Besides great sales, the computer games development has greatly influenced the financial sector as a pioneer of creating new business, new careers, and new promotion methods.
First of all, online games have established a fast and sustainable business in trading virtual items. With the rise of online games in late 1990s, trading virtual items became a significant part of Internet trading business. Unlike traditional commodities, virtual products traded, which are mainly rare equipments in MMORPG, online game accounts, and “Webmoney” credits used in online games, do not have a real shape. This feature enables fast trading via Internet. In a virtual product trade, a buyer pays to get a code from the seller, and then the buyer inputs the code in the online game to get virtual items. It only takes several minutes for the buyer to get the code after payment, whereas for trading real products usually it usually takes several days to get the product. Furthermore, trading virtual items is a sustainable business because of the great demand of virtual items. Usually the equipments in MMORPG have a valid date and the online game charges for a certain amount of “Webmoney” every month, so players always need new equipments and “Webmoney” if they involved in the online game. These consumable factors keep players buying virtual items, thus maintain a sustainable business. As the online game player population is increasing, the demand of virtual items is also likely to keep increasing.
Second, the computer games industry provides youths with better career opportunities. As a variety of new jobs related to computer games have emerged, youths have more choices on choosing their jobs. For instance, in South Korea and China, some skillful young computer games players become professional gamers and enroll online game tournaments like World Cyber Games as a career. They work as “e-sport” athletes and gain from their game performance. Also some computer science students become professional game programmers or game designers so that they can design their ideal games. These new jobs give the youths who have strong passion in computer games better career choices because they may find their careers enjoyable. On the other hand, the youths’ talent can also be fully revealed in corresponding jobs. Professional gamers can utilize their fast reaction as well as skillful moves to perform a wonderful game to audience, and game designers can show their creativity in designing a new game.
Third, the computer games promotion shows a possibility of effective and low cost marketing among online game players via online game community. Advertising in online games is effective because the advertisement is exposed to all players, and the majority of computer game players have similar demographic characteristics. For example, regular online game players are mainly aged from eighteen to thirty-four, and 60% of the players are male. Therefore it is effective to have advertisements or campaigns targeting such majority players. On the other hand, compared with advertising in magazines or in MTR station, advertising in online games has relatively low cost because the promotion is mainly conducted through network, which requires much less expenditure.
In conclusion, the computer game industry has brought vigorous new elements to current business world. However, there exist some safety risks in computer game business. For example, some criminals can make use of the loopholes in trading virtual items to commit frauds, and some intruders can steal someone’s account and sell it to other player. But judging from the new business, careers, and promotion methods provided by computer games industry, more business opportunities is favored rather than risks.
Business and Economics Changes in another prospective
The development of computer games has provided many business opportunities to the world. Many companies have successfully targeted this potential market and made a lot of profit. Similarly, individual game players have also used this golden opportunity to earn some money. But what big changes were actually brought by the introduction of computer games for both individuals and companies to the business market? For easier understanding, I would take an online game called “Audition” which was developed by one of the Hong Kong game developer, Gameone Online Entertainment Group How Computer Games Change the World 8 Limited [1], as an example on how computer games change the business market throughout this part.
From companies’ side, the most significant change to the business world is the launch of different online games that require regular subscription payment, as there were no firms that will focus on the online games business before. Apart from subscription payment, some online game developers have also introduced “virtual items”, such as virtual money, inside the game that require real dollars to purchase. Therefore, in order to play such kinds of online games, game players need to pay certain amount of fees. There are two common ways for the online game companies to charge users, one is by periodic payment such as monthly payment, and another one is by selling game credit points through some game packages which are usually available for sale from convenience stores. For the example of Audition, it is currently selling game packages to sell its virtual items like virtual clothing and virtual money to game players from places like 7-11 [2].
Besides the launch of charged online games, computer games developers also finance their budget to advertise their products through channels like magazine, television or even Facebook. Audition has also invested substantially to their advertisement. They have launched their first television commercial at TVB on June 13, 2008 [3]. Also, setting up interest group and links at the advertisement column at Facebook. All these promotion activities have helped Audition to gain popularity and hence more potential players would be attracted to try the game and make money contribution to the company.
The introduction of computer games not only brings financial changes to game developers, it also brings business opportunities to individual game players. For instance, trading virtual items in reality is the most common one. Sometimes the virtual items even cannot be purchased by real cash, but can only be obtained by luck or continuous playing individually. These virtual items were usually regarded as “rare” or “valuable” inside the game. This has, however, boosted the trading of virtual items between players in reality by cash. In the game Audition, the virtual clothing and other virtual items that used to customize the virtual character are also transferrable inside the game. Therefore, this created demand and supply of the virtual items between players. The potential buyers and sellers usually search their needs from online forums like Discuss.com and Uwants. After they have found their buyer/ seller, they will negotiate the trading details and make transaction subsequently.
Apart from trading virtual items between individual game players, the rise of computer game also lead to different kinds of public competitions. Some game developers would launch regular computer competitions or tournaments that open to the public, usually there would be a prize or reward for the winner. For example, Audition had launched a competition for the 12th ACGHK 2010 at Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre during July 30 to August 3 this year (2010). Winner has got a prize, which is a guitar simulator and a few virtual game packages [4].
To conclude, the development of computer games not only brought a commercial opportunity to game developers such as launching charged online games and sales of virtual products, but also provided an environment for individuals to trade virtual items and to participate in open games competition.
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