The traditional 'core' audience remains, but in recent years there's been a proliferation of platforms, genres and most interestingly players.
A major catalyst for this has been rise of the free-to-play model; fully embraced by the mobile community.
The market is already crowded, leading to a focus on acquisition. Publishers are desperate to get as many players into each game as possible.
But it's not simply a case of 'build it and they will come'. Effectively monetising a free-to-play game is a process of constantly analysing and refining the playing experience to encourage more players to spend.
Well spent
And with such a diverse demographic of players, publishers can no longer rely on a one-size-fits-all strategy.
Each type of player will approach a game differently, playing with different agendas or getting stuck at different points. This is where analytics can help publishers and developers cater for these different player types.
This player-centric approach is something that traditional publishers have been slow to embrace, instead relying on feedback from their experienced games testers to iron out any perceived problems in the game design.
But does a game which is designed and tested by industry experts actually cater for all player types? Are we not better finding out from the players themselves?
Where art meets science
The art of successful monetisation lies in the Science of Listening.
This is all about understanding who's playing your game, what they are experiencing and then actually being able to influence their game experience in real time through effective messaging.
With the free-to-play model, the focus is too often on monetisation first and foremost, when engagement is actually the most important thing. If a player is happy and enjoying a game, the chances are they'll continue to play that game and be willing to spend money on extending or improving their experience.
Once a player reaches the threshold of engagement, they are 12 times more likely to turn into a high value player, which is where player segmentation, predictive modelling and personalised messaging strategy should come together to offer the right support to the right player at the right time.
The good listener
Listening to your players and using that data to create the right messaging strategy is a true science that many publishers and developers are yet to master.
For example, if a publisher asks every player for money once they have completed two levels of a game they risk the fact that many players may not have reached the threshold of engagement and decide to find another free game to play.
Effective messaging is all about making appropriate and timely interventions, and definitely not about messaging all players all the time.
In fact if players are not at risk of leaving; or likely to spend leave them alone.
This means that 30-40 percent of the playing base is being actively messaged at any one time. But remember that this group is dynamic, with players coming and going as their personal game lifecycles evolve.
The science of listening
The Science of Listening isn't simply a case of looking at your dashboard and responding accordingly. Dashboards only sign-post your problems not how to solve them.
Rather, the Science of Listening combines technology and expertise to analyse player performance in real-time, using advanced data mining and predictive modelling to segment and act on various different player behaviours simultaneously.
By using analytics to segment players into different groups, you can then develop a messaging strategy which is relevant for each group.
Get the message
Messaging shouldn't be seen as a tool through which to directly monetise the game but rather a platform for improving player satisfaction, by offering rewards, hints and tips or tutorials aimed at helping specific players achieve their goals.
By understanding how different types of players play a game, publishers and developers have the opportunity to engage them in real-time with messages that directly reflect their level of competency or playing styles.
This dramatically improves player engagement and satisfaction, offering personalised help and advice or the opportunity to purchase additional in-game features.
The fact is that all the information that a developer or publisher needs to improve their games and make them more successful is right under their noses. The question is: are they listening?
You can find out more about the services GamesAnalytics offers via its website.
