Casual Connect is a who's who gaming conference with more than 250 speakers, all talking about the leading edge of games on social, mobile, and online platforms. While it’s tough to summarize the event that was both very vast and chaotic (at times), I was privileged enough to represent Macaroni Kid (Walnut) there, and see just where this industry is headed with a filter for both us (as parents) and our kids. All in all, it was fun and exciting to hear so many speakers talk about the gaming market and reveal new perspectives and strategies to an industry I have basically grown up with my entire life (both as a video game player, and now as a parent who allows my kids to play on my iPhone in moderation).
Some key takeaways that I found refreshing from the conference are that regulators in the U.S. and the European Union are moving to protect kids by enforcing laws that prohibit deceptive practices. Platform owners like Apple can no longer call games “free” if they have built-in monetization systems such as free-to-play (also known as "FTP," where a player can start playing for free, but has the option of buying virtual goods inside the game. As a parent, I've often heard a lot of stories about children who run up huge credit card bills from buying goods that they thought were free.
Because too many monetization schemes seem like get-rich-quick scams built on the innocence of young gamers, it has created opportunities for kid-friendly companies like Oink, which has created a system for parents to authorize purchases by their children in approved games, and AgeCheq, which enables game companies to verify the age of players and take the necessary actions to police what minors do online. While Facebook may be aware of the age of the people using it, platform owners like Apple have a harder time figuring that out. But Oink’s technology allows parents to allocate an allowance for kids to spend in games that are pre-approved by the parent. If the kid overspends, the parent will know it. In an interview with Jo Webber, the CEO of Oink, Jo quotes, “Technology gives us a way to protect kids online...we should take advantage of it.”
Another company I really liked was TocaBoca, who describes themselves as "a play studio that makes digital toys for kids." When interviewing them, I could really tell they believe that playing and having fun is the best way to learn about the world. When describing their process for creating their new game or concept, everything is always centered around making digital toys and games that help stimulate the imagination, and even play together with your kids. Best of all – TocaBoca does it in a safe way without advertising or in-app purchases. It's their promise.
In the upcoming weeks, we may even feature a couple of TocaBoca games and hope to share them with our subscribers. I found it fascinating that their team not only consists of experienced play designers, but also art directors, developers (or “playsmiths” as they call them), interaction designers and marketers. Together, they observe children doing what they do best: playing (sometimes with just regular toys), and then determine how to incorporate those elements in a game / app, often in a very iterative process that incorporates feedback from the very children they hope will play and use their apps.
At the end of the conference, I was very encouraged by what I saw and heard. In some instances, I felt like a kid myself as I tried new concept games, new platforms, and even new technologies that are beginning to emerge (think Google glasses, Oculus Rift, or even the newest wearables). Gaming is definitely getting bigger, and moving into all types of different verticals: entertainment, advertisements, branding, and especially education. Whether you're a simple gamer yourself, or a parent who is curious about the types of games available to our kids, the cross section between gaming and our daily lives seems inevitable...We'd love to hear what you think about this topic as well.
