ars technica - Analysts, pundits, and press have gone back and forth on whether or not the gaming industry is recession proof. Console makers and big-name publishers want to believe that this is the case, but not every game or console can be a blockbuster that tops the NPD sales numbers month after month. However, according to a new report from Wisconsin-based new media company Networked Insights, topping the NPD charts may not be the only barometer for success in the game industry.
The chief premise of the report is that games with buzz have utility that reaches beyond the NPD sales numbers; games that don't crack the top ten sales list each month haven't necessarily failed given that future interest (and sales) will be spurred by online interactions. Effectively, the more interactions there are about and within a game online, the greater the opportunity for in-game advertisers to capitalize on an active player-base and the more likely a game is to enjoy long-tail sales.
The report focuses on the NPD top 10 games for the month of October, contrasting the sales numbers for the software with an index that Networked Insights calls "interactions." The interactions measurement is equivalent to "buzz," or how much the gaming community is talking about and playing a given game.
Read More
