When looking at the use of personal data, there are a number of platforms all over the world that keep a log of specific data and the gaming industry is no different. With data collected to provide the next generation of gamers with a unique experience every time they log on there are a number of people completely unaware of what their personal data is being used for.
In this article, we will be providing you insight into why game developers are collecting and using your personal data in the game development process and why this has become a crucial element to creating games that players want to play.
Delivering A Tailored Gaming Experience
One of the biggest reasons behind game developers using data from their players is their ability to provide a tailored gaming experience. Whether this is the development of online games or alterations made to particularly levels based on the user experience, this can help developers to fully understand the game that they have created even after release. By using data such as achievements, level progression, as well as age, location and unique IP addresses for those on PC developers, can help to generate a game that tailors to their target audiences.
Improved Online Platforms
In addition to the gaming experience as a whole, there is the ability to alter the difficulty of particular levels. By tracking the completion rate of all levels as well as the comments on the game, you can then tailor the experience to your specific audience. An example of this was the creation of the game Cook, Serve Delicious! With a level that was too difficult to complete he then used gamers data to alter the level and ensure that it was playable. This is one of the many ways that players data can be used to improve online platforms when PC gaming.
Whether this is the integration of themed slots or new features to a popular game on the platform, this can all help to tailor experiences.
Integration Of Cross-Platform Gaming
Another way that data is being used by game developers is in the development of cross-platform gaming. With profiles appearing on a select few titles, cross-platform gaming uses to log in data as well as a combination of servers to provide you with a cross-server for friends. Whether this is with PC and console or between PC software’s, data is collected to ensure that this is a seamless experience. This is particularly evident when playing mobile games as data is collected when playing as well as during the downloading process. This not only suggests other apps to you, but this allows developers to create mobile games that tailor to a specific demographic.
Unique Customer Experience
In addition to the development of games with this data, developers are also able to develop tailored customer experience. Whether this is the way that the game opens or the overall controls, they can base game mechanics and overall look and feel of the game based off of customer feedback as well as the number of units sold. If a particular game is a success one year but sells a smaller number of units the following year, this can all be down to the small changes made to the game. Though these changes depending on the platform as well as the overall game mechanics, developers are able to tailor the complete customer experience around data such as age, gender and disposable income.
With this in mind, there are a number of game developers that benefit highly from collecting data from those that play their games, allowing them to grow from a small indie company to a much larger corporation, regardless of the platform you are on. But is this a risk to our privacy, or just a unique gaming experience for us all to enjoy?