By the year 2020 it’s expected that the big data industry will be worth in excess of $200 billion. It’s an industry on the up, and for good reason, as in multiple industries its capabilities are limitless. Today we focus on gaming, a sector which has been very much changed for the better by big data.
Big data has many uses, and these include improving and optimising the experience a customer has, in this case a gamer. Big data will also help to drive customer engagement too, utilising methods such as advertising. This goes a long way in making a product or a service more successful in terms of sales, and this can apply to several aspects of gaming whether it may be console, PC, mobile and even casino.
In terms of data collection and gaming, it can now be logged how long a player games for, when they do it, the manner in which they actually play games and who they’re playing with. This data can then be combined with social media, and this will help to develop a player profile, which will allow trends to be monitored more accurately as a result.
Gaming is all about enjoyment and entertainment for the player, so using big data to improve this is where it’s made its biggest impact so far. Call of Duty, one of most successful gaming franchises, used big data to make Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 more fun, while the team behind hit game Skyrim put the data to work to keep players gaming for longer.
From one game it’s also possible to gather data to discover similar types which players will find appealing. This applies to sports titles such as FIFA and Madden, both hugely successful EA Sports games in their own right, and both capable of providing indicators on which other sports and game types that their current players may find interesting and enjoyable.
The proficiency of big data has been improved further over the last decade or so, as gamers of any kind are now encouraged to link their gaming profiles on both games and consoles to their social media accounts. This allows big data analysts to really dig deep, using an individual’s gaming history and activity to great effect.
Online gaming is also feeling the benefits of big data, especially iGaming. The experience enjoyed by those in the iGaming world is very much the be all and end all, so being able to improve it is a godsend to developers and operators. The former will be eager to know which slot games players tend to enjoy the most, or review player profiles to get a true idea of what are the specific needs of each registered user. PartyCasino for example uses big data to formulate tournaments, bonuses and loyalty schemes. The ultimate goal being to give each player the best online gaming experience possible.
The impact of big data on gaming has been felt significantly so far, but as its capabilities are limitless, its impact is likely to be felt even more going forward, and this is a good thing. Big data offers the right people the right insight, which then allows for the right decisions and changes to be made to increase interaction, engagement, and enjoyment.
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