Gaming Environment Change Will Cause Ripple Effect In 2021 Digital Media Industry
Millions of people – children and adults – spend their time online, playing games and surfing the “net”. Many do this to stay connected with the outside world. However, it appears though children are the biggest reason for the change in the gaming landscape and its impact on the digital media industry.
As such, the companies must recognize actions they need to take before moving forward with their kids marketing content strategy for 2021.
How Are Children Spreading the Change
Children are spending their time in gaming communities. It’s a change that began before 2020 but only gained momentum with school closings and lockdowns. Children, unable to physically hang out with friends, turned to these gaming communities to cope with social isolation and connect with others from around the world.
Games such as Minecraft, Roblox, Fortnite, Apex Legends, Call of Duty, etc., offer participants in-game experiences to enjoy, including watching events, building, creating and learning new things. These games have moved away from focusing solely on gameplaying action and decided to give users other methods to attain content. This is a change that non-gaming brands must understand and use in their kids marketing campaigns if they are to stay relevant in the digital media world.
Why Should Non-Gaming Brands Take Notice of the Shift
The impact of this change is being felt across the digital media board. Netflix has recognized that Fortnite is getting more of its users’ attention. This is why many video platforms have opted for a Twitch-like platform that allows for interactivity and co-viewing. Disney+ is a prime example of this with its GroupWatch feature, allowing people in two different places to watch something together and react with emojis as they watch.
Brands must understand their target audience and reach out to their emotional, development and cognitive needs. Children, regardless of age, are getting their content through game use and multiple game modes.
Therefore, brands need to realize that this audience is looking to interact with content differently and in real-time. Brands must look beyond their present situations and determine how they will expand their offerings. They also need to find a way to combine the gaming world and characters into interactive live content for these young players.
Biggest Problem Brands Could Have
The biggest problem non-gaming brands will face is complying with child privacy laws while creating their content. However, doing this will ensure that parents are more willing to let their children buy content. This will help foster trust and value with the younger audience.
Platforms must realize that kids will take it over even if it’s not explicitly designed for them, so they need to implement actions that protect users’ privacy.
With brands finishing up on their content strategy for 2021, they need to focus on the importance of integrating their content on various digital platforms. For brands that need help with this, there is our international agency network that can formulate effective methods to ensure compliance as we integrate modes, including interactive tools and elements and more.
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