Marketing a video game should be easy, right? Considering video game players are already passionate about games themselves, getting them to buy into a game really shouldn’t be a difficult task. If that’s what you’re thinking, it is time to think again. The video game industry is incredibly competitive. Marketers have the challenge of not only raising awareness of a game, but also making their game stand out amongst the lineup of new titles. Game marketing is key to beating the competition.

A Look at the Gaming Industry

Back in 1958, when physicist William Higinbotham and Robert Dvorak developed ‘Tennis for Two’, would anyone have thought video games would one day become one of the largest international industries in the world? Highly doubtful, yet the video game industry has swollen to an incredible net worth of $159.3 billion. This tech-savvy industry is one of the most rapidly growing international industries, and with new games being pumped out every year, it is showing no sign of slowing down anytime soon. With gamers buying in from all over the world, the industry has a truly global reach and global community. When it comes to promoting video games, game marketing is the driving force behind the multimillion dollar industry.

The New Game Build Up

Every video game player knows the giddiness of a new video game announcement. Developers dedicate ample time and resources into creating video game trailers, and these trailers are what gets the video game crowd tuned in. In more recent years, video game trailers have evolved to meet the level of a short film. Some of the trailers are released even years before the game is ready to go live! While it may seem cruel to keep gamers on the edge of their seats with such early announcements, the game marketing that goes into developing these narrative-driven advertisements results in hundreds of thousands of gamers eagerly awaiting the release of the next best title.

Reaching New Audiences

The video game crowd is incredibly diverse. People of all ages, genders, and nationalities tune in to the digital world each and every day. This massive audience scope is appealing to marketers, but developing marketing material that resonates with such a diverse audience can be a challenge, to say the least. Not to mention the diversity within the video game industry itself! From PC to console, to mobile, there is no shortage of video game platforms out there. With the right game marketing strategy, you can reach multiple audiences at once. While some players stick to one arena, there are many who hop from one console to another and are regular multi-platform users – especially if there is a game they really want to try. It may be easier to reach such players because they are more active on different platforms, but there is the added challenge of ensuring your game marketing strategy is not spread too thin.

Versatility of Digital Game Marketing

How can marketers reach and connect with such a massive and diverse audience? Today’s digital environments don’t simplify the job, exactly, but they go a long way in providing opportunities to expand audience reach. While game marketing strategies almost always include in-person events, such as video game tournaments or expos, a large portion of advertising efforts will be focused online. Social media presents a rich opportunity for marketers to reach, and further connect, with audiences. The two-way dialogue social media platforms enable bring developers and their players closer than ever before.

Reaching the Gaming Community

You can have all the right channels and digital marketing techniques at your fingertips, but without a good narrative for audiences to sink their teeth into, your game marketing strategy will flop. Gamers are actively engaged in virtual worlds and realities that go far beyond the scope of the everyday. These consumers want a story, and they want to feel like they are part of that story. For the most effective game marketing, there needs to be a compelling narrative that brings viewers in and invites them along for the ride. It only makes sense that an audience with a passion for storytelling expects a good story from the marketing efforts, right?