One of the biggest challenges facing the pay-to-play sector is convincing consumers who have access to a whole host of smartphone, tablet and console gaming experiences to part with their cash to play amusement games. The key to this is offering an experience that cannot be replicated in the home, writes Joelle Jefferis.
ALL it takes these days is a touch of screen on a tablet or smartphone and consumers have access to thousands of games. From a simple hand of solitaire to a record high score on Temple Run, it’s become commonplace for everyone to play games anywhere from in bed to on the bus. Great fun for players but potentially problematic for the pay-to-play sector which requires customers to not just get out of bed but also travel to an FEC, undeniably more effort than swiping a screen.
The sector was first rocked by the rise of home consoles with the likes of the Atari and now Xbox and PlayStation. Just a single payout for the console and game meant players were able to game in the comfort of a home environment, without needing to put more coins in to play further. Now that the gaming experience is portable on a tablet or smartphone, players not only have the freedom to play on the move but also a huge variety of choice via the internet.
What then, will encourage customers to keep searching for the gaming experience in arcades and FECs?
What an arcade can offer, beyond a tablet, is an experience for more of your senses. Akin to the difference between downloading a music track and buying and then playing the same song on vinyl, an FEC has the chance to excite more than one sense.
Sega, is testing the power of multi-sensory immersion with the opening of its new entertainment facility Orbi this month in Japan. The attraction combines Sega’s technology with footage and films from BBC Earth, aiming to bring people closer to nature with a multi-sensory experience. Imagery will be combined with physical sensations, sound installations and scent technologies. This first Orbi will act as a showroom to potential partners in the hope that further installations will be opened internationally.
Read the full article in the August issue of InterGame.
