開發者談移動遊戲的優勢在於它的玩家社區
原作者：Kate Wolff, RQ 譯者：Vivian Xue
回首曾經，我們的遊戲方式發生了巨大的改變。當年在街機或者家用遊戲機上玩低畫質遊戲的我們，如今可以隨時隨地在手機上打各種類型的遊戲。除了打遊戲外，還能直播、與好友交流策略。
根據市場調研公司Newzoo的報告，今年遊戲行業收入將達到1481億美元，其中一半來自移動遊戲，全球遊戲玩家總數將超過24億。到2021年底，移動遊戲將佔據60%的市場份額，而PC和主機將分攤其餘40%的份額。本月，Google公布了他們首個提供直播和雲遊戲服務的平臺Stadia。遊戲行業發展蒸蒸日上，沒有任何放緩的跡象。
Twin Flames Mario(from gamasutra.com)
但巨大的增長也意味著開發者必須重新思考消費者的需求和期待。移動遊戲玩家是一群相當固執己見的玩家，但也非常忠實，這導致遊戲行業從傳統的「開發者控制一切」轉向了以玩家為中心的模式。遊戲公司可以通過以下三種方式將焦點轉移到社區上，從而吸引玩家嘗試他們的遊戲。
1. 個性化定製使遊戲與現實的界限日益模糊
根據《紐約時報》上的一項對分享行為的心理學研究，68%的人在社交媒體上分享內容是為了讓他人更好地了解自己是什麼樣的人、在乎什麼。隨著移動遊戲興起，玩家在遊戲中表達自我的行為同樣可以用這個研究結果來解讀。除了傳統的排行榜名次外，玩家還可以通過跳勝利舞蹈以及其他個性化的慶祝方式分享成功。《堡壘之夜》甚至因盜用勝利舞蹈動作遭編舞者的起訴，這表明現實世界和遊戲中的角色界限日漸模糊。虛擬角色不是什麼新鮮的概念，但如今自我表達愈發受重視。虛擬角色不再是玩家在遊戲中假扮另一個人的方式，它逐漸成為玩家真實人格的延伸。遊戲開發者應關注人們的社交行為和網上行為，為移動遊戲玩家提供類似的個性化定製選項，以及與現實和網絡社區分享成功的方式。
2. 打遊戲成為全球潮流，遊戲名人誕生
遊戲比過去任何時候都更受人歡迎，不僅人們對遊戲行業的認可度提高了，玩家社區的忠誠度也在日益上升。據美國電子娛樂調查公司報告，近70%的美國人對自己的玩家身份感到自豪，他們中的大多數人是移動遊戲玩家。打遊戲成為被全球接納的行為，這為玩家和開發者都帶來了寶貴的機會。許多明星都加入了遊戲熱潮，如說唱歌手Drake、Travis Scott以及美國橄欖球隊匹茲堡鋼人接球員Juju Smith-Schuster，並且Smith-Schuster還為今年《時代》雜誌評選出的100位年度最具影響力人物之一Ninja（遊戲主播）寫了一篇文章。市場上誕生了一批遊戲名人，他們被稱為遊戲界的大神。這些人甚至走上了社交媒體達人的道路，拿下了古馳、巴黎世家這些大品牌的贊助，因為顯然觀眾們會關注他們在直播和社交媒體上的穿衣打扮和推薦。人們對遊戲玩家『宅男/宅女』的刻板印象已經成為過去時，開發者們應當全面接納這個全球化、熱誠的、廣受追捧的群體，因為它只會繼續發展壯大。
3. 鼓勵團隊合作和雙向溝通。
隨著遊戲內交流機制的發展，玩家之間建立起了有意義的關係——這種關係好比運動團隊隊員和軍隊戰友之間的關係。《英雄聯盟》、《堡壘之夜》和《絕地求生》都在遊戲裡建立了玩家論壇，但玩家希望能和志趣相投的玩家進行線下交流，這催生了Twitch、YouTube和Stadia等平臺。Twitch的觀眾量已經超越了CNN和MSNBC這類有線電視臺。Twitch主要針對PC遊戲，而在手遊領域出現了Bunch這類軟體，使玩家能夠通過視頻通話一起打遊戲。人因相似性聚集在一起，這是人的天性所致。讓你的玩家擁有歸屬感，他們將會成為你永遠忠誠的粉絲。
隨著移動遊戲持續、爆炸式增長，開發商需要不斷升級他們的系統，尋找新的主流玩家並建立起遊戲社區，促進玩家的參與，從而使遊戲未來成為一種大眾化行為。
本文由遊戲邦編譯，轉載請註明來源，或諮詢微信zhengjintiao
When we look at gaming, we』ve come a long way from the confines of arcades or home gaming systems with basic pixelated graphics. We now have all types of games, at any time, in the palms of our hands. And not only just to play but to also stream and strategize.
According to market research firm Newzoo, gaming is expected to generate $148.1 billion in revenue this year, with about half coming from mobile, and more than 2.4 billion gamers worldwide. By the end of 2021, analysts expect mobile will own 60% of the market, leaving PC and consoles to divvy up the other 40%. This month, Google announced Stadia, a first-of-its-kind gaming platform for both streaming and playing on the go. This is a growing industry that isn’t showing any signs of slowing down.
But with this massive growth comes the need for developers to change their thinking to meet the needs and expectations of consumers. Mobile gamers are highly opinionated and dedicated, leading the gaming industry to shift from the traditional 「developer controlled」 model to one that is more audience-focused. Here are three ways gaming companies can refocus on community to ensure that all consumers are tapped into their mobile games.
1. Customization blurs IRL and game life
According to a New York Times study on the psychology of sharing, 68% of people share on social media to give others a better sense of who they are and what they care about. With the rise of mobile gaming, this same behavior can apply to players as they express themselves in-game on the same mobile devices they use for social media. Beyond the traditional leaderboards of the past, gamers share their successes in-game with victory dances and personalized celebrations. Choreographers are even suing Fortnite for stealing victory dance moves, showing the blurring lines between IRL and in-game personas. The concept of a gaming avatar isn’t new, but today’s self expression extends further. Avatars are no longer a way for gamers to pretend to be someone else in-game, they are becoming an extension of your real and digital self. It’s important for game developers to pay attention to social and digital behaviors to give mobile gamers similar customization options and ways to share their successes with their human and digital communities.
2. Gaming is global, and masters are emerging
Gaming is trendier than ever before, and as the industry’s positive perception continues to grow, so are dedicated player communities. According to Electronic Entertainment Design and Research, nearly 70% of Americans are proud gamers, with most of them playing on smartphones. Gaming is being embraced on a global scale, which means that gamers and developers have a unique opportunity to own the cool entity that they』ve built. Celebrities like rappers Drake and Travis Scott and Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster have jumped on the gaming trend, and Smith-Schuster wrote the piece on Ninja for Time’s 100 Most Influential People this year. Gaming celebrities are emerging and being celebrated as masters of the gaming world. These people are even emulating the experience of social media influencers, scoring sponsorships and wearing top brands like Gucci and Balenciaga, as viewers pay attention to their outfits and recommendations in-game and on social media. Past stereotypes about gaming 『nerds』 are a thing of the past, and this is a global, dedicated and sought-after community that game developers should fully embrace, since it’s only going to continue to grow.
3. Foster a team mentality and two-way communication
With the development of in-game communication portals, players are building meaningful relationships with one another — reflective of those fostered on sports teams and in the military. Developers of games like League of Legends, Fortnite, and PUBG have created in-game community forums, but players want a way to connect with like-minded players not only in the game but in real life, leading to the rise of platforms like Twitch, YouTube, and now Stadia. Viewership on Twitch has surpassed that of major cable networks like CNN and MSNBC. And while Twitch is predominantly used for PC-gaming, we’re seeing this happen in mobile gaming as well with apps like Bunch, which allows gamers to play together through video chat on a smartphone. This is rooted in our human behavioral instincts to establish communities revolving around similarities. Make your players feel a sense of community and belonging, and they』ll be dedicated fans forever.
As the continued, explosive growth of mobile gaming gains traction, game developers need to continue to update their systems, find new mainstream players and build teams to keep people engaged to make the future of mainstream gaming a reality.（source：Venturebeat）