I love urban legends; the more outrageous the better. It’s always fun to figure out whether there’s actually a grain of truth in stories like penguins falling over onto their backs trying to see airplanes flying overhead or domesticated turkeys looking up at falling rain until they drown or that the daddy longlegs spider is “the world’s most poisonous animal.”
One legend that’s made the rounds is that the original Windows software came equipped with solitaire games to teach people to be comfortable using a mouse. Maybe a kernel of truth, maybe the afterthought of a bored PC salesperson. That’s what makes it so much fun. The fact is, whether because of solitaire or just the plethora of information available on a PC, cats aren’t the only creatures that toy with mice these days. And speaking of cats, did you know they’ll suck the breath out of babies?
Anyway, I’m here to debunk another urban legend of sorts that’s been around for awhile. That’s the one that trivializes the value of games on interactive television. Maybe it’s because they don’t involve ordering a pizza or Jennifer Anniston’s sweater (speaking of interactive TV urban legends), but games just don’t get the respect they deserve.
Here’s the deal: Games are the unsung heroes of iTV. While we’re often searching for that fresh programming concept that’s going to drive the next level of interactivity, the truth is that games are the heartbeat of viewer engagement – steady, unspectacular and absolutely vital to success.
Like Solitaire on the PC, games are a lead-in, a way for viewers of all ages to become accustomed to using a remote control to do more than change channels. But there’s more to them than that. Earlier this week, there was a report on games use from WorldWinner that showed that games boost moods (87% of respondents); serve as a de-stressor (62%); help players forget worries (59%); and keep minds sharp (44%).
In our own research, one of the things that has stood out was how incredibly sticky games can be when it comes to drawing and holding the attention of viewers of all ages. That’s right; all ages. We’ve heard repeatedly how active adults – that’s the politically correct way of saying our more veteran viewers – love games and their kids love the fact that games keeps the old folks sharp and active.
Earlier this year, we released data that showed just how sticky those games are. Of all ActiveVideo-enabled boxes, 22% had accessed games from our partner, TAG Networks. The average length of engagement was more than 25 minutes. (Incidentally, we’ll be showing TAG Networks games at our stand, 5.B46, at IBC next month.)
To me, underestimating the importance of games is about as accurate as saying solitaire is the only reason a PC user will slide a mouse across a flat surface. Games are the gateway to making users comfortable with a remote control as more than the channel changing “clicker.” It’s a small step for mankind to move from interacting with a simple game to surfing through interactive content to exploring the depths of the programming streamed from the network cloud while seated on the sofa.
So the next time someone comes up to you and says, “Games aren’t applications that will drive interactive TV” tell them that plastic jugs of water left on a lawn will keep dogs off their lawn. After they’ve had to clean up a few times after the neighborhood canines, maybe they’ll understand that urban legends are fun mostly if you don’t believe a word of them.
--Edgar Villalpando, SVP Marketing, ActiveVideo Networks
