mobile games may be growing more important among large organizations. Mobile games are already wildly popular among consumers ,many of whom participate in gaming as a form of entertainment. The survey suggests, however, that these games could be used as tools to promote healthy living among employees. This may be accurate, as mobile games have been used in the past as education tools to encourage people to adopt healthier lifestyles or, in some cases, learn new languages.
Survey shows that employers are beginning to show strong interest in mobile games
According to the survey, which polled some 408 organizations across a broad spectrum of industries, 52% of organizations claim they are strongly considering adopting online and mobile games to promote health engagement among employees over the next three years. Approximately 73% of respondents claimed that these games could be used to encourage employees to improve and monitor their health. Some 32% of these organizations already use mobile technology to manage health care benefits in some way, and the initiatives currently in place could serve as a decent platform for exposing employees to mobile games.
Games show strength in education
Mobile games have been growing more popular in the field of education. Teachers have been seeing positive results from “gamifying” schoolwork, which involves introducing gaming elements into the learning process, often accomplished through using actual games. The education field has even become a very prominent market for the game industry, with many developers focusing exclusively on developing games designed for education.
Health and wellness could help cut insurance costs
According to the survey, 50% of employers already use one or more social networking platform or application to increase health care engagement among employees. One of the reasons organizations may be so interested in promoting healthy living is tied to health insurance. Health insurance costs can, in some cases, be reduced if companies adopt health and wellness programs designed to address the needs of those receiving employer-sponsored coverage.
Mobile games are beginning to hold sway over the game industry as a whole
The game industry is currently experience a monumental shift as a new generation of consumers and technology enter into prominent markets around the world. For the past several decades, the game industry has been solely focused on console platforms, as well as PCs. The advent of mobile technology changed that focus, however, especially as advanced smartphones and tablets became extremely popular. Mobile games have quickly become one of the most lucrative aspects of the game industry, which has encouraged developers to swarm to the mobile space in order to take advantage of this popularity.
Developers beginning to swarm the mobile space
A few short years ago, mobile games were considered little more than novelty. They have, however, become one of the most successful fields in the game industry. Consumers around the world have shown that they are exceedingly interested in mobile games of all types, sinking hours upon hours of their times into games like Angry Birds and Temple Run. As these games find more and more traction among consumers, a growing number of developers are breaking away from publishers in order to establish their independent pedigree, much to the delight of consumers.
Consoles may be in for a tough fight
As developers find more success with mobile games, they are beginning to hold more power over the game industry. The industry has long been dominated by consoles, such as the Playstation and Xbox, but mobile devices are threatening to dethrone these platforms. A new generation of consoles is expected to be released sometime this year by Sony and Microsoft, but whether these platforms will be able to compete with mobile games has yet to be seen. ABI Research, a leading market research firm, suggests that competition with mobile games may be fierce.
Research firm suggests that mobile games are cutting into console opportunities with casual gamers
According to ABI Research, mobile games have diminished the opportunities available to consoles in the casual gaming market. Mobile games have introduced consumers to a new business model, wherein they can get the games they are interested in for free or for a very small fee. In general, mobile games that do cost money are $5 to purchase, at their most expensive. The vast majority of these games, however, are free. Many of these games do have in-app purchases that are, at times, somewhat controversial with some consumers, but these have not diminished the appeal of mobile games in any significant manner.
