The study on Chinese video games players

For the producer and publisher of video games, between October and December 2014, we carried out the study on the consumers in China with regard to the adapting games to specific needs of Chinese market.

The most important issues included:

• the role of main theme of the game in the motivation system of the users towards specific titles;
• the attractiveness of the games? themes produced by our Client;
• The choice of elements worth adopting to Chinese market and the recommendation on the adaptation itself (music, location, looks of the heroes, traditional Chinese symbols and colors);
• Buying habits of Chinese players via Free-2-Pay system and adopting the pricing and promotion in order to maximize the return on single license;
• The attitude of Chinese players towards advertisements and manners to moderate their negative reaction.

The analysis resulted in developing tactic and operational recommendation on how to enter the Chinese market effectively. Would the quilin unicorn be a good graphic symbol of the team of warriors and would it be better than a phoenix? Should the secondary hero ? a Chinese girl ? wear a traditional han gown or would she be perceived more favorably when in high heels and coquettish smile. What is a chance to convert the players who have never done a micropayment when the game is located in a bamboo forest and will this chance change if we locate the game in Macao. These questions may seem exotic, but taking into consideration a multimillion population of players and their specific expectations towards digital entertainment, the correct answer may bring a giant income.

What was most challenging was the choice of adequate to research tools. Due to the giant number of players in China, it was impossible to employ standards of representativeness and number of a sample examined. We needed engaging and adequate tools in order to provide reliable data. For the study, we developed a research method called daily quests.

Conducting the on-line research in China, where the Internet has its own rules, often imposed by the government, was t the next challenge. While conducting the study, we used the experience of our Chinese partner and creatively bypassed the barriers.