Introduction keynote of the previous french web game conf. Describe main industrial trends related to new moves within video game segments

1. Web Game Conf 2011
Jeudi 19 mai 2011
"From Game to Smart Game"
Laurent MICHAUD
Head of Digital Home & Entertainment Practice
l.michaud@idate.org
+33 (0)6 79 80 48 63

2. Web Game Conf 2011
Thank you to the SNJV team for organising this conf. You have
done a very good job and produced an amazing programme for
today. Many thanks to its partners, Orange, Owlient, Allopass
for supporting such a conf. Thanks to the International Institut of
Multimédia for receiving us in this wonderful place. A last
thanks for giving me the opportunity to share my vision with you
regarding three industrial trends which are at the moment
blurred concepts.
List of speakers is impressive. There are successful game
representatives and this is one of the most important reasons
why we are gathered here today. There are too, very promising
new technologies solutions representatives such as Spawnapp,
MXP4. There are successfully raised capital representatives
like Kobojo and Mediastay, successful mergers or acquisitions
(Playdom), few of very exciting French success stories (Prizee,
Bulkipix, Mediastay, Weka, Urban Rivals), and let me crossed
my fingers for Mimesis Republic.
The programme of the day has provoked the 4 following
thoughts:
• First: For many years this industry was home console
centric. More than 50% of industry revenue is used to
coming from software and hardware home consoles sales.
Nowadays video game industry is plural. Few years ago
small and medium developers have moved to the Internet
where economic barriers to entry were easier to overcome.
Their goal was to offer more diversify game experience
and to conquer new audience. Well done! Social gaming,
casual gaming, skill based gaming, browser gaming and
so on have been created through this strategy.
• Second: Video Game industry regularly experiences
gameplay regeneration cycles thanks to technology
innovation. For 2 or 3 years gameplay innovation seems to
be more disruptive than before. It is based on devices
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(smartphones, tablets), accessories, and features like 3D
touch screen, accelerometers.
• Third: This industry has a huge appetite for technology. It
knows how to use abuse and if necessary get around
technology to make money. It is one of its strength.
• Fourth: Ubiquity is in the heart of video game industry and
will be soon a heavy trend. Ubiquity looks like a mix
between cross platform porting and transmedia concepts.
Ubiquity means you buy a game one time, you open one
game account and play on every platform you want:
computer, smartphone, tablet, connected TV, consoles.
Finally, ubiquity is like game porting at the digital age.
That's the case for a lot of games now such as Urban
Rivals which can be played on FaceBook, on iPhone and
on the company website. Eventually, ubiquity allows game
platforms to be agnostic regarding content and hold game
innovation beyond technological considerations.
So i will give a speech based on the main idea that video game
will be smart or won't be. Ubiquity could be the first proof that
game is getting smart.
1/ First of all: Welcome to the era of video game ubiquity
The word means "everywhere" in Latin. We are used to
speaking about ubiquity in digital music sector. Within digital
world a piece of music is easily reproducible and can be
transferred to any devices without arming artistic integrity and
without user experience being changed.
For a long time ubiquity in video game was a series of attempts
which were hindered by three things:
• First the domination of technological proprietary solutions,
• Second the multiplicity of non interoperable devices
• Third, lack of captivating gameplay.
But the aim of offering a ubiquitous game experience was
completely justified regarding usages.
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• Gameplay can be substituted. In this case i play the same
game whatever device.
• Gameplay can be complementary. In this case i manage
items selling, attack alerts or watch my resources on a
mobile device and I have a complete experience on a fixed
terminal.
But Up to few years, ubiquitous games experience was
eventually not really convincing.
From now connexion spreads on each consumer electronics
device like social networks software platform does. Social
networks act definitely as an amazing vector of ubiquity and
interoperability experience.
So, what about ubiquitous video game today? Most of fixed and
mobile game platforms host games and most of these platforms
are connected or connectable and interoperable. It is able to
communicate between each other within a technological
environment increasingly compatible. So everything is ready for
ubiquity!
Game developers are used to taking easily possession of
technological features offered by devices, I'm sure they will do
the same with ubiquity. Moreover they are taking over right now
interoperability so as to prepare next ubiquitous game
experience. But at the moment this trend is only emerging and
will soon forms an innovation wave for next years.
2/ Secondly proof, let's present another industrial key issue
beyond ubiquity: Connected TVs on the go
You certainly noted screens are more and more numerous
since theatre: Home Theatre, 3D TVs, HD TVs, connected TVs,
laptops, cellephones, smartphones, touch screen tablets, touch
screen table.
Video game has shown his ability to perfectly adapt itself to this
plurality. It is always among first applications to be setup on
new terminals. It knows how to benefit from new device
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functionalities to duplicate, to adapt and fortunately to create
new gameplay.
In addition, it succeeded in proposing successful business
models contrary to other content sectors. Music has always
evolved in digital world under constraints. Video game does not
suffer, it takes part to innovation,. Well, video game is an
eternal pioneer. It will keep on going to operate as usual on
devices currently available, smartphone, touch screen tablets.
The next big deal will be video game on connected TV. Video
Game will demonstrate his capability to take possession of TV
set. In mid terms, no more home console needed, just network,
cloud, fiber to the home, CDN services, software as a service
and so on.
The key issue of such a market segment is still game
experience. I have no doubt about the way game designers will
find out new gameplay to stick gamers through seamless
experience.
Of course old remote control must disappear and be replaced
by new immersive and interactive accessories embedded or
attached on TV like pointer, sensor, touch screen interfaces,
cam, motion capture.
Thanks to emergence of connected TV many different players
will converge to game industry. Upstream Google, which has
failed to market its first Google TV should be involved in
building a TV appstore. Apple which was expected for few
years in this segment could adapt its ecosystem strategy to
connected TV. These companies will certainly join audiovisual
consortia like Youview (founded by BBC, ITV, Channel 4,
BT…), HBBTV (European Broadcasting Union, France
Televisions, Institut für Rundfunktechnik, OpenTV Inc, Philips
Electronics., Samsung, SES ASTRA, Sony Corporation) TF1)
which design two of the next user interfaces on connected TV.
Downstream many companies work on game distribution
platforms based on streaming and cloud computing and
targeting TVs, computers, smatphones, consoles, touch screen
tablets STBs. More and more companies operate on the
segment of Cloud Gaming or Game on Demand : Onlive,
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Playcast Media, Otoy, Gaikai, G Cluster, Transgaming, Spoon,
Darkworks, Gamestring, iSwifter...
The year 2012 will be the year one of Game on Demand on TV.
3/ Third and last point, Game framework becomes smart
I won't stay a long time on this last issue. Note that devices can
be always on. Always on means that software solutions will be
designed to track usages and to identify detailed user profiles in
real time. So, it will be easier to provide users, connected
gamers with content matching with their profile. Data mining
solutions will allow this gain of intelligence. According Wikipedia
Data mining is the process of extracting patterns from large
data sets by combining methods from statistics and artificial
intelligence with database management.
Furthermore, this real time data user tracking operation will feed
business models based on advertising, very promising on
connected TV.
Waiting for this, thank you very much for your attention and
enjoy the conf.
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