slides (1 MB)
Delivered at Casual Connect Europe, Winter 2006
Transcript: A Brief History of the Casual Games Industry
Presented by Paul Jensen, President SkillJam Technologies
How old is the industry?
5 yr old industry
Who are Casual Gamers?
70m-100m Casual Gamers Worldwide
65% are female, 25yr – 54 yrs old (average age 40yrs old)
Females play 2.5 times longer than males (Jupiter)
Casual Games are Fun / Offer Entertainment / Provide users with a rewarding experience. Users have a choice to either ‘veg’ out in from of the TV or play games online.
Top Casual Games
Puzzle Games: Bejeweled / Jewel Quest
Arcade Games: Zuma / Luxor / Collapse (also diner dash)
Card Games: Solitaire / Mahjong Solitaire
Word Games: Bookworm
Casual Game Business Models
There are currently multiple revenue streams:
There are less game hackers in the space (compared to the core video game industry).
On average 1.4 paid downloads per game per person.
Skill Based gamers are the most avid users
Users play games across all Four Casual Game Revenue Models.
Online Advertising is currently increasing
Downloadable Games; the top 10-20 games represent 90% of the revenue generated
Price Inelastic
File Size is typically 8 to 10mbs
Subscription: Community Features are Key.
Cash Games: Play Competitors for Real Cash and Prizes
Skill Based
Large Liquidity Levels
Prizes Range from $1 to $1m
$1m Skill Game World Championships
Largest Prize Ever Offered
People Play the Most Popular Games Ever Launched
Qualifying Tournaments held online
Big Finals in LA
Finals will be filmed and broadcast by Games Network to 58 million homes in the US
Where are we Heading
Awareness will drive Growth
Extension of Casual Games across new Markets will drive Growth
Community Features will drive retention
Refinement of Business Models
Consolidation in the Industry
END
Delivered at Casual Connect Amsterdam, Winter 2006
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Paul Jensen (email)
Paul Jensen serves as President of MumboJumbo, a leading developer of games for online distribution and the preferred publisher of premium casual games for the retail channel.
He has extensive experience in the casual games industry, having previously served as President of Skilljam, where he brought the company from the early stages to its majority acquisition by Liberty Media of its parent company.
Prior to SkillJam, Jensen was Vice President of Online Games at Sony Pictures, and held various online games-related positions including Business Manager of Online Games for Microsoft.
He has also worked in sales, marketing, brand management and business development for leading consumer goods and e-commerce companies, managing businesses in the US, Europe, and Asia.
Jensen holds an MBA from Xavier University and a B.A. in Business from Baylor University.
