AdColony, a Digital Turbine Company launches Game Academy, a free online skills masterclass and qualification focused on marketing solutions in gaming. Game Academy is an interactive learning platform that gives marketers valuable knowledge and professional competencies around gaming advertising. The first season of Game Academy is now available to marketers from any level and company in Asia-Pacific.
Commenting on the launch of Game Academy, AdColony’s Senior Vice President APAC, Tom Simpson, said: “Successful marketing has always been based on keeping as closely in step with consumers behaviours, but the explosion of gaming consumption means marketers are now racing to catch up with new habits, audiences, and channels. We are very excited to launch Game Academy to elevate how marketers think about gaming advertising and bring the industry as a whole one big step closer to consumers.
“Gaming has evolved from being a hobby reserved for a select few demographics, to a mainstream form of entertainment where everybody is a gamer of varying degrees. Gaming technology evolves at the speed of light, and advertisers cannot afford to simply play catch-up. The time is now for marketers to fully grasp every aspect of gaming” he continued.
Gaming has seen immense growth over the last few years, and the pandemic has accelerated this growth significantly. By the end of 2021, Southeast Asia will be home to over 250 million mobile gamers, up by 100 million over 5 years. Gamers are no longer a singular demographic, and consumption has broadened to include a diverse range of audiences: 70% are over the age of 25, over 50% of gamers in Asia-Pacific are female, and 68% don’t even consider themselves gamers.
The opportunities for marketers to engage consumers via gaming differ vastly from the past. There has been a greater focus on innovations in gaming technology. It is vital for marketers to master who today’s gamers are, what their motivations for gaming are, and how they spend their time playing or consuming gaming content.