Turning an online game into a money making machine

Abstract

The present study focuses on online games since they have evolved tremendously and have become an extremely lucrative business. In particular this research looks into the different online marketing techniques, users’ behavior and motivation. The purpose of the project is to help organizations identify the worthy-investment marketing practices based on a study of consumers’ behavior. Based on the research purpose, three questions were identified and studied. The relevant literature has been critically reviewed in a logical sequence. The second chapter begins with general marketing implications and it narrows down to different digital communication channels. A clear connection is shown between basic marketing concepts and online games while studying the secondary research regarding users’ behavior and motivation. Secondary and primary research was conducted for the objectives of this project, which identified viral marketing and social media as the most powerful channels. A consequent analysis and comparison with relevant sources in the field confirmed the importance of these techniques. Investigating the users’ behavior proved that respondents in Bulgaria are mostly motivated by the social component and it is also expressed mainly in a desire to compete against real characters which makes the experience more real and competitive. Respondents explore more titles simultaneously playing on different platforms and the fact that they have the possibility to play games using the browser and on a mobile expands the chances for having a profitable game. It further revealed the growing percentage of female segment which definitely represents an opportunity. It also proved marketing strategies and promotions are definitely applied in games and encourage users to purchase virtual items. Surprisingly for the economic situation nowadays in Bulgaria 50% of the respondents admitted they invested in virtual items. These research findings led to valuable conclusions and recommendations.