Gamers generate over 50 terabytes of data every day. Rather than lose this information to the cloud, game developers use it to gain insight into how players respond to their games. This has significantly improved how and when gaming companies develop new titles. Let’s dissect big data’s role in this process and how it may shape the future of game development:
Improving In-Game Mechanics
Developers use big data analytics to develop “playable” games. During the development phase, developers offer a beta version of their game to a test sample of players. These players’ data offers real-time feedback on in-game mechanics, sequences, and bugs. Developers can identify what parts of the game players enjoy and what parts they must fine-tune.
Electronic Arts (EA) uses this strategy in Madden NFL and FIFA. Using telemetry data, EA developers study every decision, move, and button press players make during a game. They then use this insight to improve player experiences by developing new features, fixing bugs, introducing new player modes, etc.
Customizing Gaming Experiences
However, because the test sample is only a representative portion of the people who will play a game, developers also use big data to customize gaming experiences. This includes analyzing in-game player preferences and producing a game that responds to a player’s skill level, strategy, and interests.
Blizzard Entertainment uses this strategy in World of Warcraft, where quests, challenges, and rewards change depending on a player’s preferences and play style. In IGaming, casino providers like Betway casino Zambia use the same approach to customize bonuses, rewards, and game ads to specific players.
Creating Dynamic Game Environments
Game customization does not stop at the overall gaming experience. By combining big data and AI, developers create dynamic difficulty adjustment (DDA) algorithms that adjust game difficulty based on a player’s skills. Developers gather data about a player’s abilities in real-time. They then deploy algorithms to balance the difficulty of different game levels so they are not so easy that a player gets bored but not so hard that they get frustrated. The idea is to keep the player playing for as long as possible.
Developing Monetization Strategies
Once a game is released, there are several ways to earn money from it. Developers can make their games pay-to-play or offer in-app purchases. Most developers choose the latter. During development, they use big data analytics to determine when players will most likely purchase. They then use this information to insert prompts into the game where they can make the most impact without distracting or annoying players. King’s Candy Crush Saga is a great case study for this application.
Tracking Game Performance
The iGaming industry uses big data to track the performance of different titles. Once released, casino games become avenues for KPI collection. These metrics tell a casino how players and bettors respond to their games and if any changes are necessary. Key KPI metrics delivered by big data include:
- Churn rate – This is the percentage of players who stopped playing a casino game in a given period
- First-time depositors (FTDs) – This is the number of new users who were converted into players
- Average revenue per user – This is the revenue amount generated by a game divided by the number of people who played the game
- Net and gross gaming revenue – This is the number of bets made in a casino game minus player bonuses, winnings, taxes, etc.
Detecting Fraud and Cheating
Developers also use big data to create fair and secure gaming environments. By analyzing player behavior patterns, big data analytics can create player profiles of “normal” behavior within a game. Developers can then teach AI algorithms this expected behavior and deploy them to flag anomalies that suggest fraudulent behavior or cheating.
Of course, this happens after a developer has deployed their game, but ensuring a fair gaming environment is crucial to acquiring and retaining players.
Wrapping Up
Big data offers many benefits to the gaming and iGaming industries. By showing operators like Betway how players are responding to their games and services, this technology allows for greater customization. Developers can create games that players enjoy playing and respond to arising issues in real-time, providing more immersive and enjoyable gaming experiences to players across the globe.
I am Frederick Tuttle, who works in 247 News Agency as an author and mostly cover entertainment news. I have worked in this industry for 10 years and have gained a lot of experience. I am a very hard worker and always strive to get the best out of my work. I am also very passionate about my work and always try to keep up with the latest news and trends.
