How are marketers embracing gaming?
Brands are now embracing gaming in creative ways that demonstrate an understanding of the player experience and are adding value to it. Marketers are beginning to understand that gamers and game communities have unique cultures – and in order to reach these communities, and drive value for the brand, they need to develop innovative ideas and experiences that resonate with these audiences.
We’re now seeing brands partnering with game developers and publishers to solve challenges for the gaming community, creating immersive social experiences that are only possible in games. And bringing players’ dreams to life in unexpected ways.
How can brands engage in the gaming space?
When well executed, marketing in games doesn’t feel like traditional advertising. Gamers of all ages are sceptical and hyper aware of when they’re being marketed to in ways that are clearly interruptive or inauthentic to the gaming experience. They appreciate brands that understand their needs and enrich the gaming experience. This requires a deep understanding of the context and nuances of the brand, the game, the community, the player experience, culture and how they intersect.
Successful creative work in gaming must truly benefit brands and players in a symbiotic relationship. Adding value to the player experience in creative and innovative ways is critical and necessary to drive value and growth for brands.
Can you tell us about gaming work that’s driving progress for good?
There is incredible work in the gaming space that is helping drive progress, especially around DE&I and sustainability such as , , and . Creativity has the ability to capture hearts and minds and drive action. When this creativity is directed at important issues, we can create meaningful change not just in games, but also in society. I encourage the gaming industry to think about how we can unlock the good in our incredibly large passionate communities, which in turn will drive deeper engagement and growth.
Can diversity be improved in gaming?
Absolutely. We have a unique opportunity to create new worlds and characters to reflect the world around us and the players we serve, not just the traditional majority. People often select a character to roleplay in games, so having a character where one can see themselves is important in creating an inclusive environment. At Riot, we’re very focused on accurate representation in our characters.
One of the key factors to improving in-game diversity and representation is a more diverse workforce. Hiring practices to create more diverse teams will allow game companies to become better equipped to identify and serve historically underserved consumers, leading to player and business growth. In recent years, the industry has made progress improving gender representation, both in and out of games, but there is more work to be done.
How are gaming and music interlinked?
Music and gaming have always been linked, not just by sound effects and soundtracks, but in music’s ability to enrich the player experience. Similar to gaming, music is a passion point that shapes identities and builds communities through a shared experience, not only connecting players more deeply to the game, but also more authentically to one another.
Gamers are multifaceted people with a broad range of interests. In fact, gamers are such music fans that they’re 13% more likely than non-gamers to listen to music. Music is also crucial to Riot’s streaming community, who make a living playing and talking about our games online. They have difficulties with copyright infringement laws when broadcasting any content with music, so to help them out, we created , a music collection that is safe to stream and free to use.
What does judging at Cannes Lions mean to you?
The Lions are the ultimate global creative benchmark. When I was a young account exec, I poured over the Lions winner reels (back then they were physical DVDs) at home on weekends. I was inspired by the insightful creative work executed at the very highest level.
Because this is a new Lion, I’m expecting to see many entries that will push the gaming industry forward and truly impact culture. I’m excited to discuss and debate the amazing work that has been created around the world with a jury of my esteemed industry peers, and I’m looking forward to awarding a body of work that will set the benchmark for the industry.
This is the inaugural year of Lions Entertainment for Gaming. Why is it the Lion to watch?
Now is the perfect time to introduce Lions Entertainment for Gaming, because gaming culture is quickly becoming popular culture and driving entertainment’s future. Entertainment used to be one-way, finite in length, and consumed passively. Games are interactive, ever-evolving and the community plays a big role in shaping its never-ending online worlds.
Gaming has changed consumer expectations around interactivity and co-creation. For brands that are interested in entertainment, culture or community, there are lessons to be learned from creative work in gaming.
was founded in 2006 to develop, publish and support the most player-focused games in the world.
The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has championed creative excellence since 1954, providing the definitive benchmark for creativity that drives progress, globally. The Cannes Lions Awards now span 30 specialist trophies across nine tracks. The new are part of the Entertainment Track, in partnership with ESL FACEIT GROUP. Find out what it takes to create world-class work, have it seen and evaluated by industry experts, and get recognised for excellence in creativity.