Wei-Ting Leong's Blog

Or, in my opinion, the number 2 reason why university students fail their courses (Facebook being number 1).

The age of online applications and free, assessible gaming has finally arrived; yet, what have been the drivers behind these multi-million dollar or billion dollar empires? Why, in an age of fastidious consumers, have they become so addictive that youngsters and retiring baby boomers alike cannot seem to put down their devices?

As Vincent mentions in his blog, a cultural shift to consumer frugality has managed to unite segmented markets across the board in a surprisingly effective way — that low to zero cost products paired with a standard of quality can give birth to something beautiful (not to mention astronomically profitable). In particular, I would like to touch on my recently-discovered-favourite-game-of-the-present-and-vacuum-of-all-of-my-time, Draw Something.

Having recently joined the DS cult, I can honestly say I have experienced the addictive nature of online gaming first hand.

But why is it so addictive when there were already two or three pre-existing competitors in the market? Well, it helps that it’s FREE! 🙂 But also because marketers have gone back to the basics: tapping into core human nature and our need to socialize. Being able to interact with my friends has created an entirely new layer on top of the simple mechanics of the application. It made the application relatable, relevant, and revolutionary. Relatable because players could see stats on their progress relative to their friends. Relevant because we live in an age thirsty for globalization and communication. And Revolutionary by providing players with some hints while also providing a pinch of challenge.

It will ease my conscience knowing that despite the hours of time this game will most likely steal from me, it has inspired me to think about how mass marketing still does have a place in this fastidious consumer society.

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