adconnection head to Totally Gaming 2015

Making virtual a reality

The latest development was the whole 3D experience of the online games, of which, there were two technologies that stood out for me.

One was a prototype 3D screen viewable without the glasses. Austrian researchers have developed a laser system that sends different images to each eye, projecting 3D images that you can see without 3D glasses. What this basically involves is different pictures being projected at a number of different angles, and so the left and the right eye will pick up separate images. In the demo I saw, the roulette wheel actually came out the screen without the need for glasses, making it a very involving experience. Though this technology has been around for three years, the challenge is the current expense of these screens for every day home use. The price will no doubt come down at some stage, and when it does, online companies that lead in this area will benefit from early mover advantage.

The other breath-taking development was the Oculus Rift applications for gaming. I tried one out that had a slot machine (sea themed) that not only had fish swimming in front of it when I played, but when I won, they literally had chips and pound notes coming down from the ceiling above me. This isn't 3D; it's a complete surround vision, involving experience. I was then randomly taken on a roller-coaster ride for winning (stock in trade now for oculus rift videos), but then taken under water and eaten by a shark (so not so rewarding!), but very realistic and a truly involving experience. Once these glasses have been taken up at home, driven by the computer games manufacturers, they will undoubtedly provide a much deeper experience and profitable opportunity for online games companies.

Mobile first

Although at adconnection we‘ve been mobile focused for a while, ICE 2015 was really waking up to the need to be smart on mobile - both in the game experiences and the marketing of those games. Our research has shown that mobile users are spending on average 32% of their time on games when on their phones showing how important gaming is to the mobile user. In addition, it's important to see that within that, 86% of this activity is through apps rather than the web browser, highlighting the necessity of creating compelling apps that are well promoted - both on mobile and indeed offline, with media such as TV and outdoor (both of which we have found to deliver excellent ROI, downloads and deposits).

The power of personalisation

We've spoken about this before in adconnection blogs, and it was a prominent feature of totally gaming's event. Personalised advertising is what encourages brand loyalty. Personalising your services attaches meaning to your brand and effectively rewards consumers for their brand loyalty. Not only that, but tailor-made services mean you are effectively handing consumers what they want, so they are much more likely to respond and engage.

And finally...something for the ladies

An interesting observation while going round was the large number of reps at the stands that were scantily dressed females. In an age in which we are pushing for gender equality and promoting women as senior business-people, I found this strange. There were a number of women who commented that they had only thought of the men in the audience and the appeal wasn't there for the women. Something to consider for 2016.

In conclusion

Totally Gaming 2015 was bigger and bolder than ever this year with exciting developments and heavy competition. The industry is really thriving, with a number of off-shoot industries also exhibiting from gaming recruitment companies, gaming training companies (from how to run a gaming business to how to be a croupier), and even a crowd-sourcing company to encourage investment into the sector.

A great event, look forward to next year.