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Gaming companies that effectively capture and analyze customer data can improve the gaming experience and better monetize their games. However, collecting data comes with risks, such as the $520 million fine Epic Games paid due to violations of child privacy laws. The benefits and risks of data collection make it critical to have a solid customer data collection strategy in place.
Key Takeaways:
Any type of information that a company collects about customers is customer data. Gaming companies collect a variety of customer data that helps them better understand, engage with, and communicate with their target customers.
Gaming companies may collect customer data through in-game analytics, loyalty programs, customer feedback, website analysis tools, and social media platforms. Some gaming companies also purchase data from third parties.
These four types of data are relevant to most gaming companies.
Demographic data encompasses basic identifying information about customers. Examples include:
Customer data collection for demographic data usually involves collecting information voluntarily provided by the customer, though some companies may purchase this information or use artificial intelligence tools to harvest it.
Interaction data describes various ways customers and potential customers engage with a company. Interaction data includes website visits, bounce rates, click-through rates, ad engagement, conversions, video and social media post engagement, and email engagement.
Behavioral data for video game companies is primarily about how players respond to in-game stimuli. Behavioral data tracks what a player’s in-game identity is and how that identity relates to gameplay.
Examples of behavioral data include player movements, time spent on tasks, purchases, and interactions with NPCs, and the game’s user interface. The amount of behavioral data you collect depends on the genre of your game and the size of your player base. AAA multiplayer games collect about a terabyte of behavioral data every day.
Geolocation data tracks where players are when they play games. Companies utilize Wi-Fi, GPS, and mobile cell tower triangulation to track how long players spend at specific locations, how far players travel, and how many calories they burn during a play session.
Data collection is a multi-step process.
Start by identifying the reasons you want to collect customer data and what you plan to use the data for. Set goals based on these objectives. Common goals include improving player experiences over time, enabling customer support interactions with players, and rewarding loyal players.
Players generate a large amount of data as they play your games but not all of this data is relevant. Determine which data you need to collect to reach your goals and separate it from the data that is not relevant.
Once you have identified which data is relevant, it is helpful to categorize it according to its use.
Metrics such as daily, weekly, and monthly active users help you determine how popular your game is and how well your marketing campaigns and in-game events are performing. Average session length can be useful for evaluating your monetization strategy because players who play for longer periods are more likely to spend money.
Retention is another important metric for assessing the profit potential of your game. The lifetime of players measures the time from when players first launch a game to their last launch. It is an indicator of sustained interest.
Customer data collection metrics such as average revenue per user, average revenue per paying user, and lifetime value help you assess how much revenue individual users generate. This assists with targeting your game design and marketing campaigns to the most profitable types of users.
In-game behavior analytics come in three types. Generic metrics, such as total playtime per player, and number of started sessions, apply to all games. Game-specific metrics reflect the unique features of individual games.
Genre-specific metrics apply only to games within a specific genre, such as RPGs, shooters, or battle royales. You may need to collect and analyze different types of data based on the genre and unique features of your game.
There are many ways you can collect data from customers. Players usually submit some basic demographic information when they sign up for an account or make a purchase. You can also ask players to voluntarily submit data through surveys and chats.
Other ways to collect customer data include loyalty programs, newsletters, quizzes, website analytics, SMS marketing lists, and purchasing data from third parties. Video game companies also collect a significant amount of data through in-game analytics.
Federal and local governments have varying laws that govern the legal collection and use of customer data. It is important to understand and adhere to the laws in all of the geographic locations where players can purchase and access your game.
For example, in the United States, companies must tell consumers that they are collecting their data. They must also explain how they use customer data and adhere to specific rules if they collect data from children.
Video Embed: How the California Privacy Rights Act reshapes U.S. privacy compliance in 2023
Customer data is not indefinitely useful. Regularly delete data that you no longer need. This saves you money by avoiding the cost of storing unnecessary data.
You also must establish processes for deleting customer data on demand. This is particularly important for complying with new privacy rules in the United States and other countries.
Sonamine provides advanced analysis, reporting, and ongoing tweaks that help companies with customer data collection. Contact us to get started.
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