Parents and videogames:bridging the gap

Which videogames kids play has tradicionally been a mattern of concern for parents.  The majority of them keep an eye on their children when playing and accompany them when purchasing games, as statistics show.This concern is easily explained by the natural parental worries about their children upbringing, specially when videogames have been associated with violent behavior, a connection that has never been clearly proved. 

However, parents are becoming less and less suspicious in their approach to gaming as many of them are getting familiar with this world: nowadays, 35% of parents in the USA are gamers themselves. A crushing majority of this group-93%- play with their kids.  Videogaming is apparently a good way to share time and fun with them and also to be trully aware of the their characteristics, far from myths and media hassle.  

Providing that information is relevant, the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB)  has been useful to help in the task.  This  organization established a rating guide that evaluates games in order that the buyer can make informed choices. The  guide categorizes games in suitable target groups. It pays special attention to content, pointing out touchy features such us crude humor, sexual violence or profanity. The guide is accesible in this link. 

PC gaming market expected to top $25 billion in 2014

Despite the cutthroat competition of consoles, PC gaming is not doing bad at all. According to a research by DFC Intelligence, the sector's revenue will top $25 billion this year, $3 billion more than expected. The positive perspective is in line with what happened 2013,  a year that also yielded  positive results. PC gaming growth is likely to stem from an expansion in the biggest market, Asia, and a surprisingly solid performance in Europe. Contrary to expectations, PC still grows in the West. 

The  results and the perspectives may come as a surprise because of the lack a major new releases in the 2013, when developers were more focused on console gaming.  Titles published in 2012 for PC did pretty well. Just an example, League of Legends, the number 1 of the previous year. remained first in 2013.

As a result, it is believed that developers are going to pay more attention to PC gaming.David Cole, an expert of the research firm forecasts that crossovers between PC and  videoconsole  will mushroom and big titles such as GTA V will be soon available in both platforms.

3,9 million Xbox One units sold in the end of 2013

Good news for Microsoft. According to the company's report, 3,9 million units of their latest console were sold in the end of 2013.  If the 3,5 million Xbox 360 units sold are taking into account, the results surpass the expectations. These and others good surprises have made Microsoft's profits grow 2,8% up to $6,55 billion. 

These results are positive for the head of the company, Steve Ballmer, who has been attacked many times and is about to quit the post. Nevertheless, Xbox One's brilliant results is still not enough to meet PS4 performance. Sony sold 4,2 million PS4 units in the same period of time. It is true that Xbox One is distributed  is fewer countries, but PS4 has not landed yet in Japan, where is expected to perform well. Anyway; Microsoft's good results are another sign of hope for an industry that seemed stuck.

Who pays for mobile games?

Although mobile games are becoming increasingly popular, making profit out of them is still a challenge. That's why developers are hunting for "whales", players that do pay for what they offer and more. Analysis company EEDAR has published an interesting infographic regarding the issue, with some striking conclusions.

With respect to gender, the gamers that spend more money are men (66%). Regarding the age, the average "whale" is a young adult. Suprisingly, this type of user, despite being the one that invests more time on playing mobile games, devote even more time to videogames-consoles and handshels . Not only are the mobile games direct competitors of  videogames, but they also are a complement to them.

Candy Crush registers the word "candy"

 

Candy Crush Saga has become one of the most popular brands in the videogames world. As a result, their creators have decided to protect it registering the word "candy" and challenge anyone who dares to copy their image. It is not a joke. The word has alredy been registered in Europe and they are on the way of doing the same in the USA.

The first target of the creators has been Candy Casino Slots-Jewls Craze Connect: Big Blast Mania Land. It has anything to do with Candy Crush, but it seems to be suspiciously similar to the popular game in the apps catalogue. Apart from this, Candy Crush creators have denounced the developers of The Banner Saga: Chapter 1 for the use of the word "saga", that they seem to have also registered.

Candy Crush Saga's success has favoured the apparition of many clonical or at least similar videogames that try to get advantage of the name to attract new users. The fact that  Candy Crash Saga may be considered more or less original is a copyright matter, nothing to do with brand registration, as Jas Purewall reports in Game Law. The blogger underlines that  brand registration does not concern every use of the word. There are limits and in the majority of the situations the conflict is resolved with a change in the title or an agreement between companies.

Nevertheless, the fact that law allows to register common names such as "candy" or "saga", used since we can remember, casts a doubt on  brand registration legislation. Especially when the uses registered by Candy Crush creators include matters such as night clubs, zoo gardening services or sport clothing. This is  an open gate to abuse in the name of  merchandising . Anyway, there is a 30-day-long deadline since January 15th for the companies willing to contest the registration.

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Sharp cut in Nintendo's sales forecast

After a sales performance below expectations, the Japanese company lowers his sights for the present year. The expected sales of 3DS shrink from 18 million to 13,5 million units .  Wii U envisages even a bigger blow. The sales of this videogame console are believed to fall from 9 million to 2,8 million units.

In an open letter to investors, the president Satoru Iwata admits having set goals for Wii U too high, specially in the European and American market. Although the packs worked quite well, it was not enough to reach the desired recovery. The 3DS was the best-selling videogame console in several markets, including the USA. Regrettably, the results were not in  line with Nintendo's goals. Despite not being  stated, it is clear that a boom in the Japanese and European market was expected. However, this boost in sales didn't occcur.

As a result, Nintendo will not get the expected  ¥55 billion reveniew. On the contrary, the company anticipates losses up to  ¥25 billion, a €563 million difference. Although the  exchange rate favoring yen with respect to dollar and euro that will make the drop less hard, there is no doubt that this Nintendo generation has been unrealistic . In the recent past, it was the high price of 3DS. Nowadays, it is Wii U the one that burdens the Japanese company.  In face of this results, dramatic mesures will be needed to be up to a cutthroat  market where PS4 and Xbox One are performing well.

UK game industry shrinks: 43% drop is reported

British videogame industry is among the most prominent ones in Europe. However, it is undergoing a hard time due to the crisis. According to a report of the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, added  approximately £ 540 million to the national economy  in 2012. It meant a drop in 43% regarding the previous year.

Nevertheless,despite the crisis, 2011 was a good year the British game industry, so the 2012 results are better than those ones of 2010 and previous years. Furthermore, the number of workers employed in game industry topped 15,000, a 19% rise with respect to 2011.

The figures are sour and not exactly up-to-date. In spite of the efforts of the British Government to assess the game industry, 2012 result will not be applicable to a disastrous 2013, as the British game market (do not confuse it with the industy) has shrinked over the last years.