InternationalizationofSmallMobile
GameDevelopers:TheObstaclesand
ToolsforOvercomingThem
NikoSaxlund
Bachelor’sThesis
November2016
Business
DegreeProgrammeinInternationalBusiness
Description
Author(s)
Saxlund,Niko
Typeofpublication
Date
Bachelor’sthesis
November2016
Languageofpublication:
English
Numberofpages
47
Permissionforwebpublication:x
Titleofpublication
InternationalizationofSmallMobileGameDevelopers:TheObstaclesandToolsforOvercoming
Them
DegreeProgramme
InternationalBusiness
Supervisor(s)
SaukkonenJuha
Assignedby
Abstract
Theobjectiveofthisstudywastofindoutwhattypeofobstaclessmallmobilegamedevelopersencounterduringtheirprocessofinternationalizationandthendeterminewhich
toolsshouldbeutilizedtoovercomethoseobstacles.Mainsubjectsofthisstudy,thesmall
mobilegamedevelopers,caneitherbethoughtofasindividualsorsmallcompanies.
Commonwithbothofthemistheirneedtointernationalizewhichismoreofanormthan
anoptioninmobilegameindustrynowadays.
Thisstudywasconductedasaqualitativeresearchandtheapproachchosentosupportit,
wasphenomenologicalapproach.Thetheoreticalsectionofthisstudycoversthesmall
mobilegamedevelopers’experiencesofinternationalization.Additionally,itportraysaset
ofgenericmarketingtools,conceptsandearlierresearchconducted.Primarydatasection
handlestheresultscollectedthroughsemi-structuredthemeinterviewswithfourparticipantsstronglyconnectedtomobilegameindustry.Thepurposeoftheinterviewswasto
gathertogetheramoreexplicitunderstandingofsmallmobilegamedevelopers’experiencesandknowledgeofinternationalization.Theinterviewswereanalyzedbycontent
analysis.
Thisstudyenabledtheobstaclesidentifiedintheinterviewstobeallocatedintofive
groupswithdistinctcontents.Theparticipantsofferedseveraldifferenttoolsforovercomingtheseobstacles.
Themainconclusionwasthattherearedifferencesbetweenthegamedevelopers.This
affectstheirviewsoftheobstaclesaswellastheirdecisionsofchoosingwhichtoolsare
suitableforovercomingtheobstacles.
Keywords/tags(subjects)
Mobilegaming,internationalization,marketing,gamingbusiness,gamedeveloper(s),obstaclesinmobilegamemarketing,toolsformobilegamemarketing
Miscellaneous
Kuvailulehti
Tekijä(t)
Saxlund,Niko
Julkaisunlaji
Päivämäärä
Opinnäytetyö,AMK
Marraskuu2016
Sivumäärä
Julkaisunkieli
47
Englanti
Verkkojulkaisulupa
myönnetty:x
Työnnimi
Pientenmobiilipelikehittäjienkansainvälistyminen:Esteetjatyökalutniidenylitsepääsemiseen
Tutkinto-ohjelma
Internationalbusiness
Työnohjaaja(t)
JuhaSaukkonen
Toimeksiantaja(t)
Tiivistelmä
Tämäntutkielmantavoiteolisaadaselvilleminkälaisiaesteitäpienetmobiilipelikehittäjät
kohtaavatkansainvälistymisprosessinsaaikanasekämäärittääminkälaisiatyökalujakyseistenesteidenylitsepääsemiseenonkäytettävissä.Tutkielmanpääkohteenaolleetpienet
mobiilipelikehittäjätvoidaankäsittääjokoyksilöinätaipieninäyrityksinä.Yhteistämolemmilleoliheidäntarpeensakansainvälistyä,jokaontämänpäivänmobiilipeliteollisuudessa
lähesvälttämätöntä.
Tämätutkielmasuoritettiinlaadullisenatutkimuksena,jonkatueksivalittulähestymistapa
olifenomenologinenlähestyminen.Tutkielmanteoriakäsitteleepientenmobiilipelikehittäjienkokemuksiakansainvälistymisestä,sekäesitteleeyleisiämarkkinointityökaluja,konseptejajaaiempaatutkimusmateriaaliaaiheesta.Tutkimusaineistokoostuuneljästäteemahaastattelusta.Haastateltavillaolivahvayhteysmobiilipeliteollisuuteen.Haastatteluidentarkoitusolikartuttaatäsmällisempiymmärryspientenmobiilipelikehittäjienkokemuksistajatietämyksistäkansainvälistymistäkohtaan.Haastattelutanalysoitiinsisällönanalyysillä.
Haastatteluistahavaitutesteetvoitiintämäntutkimuksenavullajakaaviiteensisällöllisesti
erilaiseenryhmään.Haastateltavattarjosivatesteidenylitsepääsemiseenuseitaerityökaluja.
Johtopäätöksenätodettakoon,ettäpelikehittäjienväliseterotvaikuttavatheidännäkemyksiinsäkansainvälistymisenesteistäsekävalintoihintyökalujenjaesteidenyhteensopivuudensuhteen.
Avainsanat(asiasanat)
Mobiilipeli(t),Pelinkehittäjä(t),kansainvälistyminen,markkinointi,esteetkansainvälistymisessä,työkalutkansainvälistymiseen,mobiilipeliteollisuus.
Muuttiedot
Contents
1
Introduction....................................................................................................1
2
TheoryandKnowledgeBase...........................................................................2
2.1 ObstaclesinEnteringtheMobileGameMarkets.......................................3
2.2 ToolsforOvercomingtheObstaclesinMarketEntry................................8
2.2.1 TheMarketingTools..............................................................................8
2.2.2 ToolsforMobileGameBusiness..........................................................13
3
ResearchApproach,MethodandImplementation.........................................18
3.1 ResearchMethod.....................................................................................18
3.2 ResearchApproach,DataAnalysisMethodandTheirJustification.........18
3.3 PracticalImplementationoftheResearch...............................................19
3.3.1 DataCollection.....................................................................................19
3.3.2 InterviewsastheSourceforPrimaryData..........................................21
3.3.3 EthicsofThisResearch........................................................................25
4
Results...........................................................................................................25
4.1 InformationontheInterviewees..............................................................25
4.2 TheObstaclesof,andtheToolsfor,Internationalization........................26
5
Discussion......................................................................................................33
5.1 Conclusion................................................................................................33
5.2 QualityAssessment..................................................................................36
5.3 FurtherResearchPossibilities...................................................................37
References............................................................................................................38
Appendices...........................................................................................................43
1
1 Introduction
Theideaandmeaningofthisthesisistodiveintotheworldofmarketingaround
mobilegaming.Whatismarketingactuallyandisitanydifferentinmobilegaming
thananywhereelse?
AccordingtoMcKenna“Marketingiseverything”(McKenna,1991).WhatMcKenna
meantwiththatphrasewas,inshort,thateverythingonedoesandeveryactionvisibletotheoutsideaffectsthebusinessandthereforeactsasmeansofmarketing.
Whetheritisthegeneralwayofgreetingpeople,answeringanemailortheoverall
appearanceinpublic,itallhasaneffectonhowotherpeopleseeandformopinions
ofthecompany,itsrepresentativesanditsproducts.(McKenna,1991.)
Now,Agrawal(2016)arguesthatmarketingandespeciallythemarketingmethods
themselveshavechangedtremendouslyovertheyears,however,healsomentions
thatthebasicideaofbringingyourselfforwardandcreatinganimageofyourself
hasn’t.Thesamevaluesstillexisttodate(Agrawal,2016),andthatispartlywhatthis
thesisisabouttoshow.
Sowhatisitthatissospecialaboutmobilegamesandtheirmarketing?Comparedto
conventionalvideogamesmadeforPCorconsoles,thefirstdifferenceisusually
seeninthegameitself.Mobilegames,asthegenrecalls,aremobile,meantfor
smartphonesandtablets,deviceswhichareusuallynotmeantforgamingentirely
andmaynotevenhavethecapacitytodoso.Thegamesthemselvesaresmallerin
sizeandinprice,whichisthefirstbigchange.Thereisahugedifferencewhethera
0,95€mobilegameisdownloadedafewhundredtimescomparedtoa20€to30€PC
orconsolegamehavingasmanydownloads.Theseconddifferencecomeswiththe
audience.PCorconsolegamersaremorelikelytobeactivelylookingforanewgame
toplay,whereasmobilegamersarenot.Thegamesneedtobebroughttothem.
However,thethresholdforthemtopickupandtryoutagameismuchlower.
(Chamrad,2016.)
Thelastfactorwhichhasanimpactontheresultofthisthesisisdiscoveringwhatis
differentingoingforinternationalmarketsinsteadofdomesticmarkets.Goingfor
theinternationalmarketsbringsinabunchofnewbarriersandchallenges.Notonly
2
doesonehavetobeconcernedaboutthelanguageofanothercountrybutalsothe
factthateverycountryandcontinenthasitsownculturewhichhasacertaineffect
onthegame.(Gendrot,8leantipsfortakingyourmobilegameinternational)
ToapproachthesubjectofmarketingI’mtakingtheperspectiveofsmallsizedmobilegamedevelopersormobilegamingcompanieswhomaynothavethesame
enormousmarketingbudgetssomeofthebiggercorporationsdo.Thiswillshowhow
itisforthemtotryandengagetheinternationalgamingmarkets,howtheymanage
itandiftheydo,howdotheymaintaintheirposition.Inotherwords,tobeputinto
researchquestions,theylookasfollows:
1. Whatsortofobstaclesdosmallmobilegamedevelopersrunintowhengoingfor
theinternationalgamingmarkets?
2. Whattypeoftoolscouldasmallmobilegamedeveloperutilizewhileengaging
internationalgamingmarkets?
WiththehelpoftheseresearchquestionsI’mgoingtotacklethecoreproblemsand
obstaclesonemightencounterwhengoingfortheinternationalgamingmarkets.At
thesametime,I’mgoingtoworktowardsthesolutionsandtoolswhichhavealready
beenofhelptosomeandcouldhelptherest,aswellasthetoolsnomobilegame
developerhasyettried.Allinall,itisimperativethatsomeonelookintotheseproblemsandbringtolightthequirksandtricksbehindthebusinessofmobilegaming
andmarketing.
2 TheoryandKnowledgeBase
Thischapterisaboutthedifferentobstaclesasmallmobilegamedevelopermight
encounterontheirjourneytowardstheinternationalgamingmarkets,andthetools
knowntobehelpfulwhenmarketingthistypeofbusiness.Boththeobstaclesand
toolsvaryextensivelydependingondifferentfactors,suchaslocation,thetypeof
thegame,people,cultureetc.Therearetheobstaclescommontoeverymobile
gamedeveloper,andthentherearetheonesadevelopergoingfortheinternational
marketshastoface.Samegoesforthetoolsthathelp.Themorecommontools
3
couldbeappliedtomanytypesofbusinesses,whilethemorespecializedtoolsare
involvedmoredirectlywithmobilegamebusinessitself.
Internationalityinmobilegamebusinessisnotanythingextremeorspecialnowadays.It’ssomethingonehastogoforifonewantstobesuccessfulintoday’smo-
bilegamebusiness.However,thesizeoftheglobalmobilegamemarketis$36.9billioninvalue(Newzoo,2016),whichmeansitisnotaneasytasktofindone’sown
nicheinamarketthatvast.Manyoftodaysmobilegamesarebornglobal,andbeing
inthemobileappmarketsofmanydifferentcountriesmayseemobvious,butit
doesn’tcomethateasy.Therearevariousobstaclestoovercomeandacolossal
amountofworktobedone.
2.1 ObstaclesinEnteringtheMobileGameMarkets
Asstatedabove,theobstaclesamobilegamedeveloperencounterstryingtomarket
theirgame,aremany.Therearethemorecommonobstaclesthatconcernevery
developer,andthentheonesconcerningthedeveloperstryingtogoglobal.Going
globalismoreanormthanamerepossibilitynowadays.Thesemorecommonobstaclesstartoutwithonewhichmightbeevenalittletooobvious.
TheGameItself
Makeagoodgame(Chamrad,2016).Easiersaidthandone,perhaps.Makingagood
gamedoesn’tmeanitshouldbemadeaccordingtowhatpeople’stastesareingaming.Thegameitselfcouldbeanygenre,reallyanytypeofgame.Inotherwords,it
doesn’thavetopleaseeveryone.SomepeoplemayloveCandyCrushandhateClash
ofClansortheotherwayaround.Makingagoodgamehasadeepermeaningtoit.
Thegamehastoworkandithastohavethecoremechanicsinorder,sothatitis
playable(Chamrad,2016).Dependingonwhatgenreoneisgoingfor,oneoftheobstaclesinmakingagoodgameisdoingtheresearchonthe“must-haves”whichappearinthegamesofaparticulargenre.Thetrickythingistodifferentiatebetween
the“must-haves”andthefactorswhichwouldmakethegamethesameaseveryone
else’s.(Luke,2015.)
FirstImpressions
4
Rightbehindmakingagoodgamefollowsthefirstimpression.Everybodyknowsit
existsbutmostdon’tknowjusthowbiganobstacleitis.AccordingtoPitts(2013),
whenmeetingsomeonenewyouhavesevensecondstomakeafirstimpression.
Withmobilegamesitismostlikelylongerthansevenseconds,sinceduringthatsevensecondsonemightnotgetfartherthanthefirstloadingscreen.Worldgame01
statesthatthetimeonehastoimpressagamerwithamobilegameis“30seconds
orless”(Worldgame01,2016).Thiscouldverywellbetruesinceittakesthosefew
extrasecondstoactuallygetintothegame.Oneoftoday'sbiggesthitshasmadea
lotofcontroversialfirstimpressions.TrainerTipschannelonYouTubeshareshisfirst
impressionsofPokemonGo,anditisclearthatheismorethanhappywithhowthe
gameansweredhisexpectationsbasedonwhathadbeenleakedbeforehand(TrainerTips,2016).OtherYouTubechannelSacredshareshisfirstimpressionofdisappointment.HisfirstimpressionwasruinedbyabuggyuserinterfaceandthegenerallyslowandinconsistentperformanceofthePokemonGo.(Sacred,2016.)Ascanbe
inferred,thegamers’personalexpectationsandcommitmenttothegamehavea
significantimpactontheirfirstimpressions.
Discoverability
Togiveafirstimpressiontoagamer,saidgamerhastohavetheproductontheir
hands.Therefore,thenextobstacleofamobilegameisvisibilityanddiscoverability.
Withdiscoverabilitycomesgreatvisibility.Improvingthediscoverabilityofamobile
gameiseasierforgiganticmobilegamecorporationswithenormousmarketing
budgetsandtheirownmarketingcrew.TheCodeFuelStaff,however,pointsoutthat
forasmalltimemobilegamedeveloper,thosetypesofresourcesarenowheretobe
found,andasaconsequencethisobstaclemightstarttoseembiggerandbigger.
DiscoverabilityissomethingBhatti(2013)saysisexperiencedasoneofthebiggest
obstaclesinmarketingamobilegame.Thelargermobilegamecorporationsare
crushingthecompetition.Thisiswhereovercomingthebefore-mentioned“makinga
goodgame”obstaclemightnotmattersomuchafterall.Alotofgoodgamesarenot
found,whereasthesuccessfulonesare(Hagler,2013;Venturepact,2015).
Competition
5
Competitionisthenextobstacle.Thesizeoftheglobalmobilegamemarketishumongous,whichmeansthereisalsoagreatdealofcompetition.Themobilegame
marketsareflooded,providinggamesforeverypossiblegamerandaudience.The
challengeistostandoutinacrowdofthousandsofgamesjustalike.(Julkunen,
2016.)Julkunen(2016)claimsitdoesn’treallymatterhowmucheffortisputinto
makingagamedifferentthanthecompetition;there’salwaysgoingtobesomeone
tryingtowintheheartsoftheexactsameaudience.Thisobstacleissuchagreat
challengepartlybecauseofthesheeramountofmoneyandhoursathoroughresearchofthecompetitiontakes.Moneyandtimearetwothingsmostmobilegame
developerslack(CodeFuelStaff,2014).Anothersideofthisobstacle,thecompetition,istheaudience–thegamersthemselves.
TheGamersThemselves
Mobilegamersarespecialinthattheyhaveashorterattentionspanthanmanyothergamersandthattheyarealwaysonthelookoutforanewtypeofgametofeed
theiraddiction(Sukhyani,2015).Acquiringknowledgeofthegamersisequallyimportantasitisofthecompetitors,only,timeandmoneyandpossiblyeventheexpertisetorunsuchresearchmightbehardtocomebyamongmanymobilegame
developers(CodeFuelStaff,2014).Seufert(2015)statesthatthosetypesofresourcesareofeasyaccesstobigmobilegamecorporations,whereasaccessingthem
asasmallmobilegamedeveloperrequiresinnovation.
Trends
Again,anobstaclewhichrequirestimeandresources,mostlyjusttime.Amarketing
teamnamedSubsplashputsitperfectly:“Don’tgetcomfortable”.Itmightfeeluncomfortableandtimeconsumingtostayup-to-datewiththelatesttrends(Subsplash,2015),butthisisanobstaclethatisimportanttoovercome.Thereisalmost
nothingworsethantokeepthinkingthegameisup-totrends,whenthosetrendsare
infactfromayearback,orintheworstcasefromadifferentdecade(Subsplash,
2015).Stayingontopofcurrentlyprevalenttrendsissomethingeverymobilegame
developershoulddo.
MetricsandAnalytics
6
Manydevelopersaremetwithanotherobstacle,whichismonitoringthegame.Metricsaresomethingthathelptracktheperformanceofdifferentvariables(Phillips,
2008).AccordingtoHan,inmobilegamebusinesstheycanprovideinformationfor
exampleon“firstpurchasetrigger,tutorialcompletionpercentageoraverageplay
session”(Han,2013).Thisgoesunderthesamecategoryastheothertimeconsumingobstacles.Bothmonitoringthegameandthemetricsitcreatestaketime.Monitoringandanalyzingtheresultsmayseemoverwhelming.(CodeFuelstaff,2014).
Therearetonsofdifferentmetricstobefollowed,andchoosingtherightonesisn’t
easy.Everyonehastheirownmethodofchoosingthemetricsmostsuitableforthem
andtheirmobilegame.(Morrison,2013).Thesemethodsandpeople’sopinionson
themosteffectiveonesvary.AccordingtoWilliams,thechallengeistoaccurately
determinewhatitisonewantstofollowandkeeprecordof(Williams,2013).Anotherdeveloper'sexperienceisthatbeforefacingthechallengeoffindingtherightmetrics,onemightfacesomethingeverydeveloperknows,thatis,limitedmonetaryresources.Han(2013)ispositivethatthiswilldrivedeveloperstowardsinnovationand
selfgeneratedmetrics.
Localization
Figure1.MobileGameLocalization.Source:Oneskyapp
Nowadays,thisisprobablyoneofthebiggestobstaclesamobilegamedeveloper
mightface.Localizationisathemewhichisquiteoftenoverlookedandmissed.This
isduetonotunderstandingthetruevalueandmeaningofit.Lackofalocalization
7
strategycouldcutthejourneytowardsglobalsuccessveryshort.(Chan,2014.)What
couldbeeasywiththisobstaclebutmanytimesbecomesdifficultandcostly,isstartingearly.Delayingthelocalizationprocessuntiltheverylaststageofmobilegame
developmentandmarketingisanexpensivemistaketomake.Startingthelocalizationearlyon,alreadyatthebeginningofthedevelopmentofamobilegame,might
feellikeanotherunneededpieceofapuzzle,butitcouldactuallybethethingthat
savesthebusinessfromwastingresourcesandtakesthemtosuccess.(Chan,2014;
Anja,2016.)Itstartsallthewaybackwithcoding.Includinglocalizationintothecodingofthegameisoneofthefirststepsinwinninglocalization.Theimportantfactor
incodingistonotmakeitaninvincibleobstacle.(Anja,2016;Yip,2015.)
Thenextpartoflocalization,translation,canbeaccessedthroughcoding.GreenbaumKasson(2013)predicatesthatwhilemanymobilegamedevelopersthinklocalizationisbasicallyjusttranslatingthecontentsoftheirgameintothetargetlanguage,itisnot.Translationofthemobilegamewillhaveamonumentaleffecton
howitisperceivedbytheaudience(Anja,2016).Onechallengeingettinghelpfor
translationisdeterminingwheretogetit.Professionalsprovidequalityservicebutit
canbeexpensive.Onthecheaperendofthings,thereisnowadaysthepossibilityof
crowdsourcing,providedbyfellowgamersanddevelopers.(CrowdinBlog,Overcomingthechallengesofmobilegamelocalization.)Inthecaseofcrowdsourcing,atime
limitcannotreallybesetasthepeoplearevolunteers,anditcanrequiresomeextra
efforttotryandmotivatethemintotranslatingthecontents.(CrowdinBlog,Overcomingthechallengesofmobilegamelocalization.)Managingthetimelinecanturn
outtobequiteachallengeinthecaseofcrowdsourcing,mostlybecauseitisdifficult
totellhowfastanon-professionalcantranslatethetext.Aprofessionaltranslates
approximatelyatarateof2000wordsperday(Yip,2014;McKay,2011.)
Conductingdiligentresearchofthetargetmarketsandtheaudiencedoesnotmean
justfindingthetranslatorsandthelanguagesinwhichtotranslate,itshouldalso
concerngainingdeeperknowledgeoftheculture,habitsandlifestyleofthelocal
people.(GreenbaumKasson,2013;Anja,2016;Chan,2014.)Thisculturalizationisan
importantpartoflocalization,oneofthefactorsChan(2014)mentionsisnotnecessarilyevenunderstoodaspartoflocalization.Ascanbeseeninthepictureabove,
languagetranslationisonlythetipoftheiceberg,andtherestofthelocalization
8
processliesbeneaththesurface(Chan,2014).Thelastimportantobstacletoover-
comeislocalizingthemonetizationstrategy.Peopleindifferentcountriesaroundthe
worldhaveunequalincomelevelsanddistincthabitsofhandlingcurrency(Chan,
2014).
2.2 ToolsforOvercomingtheObstaclesinMarketEntry
Thechapteraboveshowsthedifferentobstaclesmanysmallmobilegamedevelopersface.Thischapterisaboutthetoolswhichcouldbeusedwhenencountering
mentionedobstacles.Thesetoolsvaryfromoneendtoanother.Theyrangefromthe
moregeneraltoolsutilizedinanytypeofmarketing,totheonesmorespecificto
mobilegamemarketingandtheimmediateworldaroundit.
2.2.1 TheMarketingTools
Marketingtoolsprovidedinthischapterareinstrumentswhichhelpcreateabroader
pictureofwhatabusinessanditsproductsactuallyare.AccordingtoVierula(2009,
31)marketingisthesinglebiggestfactorincreatingsuccess.Hecontinuesthatmarketingisn’tonlythejobofsalesandmarketingunitbutajointoperationoftheentire
company(Vierula,2009,32).Vuokko(2003,151)specifiesthattheobjectiveofmarketingdetermineswhichtoolsshouldbeused.Selectingthesemarketingtoolscould
beconductedbystudyingandmonitoringthebusinessandtheproductitself.Some
ofthesetoolsarepresentedbelow.Usingthesetoolsmakesiteasiertomarketthe
productastheyrendercrucialdata,suchastheuniquesellingpropositionsofthe
product,asWigmore(2013)namesthem,andthesurroundingbusiness.Thesetools
arepresentalmostnowhereinthemobilegamebusiness.Althoughtheymightnot
beusualtools,theycouldbeofgreathelpinmarketingamobilegame.
BusinessModelCanvas
Asetofmarketingtoolstousewhenheadingtowardsthegamingmarketsincludesa
fewtoolslinkedtoeachother.Agoodstartingpointcouldbethe“BusinessModel
Canvas”.AccordingtoMartin(2015),theBMCisabasictooltodiscoverwhata
businessconsistsof.Itisawaytofindoutwhatarethekeyfactorsaffectingthe
businessandwhatisthevalueitbringstotheendcustomer(Martin,2015).
TheBMCisbuiltupbyanalyzingninedifferentsegmentsofthebusiness(Martin,
9
2015).Notallofthesemightbethatcrucialforamobilegamecompanybutitcertainlyisausefultoolforanycompany.
Figure2.BusinessModelCanvas.Source:Wordpress-innovatively.rhcloud.com
Firstoff,thecustomersegments.Itisimportanttoknowwhoexactlytheproductis
aimedtopleaseandtoprioritizethedifferentcustomersegments,sothatitiseasier
tomakesuretheyareprovidedwiththerighttypeofcontent(Martin,2015;Cowan,
2013).AccordingtoVuokko(2003,142)targetingthecorrectsegmentsprovidesthe
productthebestopportunity.
Nextupisthevalueproposition.Thevalueproposition,asCowan(2013)explains,
concernsthethingswhichbringvaluetotheproductintheeyesoftheconsumer.It
couldbethebrilliantuserinterface,anewtypeofgameengineorsimplythesimplicityofagame.Thesefactorsthatmakeagamedifferentandinterestingarecalledthe
uniquesellingpropositions(EntrepreneurStaff,UniqueSellingProposition(USP)).
Thecustomerrelationshipssectioninthecanvasisreservedforexplainingtheways
ofpreservingtherelationshiptothecustomers(Cowan,2013).Itcouldbeachieved
throughadditionalpaidservicesinsidethegame,monthlypaymentsorbyblogging
sothatthegamerswillvisittheblogregularlytogetmoreinformationonthegame.
Martin(2015)saysthatthemarketingchannelsarearoutethroughwhichonecan
markettheirproductandreachthecustomers.Thesechannelscouldbesocialmedia,websites,blogging,in-gamemarketingorevenadvertisingatsomepoint.
10
Thekeypartners,activitiesandresourcesshouldbestronglyconnectedtoeachoth-
er.Thekeyresourcesshowwhatisavailableforusetoachievetheend-result.(Martin.2015.)Thiscouldbeone’sownoffice,equity,gamedesignersetc.Thekeyactivitiesshouldthenreflecttheresources.Forexample,gamedesignersasaresource
equalscodinganddesigning,ownofficeequalsdomesticproduct.(Cowan,2013.)
Thekeypartnerssectionshowswhichactivitiesarebetterleftforsomeoneelseto
do,bettertooutsource(Cowan,2013).Partnerscouldbeusedforcreatingmarketing
material,suchastrailers,ortocross-promoteagameinotherdeveloper’sgames.
Coststructureshowswherethemoneyisgoinginrunningthebusiness.Wages/salaries,marketingcostsorlegalmattersareafewofthemultiplepossibilitiesthe
costscouldconsistof.Revenuestreams,inturn,showwheretherevenueisgeneratedfrom.Apppurchases,monthlyfees,advertisingspaceorin-gamepurchasescould
besomeofdifferentfactors
generatingmoneytosupport
thebusiness.(Cowan,2013;
Martin,2015.)
EmpathyMap
Empathymapisatoolwhich
supportsalltheothertoolsby
bringingintheperspectiveof
thepotentialcustomer.This
Figure3.Empathymap.Source:Solutionsiq.com
perspectiveiscreatedbysixdifferentfactors.(Bland,2016;Cao,ThePracticalGuide
toEmpathyMaps:10-MinuteUserPersonas.)
WhatdotheCustomers:
-
Think&Feel?
-
See?
-
Hear?
-
Say&Do?
-
Whataretheir:
Pains àWhatdotheystrugglewith.Fearsetc.
-
Gains àWhatdotheyenjoy.NeedsandWants.
(Bland,2016;Cao,ThePracticalGuidetoEmpathyMaps:10-MinuteUserPersonas.)
11
TheEmpathyMapisatoolwhich,ifutilizedcorrectly,hasthepowertoprovidegreat
insightsonthetargetcustomersandthecustomersegment.
ValuePropositionCanvas
Figure4.TheValuePropositionCanvas.Source:Pinterest
TheValuePropositionCanvasisanadditiontotheBMCwhichgoesdeeperintothe
valuepropositionsoftheproductandcompany.Forthiscanvas,thevaluepropositionsandthecustomersegmentsaretakendirectlyfromtheBMC.Thenbyconsideringtheproductorcompanyasamedicineofsorts,onecanstartproducingthepain
relieversandgaincreatorsforthepotentialpainsandgainsofthecustomers.(Osterwalder,2012.)Thosepainsandgainscouldbetakenfromtheempathymap.On
theleftsideofthecanvasisspacefortheservicesandproductsprovided.Customer
jobssectionshowsinformationonwhataretheproblemstheyarefacing(Osterwalder,2012).
GoldenCircle
Onewayforthebusinesstocommunicatewiththecustomerisamethodcalled
“GoldenCircle”(Sinek,2009).Itconsistsofthreedifferentlayers,thewhat,thehow
andthewhylayer.Thekeyistousetheminareverseorder,asopposedtowhat
mostcompaniesdo.Soinsteadofthinkingwhatisoffered,howisitgoingtobeofferedandwhyisitoffered,itallstartswiththewhy.Why?Because,asSinekputsit,
“Peopledon’tbuywhatyoudo,theybuywhyyoudoit”.Whyonedoessomething
inspirespeoplemorethanwhatisdone.Thefollowingdemonstratesthiswithoneof
Simon’sexamples.
TheWhat: “Wemakegreatcomputers.”
TheHow:
“Theyarebeautifullydesigned,simpletouseanduserfriendly.”
TheWhy:
“Wanttobuyone?”
12
(Sinek,2009.)
Notveryinspiring,partlybecausemanytimestheinnerlayer,thewhy,isnotunderstoodintherightway.However,whenflippedaround,itbecomeslikethis.
TheWhy:
“Everythingwedo,webelieveinchallengingthestatusquo.Webelieve
inthinkingdifferently.”
TheHow:
“Thewaywechallengethestatusquo,isbymakingourproductsbeautifullydesigned,simpletouseanduserfriendly.”
TheWhat: “Wejusthappentomakegreatcomputers.Wanttobuyone?”
(Sinek,2009)
Withthissimplechangethebusinesswilllookcompletelydifferent.Sinek(2009)
clearlymentionsthegoalistodobusinesswithpeoplewhobelievewhatyoubelieve.
DesignThinking
Now,onewayofusingtheabovementionedtoolsisusingaprocesscalleddesign
thinking.Designthinkingisconstructedoffourdifferentfactors
-
Definetheproblem
-
Thinkthroughallthepossibleoptions
-
Pickamorerefinedselection
-
Implement
Themorepeoplethereareinvolvedinthedesignthinkingthebetter,evenmoreso,
ifthepeoplearefromdifferentlayersofthebusiness.(FastCompanyStaff,2006)
Everybodytakingpartintheprocessthinkofallthepossibleideastheycancomeup
withconsideringthespecificfactororsectiontheyarelookingat(forexampleBMC,
partvalueproposition.)Thethinkingisdoneseparately,nobodysharestheiropinion
13
orjudgestheopinionofanybodyelse.Theideasshouldbeshortandthereshouldbe
plentyofthem.(FastCompanyStaff,2006.)
Afterthefirstround,everybodygetstogethertodiscussandrefinethehugeselectionofideas.Someoftheideasaremostlikelyindouble,maybeeventripleormore,
someideascanbecombined,andthensomeideasmaybringnewideas.Thisiswhy
thefirststepcould/shouldberepeatedtogeteverynewideathereistoget.(Fast
CompanyStaff,2006.)FastCompanyStaff(2006)explainsthatthelaststepistogo
throughtherefinedselectionofideas,pickthemostpromisingonesandimplement
themintothetools.
2.2.2 ToolsforMobileGameBusiness
Nextarethetoolswhicharesuccessfullyusedbydifferentpeopleinthemobile
gamebusiness.Theyaremoreobviousandbettersuitedtomarketingamobilegame
andovercomingtheobstaclesamobilegamedevelopermightencounterduringinternationalizationprocess.
ToolsforMakingaGoodGame
(Seep.5)Makingagoodgameisoneofthemostcrucialpartsofamobilegame
company’smarketingefforts.Ifthegameisnotgood,itdoesn’tmatterhowmuch
moneyyouputintothemarketingcampaign–peoplewillnotbuyit.(Chamrad,
2016.)AccordingtoShestakova(2015)thereareafewkeyelementsagoodmobile
gamehas.Amobilegameshouldbeeasytoapproach,offeringthegameraccessto
playingthegamewithminimaleffort.(Newstead,2011;Shestakova,2015.)Theuser
experienceandinterfaceofthegameshouldbepleasingtotheeyeofthegamer.To
dothis,itisimportanttostayup-to-datewiththelatesttrendsonmobilegamedesignsandoutlooks.(Kang,2016;Shestakova,2015.)Partofmakingagoodgameis
keepingitgoodafterthelaunch.Agoodmobilegamewillnotbegoodforlongifit’s
notupdatedandmaintainedaccordingly.(Kang,2016;Shestakova,2015.)
Forgettingtheeffortoftryingtomakethegameperfectandcompletebeforelaunchingcansometimesbeanadvantage.Shalel(2016)mentionsthatmakinganearly
launchisalsocalledasoftlaunch.Bylaunchingthegameearly,onecangetasurprisingaccesstouserfeedbackandotherdatawhichwouldbeimpossibleotherwise.
14
Gainingaccesstothemwillgivevaluableinformationondevelopingthegamefurther.(Shalel,2016;Shestakova,2015)
Firstimpressions(seep.6)gohand-in-handwiththebasicsofmakingagoodgame.
Tomakeagoodfirstimpression,theexperienceduringthose“30secondsorless”
Worldgame01(2016)mentionedhastobethoroughlyplannedandwelltakencare
of.Expressingtheuniquesellingpropositionsasearlyaspossiblegoesalongway
towardmakingagoodfirstimpression(Schab,2016)
HowtoEnhancetheDiscoverabilityofaMobileGame
(Seep.6)Therearesimplewaystomakethediscoverabilityofamobilegamebetter,
andthentherearewayswhichrequireabitmoreeffort.Thesimplerwaysinclude
makingthegameattractiveprice-wiseanddistributingittomanydifferentapp
stores,insteadofoptingonlyforafewofthebiggest.Additionally,appstoreoptimizationconsistsofacarefulprocessofchoosingtherightnameforthegameandoptimizingthekeywordstodrivecustomerstowardsthegame(Nader,2015;Venturepact,2015).AccordingtoVenturepact(2015)thenameshouldbecatchyandatleast
insomewayreflectthegameitself.
Cross-promotionisanotherformofmarketingmobilegamedevelopersuse.Incrosspromotiontwoormoremobilegamedeveloperscollaboratebyadvertisingeach
other’sgamesinsidetheinterfaceoftheirownmobilegame(Goldring,3waysto
crosspromoteyourgame;Venturepact,2015).Anecessityforanyonetryingtoimprovetheirmobilegame’sdiscoverabilityisgoingonlineandcreatingsocialmedia
accountsforthemobilegamecompanyitself(DellaFave,2014).Socialmediachannelsprovidearoutetothegamersbutalsotothemembersofthepress.Itismore
fruitfultobepatientandnottryingtoapproacheverybodyyourself.Rather,beactiveandpostoften,preferablyduringpeakhoursfrom11amto11pmEST.Innovativeandintriguingpostshaveachanceofgaininginterestfromimportantsources.
(DellaFave,2014.)
Takingpartingamingconventions,beitasapresenteroronlyasavisitor,isanimportantpartofmakingoneselfvisible,easiertodiscover.Itisagreatopportunityto
makenewconnectionswithotherdevelopers,butanevengreateropportunityto
meetandconnectwiththegamers(DellaFave,2014).Gettingagamepresentedata
conventioncanbebothcostlyandnot.Biggerconventionscostupto2000€and
15
more,whereasaccesstosmallerconventionscouldbegainedwithasmallerbudget
ofonly500€.(DellaFave,2014;Wu,2014.)
Discoverabilitycanalsobeimprovedbycontactingthepress.Contactingthepressis
ataskthatshouldbeconsideredcarefully.Findingtherightpressiskeytocreating
contacts.Contactingamagazinespecializinginconsolegamingwon’tdomuchfora
mobilegamedeveloper.Itisessentialtostartwithsmallerandlessknowpress
sources,astheyaremorelikelytowantmorereviews.Themorepopularpress
shouldbeapproachedonlyaftergainingenoughcoveragefromsmallerpress
sources.Contactingthepressshouldbedoneinanaturalway,nottooformallyor
informally.Bringingforththeuniquesellingpropositionsofthegameisthewayto
lurepressintomakinganarticle.(DellaFave,2014.)
DefeatingtheCompetitionandCaptivatingtheTargetAudience
(Seep.7)Togetovertheobstacleofcompetition,itisfundamentaltoknowwhat
thecompetitionis.Tostandoutinacrowdofthousandsofothermobilegames,one
hastobeacutelyawareoftheuniquesellingpropositionsofthecompetinggames.
Thenextstepwouldbetostudythetargetgamers.Ifthegamersarenotofferedthe
righttypeofcontent,manyhoursofhardworkwillhavegonetowaste.Julkunen
(2016)mentionscategorizingasagatewaytoofferingthegamerscontentwhich
matchestheirneeds.Categorizingmeansrecognizingthecategoryofthegameand
emphasizingtheattributesofthatcategory.Acorrectlycategorizedgamehasabetterchanceofbeingwellreceivedbythegamers.(Julkunen,2016.)
StayingUptoTrends
(seep.7)Itmaysoundobvious,butitisvitaltostayup-to-datewiththelatesttrends
inordertoattractandretaingamers(Subsplash,2015).Subsplash(2015)pointsout
thatstayinguptotrendshasdifferentlayerstoit,oneofwhichisdoingcontinuous
research.Hecontinuesbystatingthattheotherlayersincludeimplementingthe
resultsoftheresearchintothegameandexperimentingwithwhatcouldbethenext
trend.
WhattoDowiththeMetrics
16
(Seep.8)Whentryingtodelvedeepintometricsandanalytics,smallmobilegame
developersareoftenfacedwiththeconstraintsoftheirbudget(Williams,2013).Gettingmetricsofagamecanhappenviatwopossibleroutes,freeorpaid.Thismeans
thatonecaneithergeneratethemetrics“home-made”orhavesomeoneprovide
theiranalytictoolsatacost.(Moore,2015;Morrison,2013;Williams,2013.)Dueto
budgetconcernssmallmobilegamedevelopersoftenchoosetogeneratethemetrics
themselves(Han,2013;Williams,2013).Atthisstageadevelopermightruninto
problemswithwhatmetricstochoose.Bycreatingaquestionnaireofwhatneedsto
beknown,itiseasiertochoosewhatmetricstosurvey.(Williams,2013.)
MakingLocalizationCorrectly
(Seep.9)Tomakethelocalizationprocesseasierandtosavesignificantamountsof
timeandwork,itiscrucialtomakethedecisionofinternationalizationearlyoninthe
developmentandcreatealocalizationstrategy(Anja,2016;Chan,2014).Alocalizationstrategydeterminesdifferentfactors,suchaswhichmarketsaresuitableforthe
mobilegameinquestion,isitpossibletofindlocalpartnersinthetargetmarket,
howmanymarketsisitpossibletoaccessandwhichlanguagestotranslate(Chan,
2014;Yip,2015).
Codingispartoflocalization,andwritingthecodeinawaythatallows,forexample,
languagetranslationstobedonedirectlyintotextstrings,savesworkhoursinlater
stages(Anja,2016).Bycodingthetexttoaseparateresourcefolderinsteadofthe
sourcecodeitself,editingandprovidingittothelanguagetranslatorsrequiresless
effort(Yip,2014;2015).Sandness(2015)setsoutthatideally,codingisdoneinaway
thatenablesanautomaticlanguagedetection.Codingisstronglyconnectedtothe
languagetranslation.
Foramobilegametobetranslatedintoanotherlanguage,someoutsidehelpmaybe
needed.Therearefourdifferentoptionsintranslatingthetextofamobilegame.
Goingtoaprofessionaltranslatorguaranteeshighqualitybutthecostwillbehighas
well.Evenifitmaybeexpensivetohireaprofessionaltranslatortodothetranslation,itcouldsavealotoftimeandeffort,whereasthecheaperoption,crowdsourcing,couldendupjusttheopposite.(CrowdinBlog,Overcomingthechallengesof
17
mobilegamelocalization.)Anotheroption,then,istosearchcrowdsourcedhelp.The
localgamingcommunityofthetargetmarketisacheaperoption,iftheycanbemotivatedintherightway.Thedownsideistheunpredictabilityofthequality.Thelocal
crowdsurelyknowsthelanguage,buttheymightnotbeverygoodtranslators.
(Beens,2016;CrowdinBlog,Overcomingthechallengesofmobilegamelocalization.)
Thirdoptionistocombineprofessionalandcrowdsourcedoptionstoachieveaqualityendproductatareasonableprice,downsidebeingtheamountoftimeneededfor
theprocess(Yip,2014).Thefourthoptionis,iftheexpertiseexists,in-houseproduction(Yip,2015).Whichevertranslatorsarechosen,preppingallthenecessarymaterialsandprovidingthetranslatorswiththecontextofthetextiscrucialforkeeping
thetranslationprocessinschedule(Yip,2014;Anja,2016;Wong,2014).
Culturalizationisadifficulttask,andthekeytoolinmakingitmanageableisgaining
accesstolocalhelp.Itcouldforexamplebethetranslatorsorthehelpofthegaming
communitywhichmakesthisobstaclealotsmaller.(CrowdinBlog,Overcomingthe
challengesofmobilegamelocalization;Chan,2014;FacebookBusiness,2015.)Culturalizationmeansgettingdeepintothetargetmarket’shistoryandculture,bringing
themobilegameexperienceclosetoGreenbaumKasson'sstatement“foragameto
successfullycrossbordersitsattributesmustdelvefullyintoauser’sethnicityand
culture”(GreenbaumKasson,2013).Acorrectlyconductedculturalizationprocessis
likelytoleadintomajorchangesinthecontentofthemobilegame(CrowdinBlog,
Overcomingthechallengesofmobilegamelocalization;FacebookBusiness,2015).A
greatexampleofthisisthesuccessstoryofPlantsvs.Zombieswhenplantedinto
Chinesemarkets.Thewholecontentofthegamewaseditedtobetterreflectthe
localculture(GreenbaumKasson,2013).Thedeveloperdidn'tonlyfiddlewiththe
design,buttheyincorporatedlocalcultureintothegamebybringingtheGreatWall
andotherlocalfeaturesintoit(Chan,2014;GreenbaumKasson,2013).Anotherpart
ofculturalizationistomakethemonetizationofamobilegamereflecttheuseof
currencyinthetargetmarket.Adjustingthemonetizationofamobilegameisdone
bystudyingthelocalcultureandpeople’sexperiencesinthetargetlocation(Chan,
2014).
18
3 ResearchApproach,MethodandImplementation
Thischapterintroducestheresearchapproachanditsjustification.Whatismore,it
willgothroughthemethodswithwhichthedatawascollectedandanalyzed.The
practicalimplementationsectionwilltietheformertwotogetherbyexplaininghow
thetheywereputintopracticeonthisproject.
3.1 ResearchMethod
Astudycaneitherbeconductedusingqualitativeorquantitativemethods(Hakala,
2004,113).Kustula(2015)goesevenfurtherbystatingthatthekeydifferenceto
quantitativeresearchisthefactthatinsteadofhavingarandomsamplingindata
collection,qualitativeresearchrequiresacarefulselectionofdatasources.Where
qualitativeresearchhasanadvantageisinstudyingobjectiveswhicharemoreround
andlackquantitativedata,aquantitativeresearchisfocusedonamorestatistical
approachtothedataandobject(Alasuutari,2011,27;Vilpas,Kvantitatiivinentutkimus)andthenumericaldata(Hirsjärvi&Hurme,2001,24.)
Thereisnoready-madeformulaforconductingaqualitativeresearchratheritisalwaysauniqueprocess(Patton,2002,433)andamethodoftenusedwhenthesubjectrequiresinterpretationandunderstanding(Eriksson&Kovalainen,2008,5:
Hirsjärvi&Hurme,2001,22).Inaddition,aqualitativeresearchpursuesonstudying
theobjectiveinaholisticmanner(Hirsjärvi,Remes&Sajavaara,2009,161).Because
ofthereasonsindicatedabove,thisstudyisexecutedbytakingadvantageofqualitativeresearchmethod.
3.2 ResearchApproach,DataAnalysisMethodandTheirJustification
Asthisstudyisfocusedoninvestigatingthesmallmobilegamedevelopers’experiencesamonginternationalizationanditsobstaclesandtoolsforovercomingtheobstacles,thephenomenologicalmethodwaschosenasitsresearchapproach.Phenomenologicalapproach’smainfocusisinpeople’sexperiences(Tuomi&Sarajärvi,
2009,34).Themeaningofthisapproachisfindanswersonhowpeopleunderstand
andinterprettheirownexperiences(Patton,2002,104).
19
Thedataanalysismethodchosentobeutilizedinthisstudyiscontentanalysis.Itis
oneofthebasicmethodsofqualitativeresearch(Tuomi&Sarajärvi,2009,91;Hsieh
&Shannon,2005,1277).Contentanalysisismainlyaimedatcreatingasummative
entitybymakingsureanykeyinformativepointsarenotmissed(Tuomi&Sarajärvi,
2009,108)
Thecontentanalysisitselfcanbedividedintothreedifferentsubcategorieswhich
areconventional,directedandsummativeapproaches(Hsieh&Shannon,2005,
1277).AccordingtoTuomiandSarajärvi(2009,95),theconventionalapproachdevelopsatheoreticunityoftheprimarydata.Indirectedapproachtheexistingtheory
basecouldactapartinassistingtheanalysisofprimarydata,howevertheexisting
theoryisnotthemainsourcefortheanalysis(Tuomi&Sarajärvi,2009,96).Tuomi
andSarajärvi(2009)articulatethatinthesummativeapproach,theprimarydata
analysisisdrivenbytheframeworkcreatedbytheexistingtheory.
Ofthesethree,thedirectedapproachisthebestsuitableforthisstudy,becauseof
itscharacteristicsincombiningtheconventionalandsummativemethods.Tuomiand
Sarajärvi(2009,97)suggestthedirectedapproachconsistsofanalyzingtheprimary
dataasitsownandthenlaterreflectingittotheexistingtheorybase.Thiscomplementstheinterviewsconductedandtheprimarydatacollectedtobeusedinthis
study.
3.3 PracticalImplementationoftheResearch
3.3.1 DataCollection
Thecollectionofdataforthisstudywasconductedbycarefullygatheringqualitative
datafromdifferentsources.Primarydataissomethingwhichisgatheredbyperformingresearchandgettingfirst-handinformationonthesubjectbytheresearchers
themselves(Eriksson&Kovalainen,2008,77;Moser,2015,2).BothMoser(2015,2)
andErikssonandKovalainen(2008,77)thenexplainthatsecondarydataissomethingreadilyavailableandalreadygatheredbysomeotherresearcher.
SecondaryData
20
Asalreadyestablishedabove,secondarydataisinformationthatalreadyexistsasit
hasbeencollectedbysomeoneelse.White(2010,61)goesevenfurtherbypointing
outthatsecondarydataissomethingthatwasoncecollectedtoservethepurposeof
aspecificstudy,butissuitablelateronfortheuseofothersaswell.Oneobvious
advantageMoser(2015,2)bringsupistheamountoftimeandotherresources
savedwhenthedatafromanalreadycompletedresearchcanbeputtouse,instead
ofhavingtodothesameresearchalloveragain.Secondarydata’sfunctionistoprovideastructuredbasebypresentingasummaryofthepreviouscoverageonthesubject(Saaranen-Kauppinen&Puusniekka,2006).
Secondarydataisthefoundationwhichsupportstheprimarydata(Alasuutari,2011,
62).Secondarydatahastobestronglyconnectedtotheresearchproblem,andtogethertheyshouldformalogicalcontinuum(Saaranen-Kauppinen&Puusniekka,
2006).Alasuutari(2011,63)indicatesthatthetheoreticframework,createdasaresultofcollectingsecondarydata,hastoworkinunisonwiththeprimarydata.Italso
affectsthedecisiontochoosetherighttypeofanalysismethodforanalyzingthe
research.
Thisstudyfocusesontheinternationalizationofsmallmobilegamedevelopersasa
phenomenon.Moreprecisely,theobstaclestheymightfacewhengoinginternationalandthetoolstoutilizeinordertoovercometheobstacles.Sincethisisafairlyrecentphenomenon,theamountofliteratureonthesubjectisminimal.Also,thenatureofthisresearchdeterminesthatmostofthesecondarydataacquiredcomes
fromdifferentelectronicsources.Therefore,electronicsourceshavetobewellutilizedandtakenadvantageof.Anothercharacteristicdrivingtheacquisitionoftheoreticalknowledgefromelectronicsourcesisthedemandforexperience-based
knowledge.Thereisminimalamountofscientificresearchcollectionstoindicatethe
obstaclesrelatedtothephenomenonorthetoolstohelpovercomingthoseobstacles.Thisdatahastobecollectedbysearchingandthengoingthroughthedifferent
experiencessmallmobilegamedevelopersandpeoplerelatedtothebusinesshave
hadduringtheirprocessofinternationalization.Someofthisdataisprovidedbydifferentagencies,suchasresearchinstitutes,butmostofthedatacomesfrompeople
eitherworkingformobilegamecompaniesorworkingasindependentdevelopers.
21
Whenevaluatingthetrustworthinessofsecondarydatasources,ithastobetaken
intoconsiderationthateveniftheyarenotbasedonscientificresearch,thesources
areconfirmedtobesuitableforgatheringtheexperiencesfrom.Inotherwords,the
dataisacquiredfrompractitionersofthesubjectstudiedandthusrelevanttothe
enquiry.
PrimaryData
Primarydataissomethingthatcanbecollectedthroughvariousmethods,suchas
interviewing,observingandexperimenting(Eriksson&Kovalainen,2008,77).Moser
(2015,2)explainsthattheadvantageofprimarydataliesinthefactthatthequestionstheresearchershavepreparedaretailor-madefortheparticularstudy.Dueto
primarydatabeingcollectedbytheresearchersthemselves,problemsregarding
timeandaccessibilitymayarise(Eriksson&Kovalainen,2008,55).Tofindtheprimarydatavalid,theanalysishastobeimplementedcarefully(Puusa,2011,115).
Theprimarydataofthisstudywascompiledbyarranginginterviewswithpeople
eitherinthemobilegamedevelopingbusinessthemselvesorpeoplewhoarestronglyrelatedtothisparticularbusinessfield.Theseinterviewswereconductedinorder
tocapturetheexperiences,opinionsandviewspeopleindifferentpositionsinthe
mobilegamebusinesshaveregardingthephenomenoninquestion.
3.3.2 InterviewsastheSourceforPrimaryData
Interview,asPuusa(2011,73)putsit,isamethodthroughwhichitispossibletocollectprimarydata.Thisprimarydatathenhelpstodrawreliableconclusionsofthe
phenomenonbeingstudied(Puusa,2011,73).Toensurereliableconclusionsofthe
phenomenon,anemotionalistinterviewresearchapproachisutilizedinthisstudy.
AccordingtoErikssonandKovalainen(2008,79),anemotionalistinterviewresearch
approachfocusesoncapturingtheauthenticexperiencesoftheinterviewees.
Capturingtheseauthenticexperiences,oneofthreeinterviewstructureshastobe
selected.Theoptionsareastructured,asemi-structuredandanunstructuredinterview.Aninterviewisconsideredstructuredwhenithasastrictplanwhichisfollowedcloselyfromoneinterviewtoanother.Astructuredinterviewisthemosteffectiveinsituationswherefactsareconsideredthemostvaluableinformation.
22
Whereasastructuredinterviewhasaverystrictplantogothroughintheinterview,
asemi-structuredinterviewleavesabitmoreroomfortheinterview.Asemi-
structuredinterviewisguidedbythetopicsorthemesbutleavestheinterviewerfree
tomodifythequestionsandchangetheprogressoftheinterview.Italsorequiresa
skilledinterviewertocomeupwithmorein-depthquestionstofollowuptheset
topic.Anunstructuredinterviewgivesalmosttotalfreedomtotheintervieweeand
theinterviewer.Unlikethetwoformermethods,anunstructuredinterviewisbased
onsomecoreconceptbutmayfreelymovetowardsanyappearinginterests.(Eriksson&Kovalainen,2008,81-82.)Puusa(2011,83)evendescribesanunstructured
interviewtohavethenatureofanopendiscussion.
Tosupportthisstudy,asemi-structuredinterviewwaschosen.Asemi-structured
interviewgoeswellwiththephenomenonunderresearchbecauseitrequiresgetting
toknowtheexperiencespeoplehave.HirsjärviandHurme(2001,47)havenamed
thesemi-structuredinterviewasathemeinterview.Puusa(2011,81)mentionedthat
thecoreassumptioninathemeinterviewisthattheintervieweeshaveexperienceof
thephenomenonunderresearch.Themeinterviewgivesthesemi-structuredinterviewacertaincharacteristicwhichisutilizedinthisstudy.Theinterviewsconducted
wherebuildaroundatheme.Thethemeofthisstudyistheobstaclessmallmobile
gamedevelopersfaceduringtheirinternationalizationprocess.Thethemeinterviewsareperfectforthisstudyastheymakeitpossibletobeginwithavaguetheme
andthengetdeepintothedifferentsubjectstheintervieweesthemselvesbringup.
HirsjärviandHurme(2001,48)setoutthatathemeinterviewmightnothavethe
strictwordingandorderastructuredinterviewhas,butitisnotasfreeeitherasthe
unstructuredinterviewmightbe.
PlanningtheInterviews
Reviewingthisstudyanditsnaturerevealedthatathemeinterviewwouldbeasuitablesolutionforacquiringtherighttypeofdatatosupportandverifytheresearch,
whilesimultaneouslybringingpossiblenewinsightsintothesubject.Afteranalyzing
theresearchproblemandthephenomenoninquestionitwasclearwhatthetheme
fortheinterviewswouldbe.Totestandprovetheconceptofthethemeinterview,
theinterviewstructurewasputtotestasapreliminaryinterview.Accordingto
HirsjärviandHurme(2001,72)thesignificanceofthepreliminaryinterviewcomes
23
upinreviewingthestructure,orderandtimelineoftheinterview.Onceconducted,
thepreliminaryinterviewdisclosedsomeshortcomingsandproblemsintheinter-
viewstructure.Thesecouldthenbecorrectedandreworkedintothestructureofthe
realinterview.
Theinterviewstructureisdesignedtolettheintervieweehaveanopendiscussionon
thestartingtheme,theobstacles.Tocarrytheinterviewforwardanddeeper,the
subjectsbroughtupbytheintervieweeweretakendownasnotes.Aftertheinitial
discussiononthethemewasconcluded,theinterviewwouldcontinuebyhavingindepthquestionsseekingananswertowhatcouldbethetoolsandanswersforovercomingtheobstaclesmentionedbytheinterviewee.
Theparticipantsoftheinterviewsareindividuals,asitdrivesthepurposeofthis
studybetter.Previousrelationshipshadapartinmakingthosecontactsandorganizingthefirstinterview.Ontopofpreviousrelations,awhiffofluckbroughtinthe
nextparticipant.Thisparticipantactedasagatewaytotherestoftheparticipantsas
hewasabletoprovideconnectionsandadviceonwhomightbeagoodaddition.
Aftergainingcontactandintroducingthereasonandcontentsoftheinterviewsto
theparticipants,theintervieweesweremorethanhappytohelpandbringintheir
ownshareofexperiences.Allexceptoneinterviewwereconductedinaface-to-face
manner.OneparticipantwasinterviewedviaSkypeduetothebusytimetableand
inabilitytofindaconvenientmomentforameeting.Thecontentsoftheinterviews
weredocumentedbymakinganaudiorecordingsincenotalltheintervieweeswould
havebeencomfortableinfrontofacamera.Pointingacameraatthemcouldalso
havehadanaffectontheinterviewsandmadethemlessconversationlike.Theaudiorecordsweretranscribedtoprovidedetailedinformationforthelatercodingof
contents.Thetranscribedinterviewsandthecodedtranscriptionsareavailableat
request.Audiorecordingprovidesagreatwaytoreviewthesubjectmatter,however,whatitmaylackincomparisontoavideorecordingiscapturingthefacialexpressionsoftheinterviewees.Capturingthefacialexpressionsthroughanaudiorecordingisentirelyuptotheinterviewer’smemory.
24
AnalysisoftheInterviews
Aftertheinterviewsweretranscribedtheywereputthroughananalysiswhichwas
conductedaccordingtotheinstructionsofTuomiandSarajärvi(2009).Tuomiand
Sarajärvi(2009,92)believethatcodingconstruesthekeyelementsoftheprimary
dataandthatitwillhelpinterpretthedatabetter.ErikssonandKovalainen(2008,
128)simplifythatcodingmeanslabellingthedata,givingeachinstanceitsowncode.
Theanalysiswasconductedinadirectedmanner(seep.21).Thedirectedanalysis
resultedincodingthecontentsoftheinterviewstogroupsofdifferentthemes.Thesethemeswereallthedifferentobstaclestheintervieweeshadexperiencedintheir
internationalizationprocessassmallmobilegamedevelopers.Amoremeticulous
examinationthroughcodingshowedthatparticularobstacleswereexperiencedas
greaterormoresignificantthanothers.
Original
Expression
Code
“InChinayouare
usuallyina
collaborationwitha
publisherandthey
providetheirhelpwith
differentthingssuchas
translations.”
“ForexampleinChina
itmaybenecessaryto
changethecharacters
oreventhestructureof
thegame.”
“Aimingforbroader
marketsyouhaveto
understandthatsimply
translatingthelanguage
isn’tenough”
Subclass
Class
Resources
Discoverability
Utilizing aPublisher
BusinessPartners
ObstaclesandTools
Culturalization
Localization
Language Translation
MarketStudy
Figure5.AnExampleofaCodingProcess
25
3.3.3 EthicsofThisResearch
Ethicsissomethingwhichisonboardeverystepoftheresearchandithasanotable
impactonthewaytheresearchisconducted(Hirsjärvi&Hurme,2001,19).Hirsijärvi
andHurme(2001,19)indicatethatethicsconcernboththetheoreticalphaseand
theprimarydatacollectionphaseoftheresearch.TuomiandSarajärvi(2009,127)
describedethicsinresearchbysaying,“Agoodresearchisdirectedbytheethical
commitment.”(Freetranslation).Supportingthegoodresearchethicsisthereliabilityoftheresearchitself.Thereliabilityisbasedonthetermsofgoodscientificpractice.Partofthosetermsistoberesponsibleandwell-behavedwhenconductinga
research.(Tuomi&Sarajärvi,2009,132.)
Duringthetheoreticalphasetheethicsaremostlyassociatedwithdatacollection
methodsandrespectingyourfellowresearchers.Thedatacollectedfromotherresearchers’materialsshouldbecitedandquotedproperly.Itshouldalsobeclearly
acknowledgedifthedataiscreatedbysomeoneelse,furthermeaningthatitshould
notbepresentedasone’sownifitisnot.Thisisalsoreferredtoasplagiarism.(Eriksson&Kovalainen,2008,73-75.)
Collectingprimarydataisasensitiveareafromtheethicalpointofview.Firstofall,
HirsjärviandHurme(2001,20)explainthattheacquisitionofparticipantsforexampleforinterviewshastobedoneingoodfaith.Theparticipantsshouldbebothwell
briefedonthepurposeofthestudyandalsotreatedwell.Preservingtheconfidentialityandtrustoftheparticipantsisparamount.(Hirsjärvi&Hurme,2001,20.)
4 Results
Thischapteroffersabriefreviewoftheintervieweesandthecontentoftheinterviews.Theobstaclesthatarosefromtheinterviewsarepresentedfirstandtheaccordingtoolsafterthat.
4.1 InformationontheInterviewees
Theintervieweeswereallcloselytiedtomobilegamedeveloping.Theirpositionsin
themobilegamebusinessvariedsomewhat,whichgavethisstudyanopportunityto
26
acquiredatafromdifferentaspects.Altogetherfourpeoplewereinterviewed.Itwas
clearlyshownthattheprimarydataacquiredfromthemreacheditssaturationpoint,
i.e.apointwheretheinformationstartedtorepeatitselffromoneinterviewtoanother.
Next,ashortintroductiontothedifferentintervieweeswhotookpartinthisstudy.
Allparticipantsarereferredtoashewhethertheywereawomanoraman.
IntervieweeA
Let’scallhimA.AWorksastheCEOofasmallgamecompanywhichnotonlydevelopsmobilegamesbutalsoprovidesothercompanieswithservicessuchasgamificationorgamedevelopment.
IntervieweeB
Bisnotadeveloperhimselfbuthashisownmarketingcompanywhichprovides
marketingservicestosmallandmediumsizedgamingcompanies.TheservicesB
providesrangefromsalesthroughmanagementtomarketingofgamingcompanies.
B’sspecialtyisknowledgeofAsiangamingmarkets.
IntervieweeC
Chasexpertiseinmanydifferentfields.Ontopofhavinghisownmobilegamecompany,Cworksasamarketingcoordinator,hasasignificantroleinagamebusiness
co-operativeandisamemberoftheboardinaprofessionalsocietycommittedto
advancingthecareersofgamedevelopers.
IntervieweeD
Dhashishandsonmanydifferentfieldsofgamebusinessbutultimatelydescribes
himselfasagameindustrystart-upentrepreneurfromJyväskylä.
4.2 TheObstaclesof,andtheToolsfor,Internationalization
Resources
Somethingbroughtupineveryinterviewwastheresources.Accordingtotheinterviewees,aconsiderableconcernandoneofmostcommonobstaclesforasmallmo
27
bilegamedeveloperissimplythelackofresources.Moneyisaresourcesmalldevelopersmostcommonlylack.However,Belaboratesthatmoneyisnottheonlyre-
sourcethatmightbemissing.Alsomanpowerandtimeareusuallyinshortsupplyfor
asmallmobilegamedeveloper.
“Themarketingbudgetisalmostnonexistent.”–A
“Forsmallteamsthebiggestobstacleisthattheydon’thave
enoughresources,thatmeansthattheydon’thavealotoftime
andmoneyandmanpower.”–B
Theabsenceofresources,especiallymoney,isaconsiderablefactorincreatingmore
obstacles.Apointsoutthatnothavingamarketingbudgetmeansitisnotpossibleto
goandbuydiscoverabilityorcoverage.Amutualopinioncameupasthedifferent
intervieweesexplainedthatthereisreallynoeasywayofacquiringmoreresources.
“Toavoidtheneedforabigbudget,you’dhavetoberidiculously
innovative.”-D
“Certainsmallallowancescouldbeappliedfor,butforexample
whenestablishingafirmthereisstart-upmoney,however,itisonly
aonceinalifetimeeffect.”–C
Csharedthatasmalldevelopershouldbareinmindthatthedevelopingitself
doesn’tnecessaryrequiremonetaryresources,asforexamplethegameenginesare
freetouse.AandCbothbringupthatthecureforthelackofresourcesisfinding
methodswhicheitherletyouuselessresourcesornoresourcesatall.Forthis,A
suggestsfindingamarketnichewherecompetitionislessfierce,whereasCproposes
automatizingdifferentactivities,suchasapartofsocialmediaactivities.
Discoverability
Theinformationgatheredfromtheinterviewsclearlyshowsthatanotherphenomenonexperiencedasanoverwhelmingobstacleisdiscoverability.Dstatesthatitis
importanttoremainpatientfromthestartandunderstandthatitisverydifficultto
gainvisibilitywhentherearehundredsifnotthousandsofnewmobilegames
launchedeveryday.Cgoesevenfurtherbyarticulatingthatasmalldeveloper
28
shouldn’tevenaimatthetoptenintheAppstore,sincereachingthetop100isstill
goodbusiness.Twooftheintervieweessaidthatbecomingglobaliseasybutgetting
thegamenoticedismuchmoredifficult.
“Easy,youcanjustputyourgameintoAppstoreandGooglePlay
andit’sinternational.However,thataloneisnotenoughbecause
thediscoverabilityisthebiggestobstacle.”–A
Theroleofsocialmediaasatoolforbetterdiscoverabilitydividedopinionssomewhat.Thecommonthoughtwasthatsocialmediaisoneoftheeasiestandcheapest
waysofmakinganameforthegameandreachingnewlevelsofvisibility.Inthebest
scenario,thegamegoesviral,whichinturncreatesmuchneededtalkofthegame.
“Word-of-mouthisoneofthebesttoolsforanindiedev.Meaning,
getaholdofsocialmediarightfromthestart.”–C
However,accordingtoDsocialmedia’sroleformarketingmobilegamesmightnot
bethatsignificant.Heexplicatesthatthishastodowithmobilegamersbeingless
activeinbuildingcommunitiesthanforexamplePCorconsolegamers.Also,thishas
todowiththeaddictivemindsetofamobilegamer.Afterwardshementionsthat
thereareexceptionstothisrule,thebiggerandmorecomplicatedmobilegames.
“Theyarelookingforquickpleasure.Ithastobeaquickandeasy
satisfaction.”–D
ItisbroughtupbyCthatusingsocialmediaisnotonlyaboutreachingouttothe
gamersbutothersaswell,suchaspeopleworkinginthemobilegameindustry.The
intervieweesmadeitveryclearthateventhoughwe’relivinginadigitalera,going
onlineisnotenoughinitself;onehastogoonthespot.Conventionsandtradefairs
couldalsoactasatoolforimprovingvisibility.Itwillcostsomemoneytoputupa
standbutitisguaranteedtobringvisitorsandpeopletoseewhatthegameisabout.
Anothercurefordiscoverabilityproblemsbroughtupbytheintervieweesisfindinga
reliablepublisher.InsomecountriessuchasChinaitisnecessarytohaveapublisher
duetobothlegalandculturalreasons.
29
“Agoodpublishercouldtakeyouundertheirwing.Theycoulddeal
withmarketing,discoverabilityproblemsandpossiblyevenprovide
acompletecustomerbase.”–C
Businesspartners
Whenitcomestopartners,utilizingtheirhelpiscrucialforasmalldeveloper.There
aredifferentpartnerstocollaboratewith.Apublisherissomethingeveryinterviewee
broughtup.Utilizingthehelpofapublisherreceivedaunanimousvotefromallthe
interviewees.However,AandCbothtellthatfindingareliablepublishermightnot
besuchaneasyjob.
“Thethingaboutusingapublisherisfindingtherightone,areliable
publisher.”–C
“Anidealsituationwouldbewhenyouhavejustthetypeofgame
thepublisherislookingfor.”–A
AccordingtoC,timeshavechangedandsinceusingapublisherisnottheonlyoption
anymore,thepublishershavehadtomoldtheirbusinessinawaythatfavorsdevelopersabitmorethaninthepast.Bpointsoutthatusingapublishercouldfreea
developercompletelyfromhavingtododifferentactivitieslikepromotionandmarketing.Thiswouldbeahugefinancialadvantage.Bexplainsthatthisisdonebysharingtherevenue,soitwillrequireagood,profitablegame.Asmentionedabove,findingthepublishersisnotsoeasy.Forthisproblemtheintervieweesprovidedtools
suchasactuallygoingandmeetingthem.Takingpartintradefairsandgamingconventionswasanoptionpraisedbytheinterviewees.
“Theeasiestwaytofindapublisherisgoingtoagamingtrade
fair.”–A
“Youmightnotluckoutonyourfirst,secondoreventhethirdtry,
butatsomepointitispossibleforyoutogainthatconnectiontoa
publisher.”–D
Dbringsintothetableadifferentmedicine.Heexplainsthatoneextremelyimportantfactoringettingapublisherforamobilegameishavingitsanalyticsinorder.
30
Analyticsgivecrucialdataoftheperformanceofagameandtheyareanincredibly
importantfeatureofmobilegamesnowadays.
Ontopofutilizingthehelpofapublisher,Atalkedaboutcross-promotion.Thatisa
formofpartnershipwheresomeoneelsepromotesthegameandgetsashareofthe
revenueinreturn.Itcouldforexamplebeanotherdeveloper,butstartingapartnershipwiththemrequiresthegametobeperfectlyalignedwiththeirmindset.These
businesspartnerscouldbereachedthroughthegamingtradefairsandsuch,justas
thepublishers.
Localization
Localizationasanobstacleappearedintheinterviewsindifferentforms.Theseforms
werelanguagetranslation,culturalizationandutilizingapublisher.
Theintervieweeshadclearopinionsaboutlocalizationanditsrelationtolanguage
translations.
“Aimingforbroadermarketsyouhavetounderstandthatsimply
translatingthelanguageisn’tenough”–C
Ittranspiredthatevenifadevelopercannottranslatethelanguageofthegameto
thatoneofanothercountry,itmaynotbethatbigofanobstacleafterall.Someintervieweessuggestedgettinghelpfromthetargetmarket’slocalcommunity,others
suggestedtakingadvantageofprofessionalhelp.However,itcameupthatbothhave
theirprosandcons.
“Thefactisthatprofessionallanguagetranslationisverycheap,
althoughthetypeofthegamehasaneffectontheprice.”–D
Dalsoexpressesthepossibilityofhavingsomeonefromthecommunitytranslatethe
contentsbutthenemphasizestheguaranteedqualityofaprofessionaltranslator.
Furthermore,bothDandAhighlightthatthebestsolutionforlanguagetranslations
mightinfactbeacombinationofthetwooptions.Thisisduetothelackofthe
game'scontextonthetranslator'spart,andthepossiblelackofprofessionaltranslatingskillsonacommunitymember'spart.
31
“Translatingagamerequiresthetranslatortotrulyunderstandthe
context,meaningthatinanidealsituationthetranslatorisplaying
thegame.”–A
Anothertoolforovercomingtheprocessoflanguagetranslations,whichappeared
duringtheinterviews,wastohavenotexttotranslate.Ifthereisalmostnothingto
translate,onecanavoidtheobstaclealmostentirely.
“Asmalldevelopercouldgoaroundthetranslationprocessbymakinguseoficonsandavoidingtheuseoftextaslongaspossible.”–C
Dbroughtupthatforsomecountriesandinsomecases,withmorecasualmobile
games,itmightbeenoughtodojustthetranslation.
“ForexamplewhenlocalizinginGermany,theUSAandRussia,just
translatingthelanguagecouldbeenoughbecausethecountries'
generalcharacterisquitesimilar.”–D
Asmentionedbefore,translationisnottheonlypartoflocalization,thustranslating
agametoanothercountry’slanguageisnotenoughforbroaderlocalization.Another
partoflocalizationappearedintheinterviewsasculturalization.Oneafteranother,
theintervieweesmentionedthatthelocalizationprocessofsomecountriesorcontinentsrequiremuchmoreeffort.
“ForexampleinChinaitmaybenecessarytochangethecharacters
oreventhestructureofthegame.”–C
Asthenameculturalizationsuggests,itmeansmodifyingthegametobetterreflect
thelocalculture.Animportantpartofacultureistheuseofmoney.Someintervieweesexplainedthatactivatingpeopletousemoneyforamobilegameorinsideit
variesconsiderablydependingontheculture.Thisiscalledmonetization,andCsimplifieditbymakingaroughsplitofthesituation.
“Occidentalpeoplefeellikeitismorerewardingtogrindagamein
ordertoreceiveatrophy,whereasorientalpeoplearemorewilling
topayfortrophiesandskiptryingtoearnthem.”–C
32
Theinterviewsmadeitclearthatinthecaseofasmalldevelopertheprocessoflo-
calizationshouldnotberushed.Itshouldalsobecarefullyconsideredwhichmarkets
areworthofengaging,asthecomplexityoflocalizationvariestremendously.
“Itmaynotevenbeworthwhileforasmalldevelopertogofora
marketthatrequireslocalization,suchaschangingthecontent.”-C
Ccontinuesbyrecommendingsmalldeveloperstowaituntiltheyhaveafootholdin
themarketsandonlythenthinkaboutbroadermarketsandmoreextensivelocalization.
Aswithsomanyotherproblemsfacedbysmallmobilegamedevelopers,theintervieweesseepublishersasatoolforconqueringlocalization.Publishersareableto
providetheirhelpinthedifferentsectorsoflocalization.
“InChinayouareusuallyincollaborationwithapublisherandthey
providetheirhelpwithdifferentthingssuchastranslations.”
–A
“Myexpertisemaynotbethatcomprehensiveinculturalizationbut
I’dhopethatforexampleinChina,thepublisherwouldtakepart
andgiveinstructionsonculturalization.”–D
MarketStudy
Thelastobstacleconsistsoftherightmarketsandthebusinessculture.Someofthe
intervieweesexperiencewasthatitisdifficultforasmalldevelopertostudythe
marketswhiletryingtodevelopagameatthesametime.
“Atsomepointyouhavetospendsomemoneytoknowthemarket.”–B
Pickingtherightmarketsemergedasasubjectinsomeoftheinterviews.Itwasmentionedthatitiscrucialtobringamobilegametotherightmarkets,butitwilltake
timeandresources.Luckilytheintervieweeshadtheirtoolsforthis.
“Youjusthavetofindtherightchannelandtherightmarkets.
Segmentationisimportantinhelpingyoutofindoutwhoyouare
reallymakingthegamefor.”–C
33
Segmentationmeansdividingtheprospectivecustomersinsegmentswithsimilar
needsandwants.Ontopofsegmentation,CandDbroughtupthatasoftlaunch,
wherethegameisputthroughatesttoshowhowitwouldperformintherealmarkets,isanothergoodtoolforchoosingtherightmarkets.AccordingtoDsoftlaunch
tellsifthegameactuallyworksandifitwouldbeprofitablewhenputintothemarkets.Cgoesfurtherbystatingthatitwillalsoprovideguidancetowardstheright
markets.
“IfyouwanttogototheUSA,thesoftlaunchisdoneinCanada,
meaningthatthesoftlaunchshouldbedonerelativelyclosetothe
marketsyou’regoingfor.”–C
Itwasmentionedintheinterviewsthatanotherchallengeinbeingactiveintheinternationalmarketsisdoingtheactualbusiness.Theculturaldifferencesinconductingbusinesscouldresultinunwantedorunpleasantsurprisesifnotstudiedproperly.
“InFinlandwediscusstheprofitdistributionfirstandthendecideif
weshouldcontinuediscussions,butinChinaeverydetailandevery
possiblethingisdiscussedfirstandthen,afterthedecisionhasbeen
made,theprofitdistributionisdiscussed.”–A
Bstatesthatstudyingthemarketstakestimeandeffort,buttheoutcomewillbe
worthit.
5 Discussion
Thepurposeofthisstudywastoexaminetheinternationalizationofsmallmobile
developersasaphenomenon,aswellastheobstaclestheyfaceduringtheprocess
andthetoolstheyhaveutilizedtoovercometheobstacles.Thischapterwillfirstaddresstheresults,thenexaminethereliabilityandqualityofthisstudyandendwith
thoughtsonfurtherresearchonthesubject.
5.1 Conclusion
Conductingtheinterviewsdefinitelygaveabroaderunderstandingofthephenomenonbutalsooftheoverallsituation.Born-globalisatermusedbyoneoftheinter
viewees.Eventhoughitispossibleforagamedevelopertotargetonlydomestic
34
markets,theprevailingthoughtintoday’sworldisthatifamobilegameisdeveloped,itisgoingtohavetogoglobal.Thismeansthatinternationalizationismorea
rulethananexceptionnowadays.Italsoseemsthatgamedevelopershavearather
tightnetworkandmeetcollectivelyalmosteverymonth.
Thefirstresearchquestionisaimedatinvestigatingthedifferenttypesofobstacles
smallmobilegamedevelopersencounterduringinternationalization.Theresults
indicatethatthemostsignificantobstaclesareresources,discoverability,finding
businesspartners,localizationandconductingmarketstudies.
Thesecondquestioncoversthetoolsdevelopershaveusedtoovercometheobstacles.Theresultscollectedshowthatthedevelopershavevarioustoolstoovercome
eachobstacle.Forexample,lackofresourcescanbeovercomebyfindingawayto
avoidtheneedforresources.Anotherexample,localizationprocesscouldbemade
easierbytargetingmarketswhoonlyneedlanguagetranslation,furthermore,languagetranslationcostscouldbecutdownbyutilizingiconsinsteadoftext.Thedata
fromtheinterviewsbroughtouttheanswersquiteclearly.
Heretheresultsarepresentedonebyone.Resourcesaredefinitelythemostnotable
obstaclesmalldevelopershave.Withoutthelackofresourceseveryotherobstacle
wouldbeeasiertoovercome.Betterdiscoverabilitycouldbepaidfor,findingpartnerswouldbeeasier,localizationcouldbeoutsourcedandmarketstudiescouldbe
boughtfromsomeoneelse.Ofcourse,moneyisn’ttheonlyresourcethesmalldeveloperslack,butitcouldhelpinbringingtogetherrestoftheresourcesbyhiring
moremanpowerandsavingsomeextratimebyforexamplebuyingamarketstudy.
Thereisnoeasyaccesstobetterresources,thusthesecrettosuccessliesinavoiding
situationswheresignificantresourcesareneeded.
Theresultsofthisstudyindicatethatiftherearenoconsiderableresourcesavailable,thereisusuallyawaytoworkaroundtheproblem.Oftenthisotherwaymeans
utilizingthehelpofapartnershipbysharingtherevenuewiththem.Allinall,partnerships,especiallyacollaborationwithapublisher,seemstobeoneofsmallmobile
gamedevelopers’besttoolsforinternationalization.Dependingonhowbigashareis
negotiated,inthebestcasescenariothepublisherdoeseverythingfrompromotion
togainingvisibilityandtosales.Ifwilling,thepublisherscanhelpbysharing
35
knowledgeoflocalmarketsandgivingadviceonlocalization.Theyarealsolikelyto
haveanexistingcustomerbasetheycouldmarketthegamefor.Theroleofapublisherseemstobethekeytosuccess.Theonlyproblemisfindingagood,bigand
reliablepublisher.Thebestpracticeforthisisgoingtomeetings,conventionsand
tradefaresandmeetthepublishersface-to-face.Oncethere,talktothem,create
connectionsandmakeanimpression.Itisatremendoushelpifthepublisherand
developerseeeyetoeyeaboutthefutureandifthegamefitsthepublisher'sagenda.
Otherobstaclesfacedbysmallmobilegamedevelopersarediscoverability,localizationandmarketstudy.Alltheobstaclesandthetoolstoovercomethemseemtobe
closelyrelated.Oneobstacleleadstoanother,whereasthetoolsworkinharmonyto
overcometheobstacles.Fordiscoverabilitythereseemstobenosimpletool.One
intervieweeevenmentionedthatiftherewas,he’dbeamillionaire.Socialmedia
activityanditsinnovativeusecouldresultinpeopleseeingthegame,whichcouldin
turncreateword-of-mouthforthegame.Anothercureisthemuchlovedutilization
ofthehelpofapublisher.
Localizationissomethingthatcanbeputintoparts.Onetypeoflocalizationistargetedatareasthataremoreneutralandsharesimilarculturalaspects.Theseareas
donotnecessarilyneedanythingmorethanalanguagetranslationortakingadvantageofsophisticatediconusesothatonlysomeornotextisneeded.Another
typeislocalizinginsituationswheretheculturewhichthegamehasbeendesigned
forissignificantlydifferentfromthetargetmarket.Itwasarguedthatsituationslike
thesemightnotevenbeworththeeffortuntiltheconceptofthegamehasbeen
proven.
Marketstudyisaproblemamongsmalldevelopers.Ononehanditisnotunderstood
howimportantathoroughmarketstudyis.Ontheother,conductingathorough
marketstudyrequiresthemanpowerandtimenotthatmanysmalldevelopers
have.
36
5.2 QualityAssessment
AccordingtoTuomiandSarajärvi(2009,136)validityofaresearchmeansthatit
studieswhathasbeensaiditstudies,whereasreliabilityconcernstherepeatabilityof
thestudy’sresults.Thevalidityofthisstudyiswellmaintainedasitfollowsastrict
structure,thecontentiscoherentthroughoutthestudyandtheresultsandoutcome
correspondtothepurposeofthisstudy.Thereliabilityofthisstudymightbeaffectedduetodatabeingexperienceandopinionbased.Evenso,ithastoberememberedthatthepurposeofthisstudyisspecificallyexamininghowtheobstaclesand
toolsofinternationalizationappeartothedevelopersthemselves.Also,thereliability
ofthisstudywillprobablydeteriorateintimeduetothesubjectbeingsostrongly
linkedtoit.Inotherwords,gamingindustryisinsuchahecticphasethatitisconstantlydeveloping,whichcausesthewholeinternationalizationasaphenomenonto
changecontinuously.
Everydeveloper’sknowledgeandexperiencesdifferfromtherest,andanobstacle
someoneconsidersimpossiblemightnotevenbeanobstacleforanother,inaddition
towhichonedeveloper'stoolmightnotbefitfortheobstacleofothers.Thosedifferencesinexperiencesmightaffectthequalityoftheprimarydata.However,even
thoughtheamountofparticipantswasn’thigh,theintervieweeswereindifferent
positions,whichbroughtdatafromdifferentaspects.Also,comparedtosecondary
dataacquisition,theinterviewmethodgaveanopportunitytoexaminetheparticipants'experiencesandopinionsmorethoroughly.Asforthesecondarydata,itwas
moredifficulttodeterminewhatwastheaspectthesourceshad.Becausethesecondarydataonobstaclesandtoolswasgatheredwithaneyeontheexperiencesof
thedevelopers,theabovementioneddifferencesinexperiencesmighthaveaffected
theoutcome.However,theamountofsecondarydatasourcesissolargethatitwill
mostlikelyruleoutasituationwhereinformationontheobstaclesandtoolsisleft
uncoveredbecausenoneofthechosensecondarydatasourcesfeltitwasanobstacleorafittingtool.
Thisstudyisagoodeyeopenerforsmallmobilegamedevelopers.Thismightgive
themideasonwhichtoolscouldbeusedandwhatobstaclestheyarelikelytoen-
counterduringinternationalization,butthestudyalsoactsasagatewaytoother
37
developers’experiencesduringtheirjourney.
5.3 FurtherResearchPossibilities
Eventhoughgamingandit'smarketingrepresentanewageandeventhoughit
mightseemthatitrequiresentirelynewmethods,traditionalmarketingtoolsand
methodsmightcomeinhandytoo.Thereisdefinitelyapossibilityforfurtherresearchinstudyingwhetherthetraditionalmarketingmethodsdeserveaplaceinthe
fastdevelopingworldofmobilegamedevelopingandinternationalization.
Anotherpathcouldbetofocusonthe“what’safter”.Afterasmallmobilegamedeveloperhassucceededininternationalization,howdotheobstaclesandcorrespondingtoolschangewhentheyarenotsmallanymore.Thefocuswouldbeonhowis
internationalizationdifferentforabigmobilegamedevelopercompany.
38
References
Agrawal,A.19.2.2016.HowMarketingHasChangedandWhyItMatters.Accessed
on27.9.2016.http://www.inc.com/aj-agrawal/how-marketing-has-changed-andwhy-it-matters.html
Alasuutari,P.2011.Laadullinentutkimus2.0.Tampere:Vastapaino.
Anja.1.9.2016.4usefulTipstoruleGameLocalization.Accessedon4.10.2016.
https://lingohub.com/blog/2016/09/4-useful-tips-rule-game-localization/
Beens,P.15.6.2016.Thedangersofcrowdsourcingtranslations.Accessedon
4.10.2016.https://www.vertaalt.nu/blog/dangers-crowdsourcing-translations/
Bhatti,M.17.2.2013.Whatarethebiggestchallengesmobilegamingdevelopersface
intodaysappmarket?Accessedon29.9.2016.https://www.quora.com/What-arethe-biggest-challenges-mobile-gaming-developers-face-in-todays-app-market
Cao,J.ThePracticalGuidetoEmpathyMaps:10-MinuteUserPersonas.Accessedon
11.10.2016.https://www.uxpin.com/studio/blog/the-practical-guide-to-empathymaps-creating-a-10-minute-persona/
Chamrad,M.4.2.2016.TheTruthAboutMobileGamesMarketing.Accessedon
27.9.2016.
http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/MartinChamrad/20160204/265173/The_truth_ab
out_mobile_games_marketing.php
Chan,V.10.9.2014.WhyMobileGamesOftenFailatInternationalExpansion?
Accessedon4.10.2016.http://www.oneskyapp.com/blog/mobile-games-often-failinternational-expansion/
CodeFuelStaff.23.9.2014.The5BiggestObstaclestoMobileAppsandAdvertising.
Accessedon29.9.2016.http://www.codefuel.com/blog/the-5-biggest-obstacles-tomobile-apps-and-advertising/
Cowan,A.2013.THE20MINUTEBUSINESSPLAN:BUSINESSMODELCANVASMADE
EASY.Accessedon11.10.2016.http://www.alexandercowan.com/business-modelcanvas-templates/
CrowdinBlog.xx.xx.xxxx.Overcomingthechallengesofmobilegamelocalization.
Accessedon4.10.2016.http://blog.crowdin.com/post/112591617130/overcomingthe-challenges-of-mobile-game
DellaFave,R.2.7.2014.MarketingYourIndieGame:TheSingleMostImportantThing
toLearn.Accessedon12.10.2016.
https://gamedevelopment.tutsplus.com/articles/marketing-your-indie-game-thesingle-most-important-thing-to-learn--gamedev-7157
EntrepreneusStaff.UniqueSellingProposition(USP).Accessedon11.10.2016.
https://www.entrepreneur.com/encyclopedia/unique-selling-proposition-usp
Eriksson,P.andKovalainen,A.2008.QualitativeMethodsinBusinessResearch.Lon-
don:SAGEpublicationsLtd.
39
FacebookBusiness.13.11.2015.Culturalizinggamesforglobalsuccess.Accessedon
5.10.2016.https://en-gb.facebook.com/business/news/Culturalizing-games-forglobal-success
FastCompanyStaff.20.3.2006.DesignThinking...WhatisThat?Accessedon
11.10.2016.https://www.fastcompany.com/919258/design-thinking-what
Gendrot,Y.8leantipsfortakingyourmobilegameinternational.Accessedon
28.9.2016.https://www.freedmaninternational.com/blog/blog/category/mobilegame-international
Goldring,E.3waystocrosspromoteyourgame.Accessedon11.10.2016.
https://www.supersonic.com/blog/3-ways-to-cross-promote-your-game/
GreenbaumKasson,E.30.8.2013.GlobalGames:Culturalize,NotLocalize.Accessed
on4.10.2016.http://insights.dice.com/2013/08/30/global-games-culturalize-notlocalize-018/
Hagler,D.10.2.2013.Whatarethebiggestchallengesmobilegamingdevelopersface
intodaysappmarket?.Accessedon29.9.2016.https://www.quora.com/What-arethe-biggest-challenges-mobile-gaming-developers-face-in-todays-app-market
Hakala,J.T.2004.OpinnäytetyöopasAmmattikorkeakouluille.Helsinki:Gaudeamus
Kirja.OyYliopistokustannusUniversityPressFinlandLtd.HYYYhtymä.
Han,C.25.6.2013.Therearemanygaminganalyticssolutionsavailabletoday(mobile
&socialgames).Howaregamedeveloperschoosingwhichtouse?.Accessedon
30.9.2016.https://www.quora.com/There-are-many-gaming-analytics-solutionsavailable-today-mobile-social-games-How-are-game-developers-choosing-which-touse
Hirsjärvi,S.Remes,P.&Sajavaara,P.2009.Tutkijakirjoita.Helsinki:Tammi.
Hirsjärvi,S.&Hurme,H.2001.Tutkimushaastattelu.Teemahaastattelunteoriaja
käytäntö.Helsinki:Yliopistopaino.
Hsieh,H.&Shannon,S.E.2005.ThreeApproachestoQualitativeContentAnalysis.
QUALITATIVEHEALTHRESEARCH,15,(9).
Julkunen,J.27.5.2016.KnowYourGame’sCompetitorsandTargetAudience–PART
I.Accessedon29.9.2016.http://www.gamerefinery.com/know-your-gamescompetitive-landscape-2-revolutionary-ways-to-categorize-mobile-games-part-1/
Kang,F.17.3.2016.Whatmakesagreatmobilegame?Accessedon11.10.2016.
https://www.quora.com/What-makes-a-great-mobile-game
Kustula,S.27.1.2015.Laadullinenjamäärällinentutkimusopinnäytetyössä.Accessed
on15.10.2016.http://esseepankki.proakatemia.fi/laadullinen-ja-maarallinentutkimus-opinnaytetyossa/
Luke,12.7.2015.ChallengesofMakingaGameforAmericanMobileGameMarket.
Accessedon29.9.2016.http://en.testbird.com/challenges-of-making-a-game-foramerican-mobile-game-market/
40
Martin.9.2.2015.BusinessModelCanvas:ACompleteGuide.Accessedon
11.10.2016.https://www.cleverism.com/business-model-canvas-complete-guide/
McKay,C.20.1.2011.Webinarquestion:howmanywordsperday?Accessedon
5.10.2016.http://www.thoughtsontranslation.com/2011/01/20/webinar-questionhow-many-words-per-day/
McKenna,R.January-February1991IssueofHarvardBusinessReview.Marketingis
everything.Accessedon27.9.2016.https://hbr.org/1991/01/marketing-is-everything
Moore,D.22.6.2015.Therearemanygaminganalyticssolutionsavailabletoday
(mobile&socialgames).Howaregamedeveloperschoosingwhichtouse?Accessed
on12.10.2016.https://www.quora.com/There-are-many-gaming-analytics-solutionsavailable-today-mobile-social-games-How-are-game-developers-choosing-which-touse
Morrison,C.27.6.2013.Therearemanygaminganalyticssolutionsavailabletoday
(mobile&socialgames).Howaregamedeveloperschoosingwhichtouse?.Accessed
on30.9.2016.https://www.quora.com/There-are-many-gaming-analytics-solutionsavailable-today-mobile-social-games-How-are-game-developers-choosing-which-touse
Moser,C.2015.Atwork.InstituteforWork&Health,82(4).1-8.
Nader,G.2015.APPDISCOVERYPLATFORMS:INCREASEAPPVISIBILITY&
DOWNLOADS!Accessedon12.10.2016.http://blog.apps-builder.com/app-discoveryplatforms/
Newstead,S.21.11.2011.Whatmakesagreatmobilegame?Accessedon
11.10.2016.https://www.quora.com/What-makes-a-great-mobile-game
Newzoo,18.6.2016.THEMOBILEGAMESMARKET|HOWTOCOMPETEINTHE
CROWDEDMARKETPLACE(FREEREPORT).Accessedon29.9.2016.
https://newzoo.com/insights/trend-reports/mobile-games-market-competecrowded-marketplace-free-report/
Osterwalder,A.29.8.2012.ACHIEVEPRODUCT-MARKETFITWITHOURBRAND-NEW
VALUEPROPOSITIONDESIGNERCANVAS.Accessedon11.10.2016.
http://businessmodelalchemist.com/blog/2012/08/achieve-product-market-fit-withour-brand-new-value-proposition-designer.html
Patton,M.Q.2002.Qualitativeresearch&evalutationmethods.ThousandOaks
(CA):Sage.
Phillips,J&P.8.7.2008.Metrics101:WhatTheyMean,HowtoCollectThemandHow
toUseThem.Accessedon12.10.2016.http://www.humanresourcesiq.com/hrtechnology/columns/metrics-101-what-they-mean-how-to-collect-them-and
Pitts,A.8.4.2016.YouOnlyHave7SecondsToMakeAStrongFirstImpression.
Accessedon29.9.2016.http://www.businessinsider.com/only-7-seconds-to-makefirst-impression-2013-4?r=US&IR=T&IR=T
Puusa,A.2011.Laadullisenainestonanalysointi.Puusa,A.&Juuti,P.Inabook:
Menetelmäviidakonraivaajat:Perusteitalaadullisentutkimuslähestymistavan
valintaan.Helsinki:JTO
41
Saaranen-Kauppinen,A.&Puusniekka,A.2006.KvaliMOTV–Menetelmäopetuksen
tietovaranto(Verkkojulkaisu).Tampere:Yhteiskuntatieteellinentietoarkisto.
Accessedon18.10.2016.www.fsd.uta.fi/menetelmaopetus/kvali/L2_2.html
Sacred,16.6.2016.ICAN'TFINDANYTHING!THISGAMEISBAD!FirstImpression!-
PokemonGoGameplay!.Accessedon29.9.2016.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KChluOKwzfg
Sandness,J.25.2.2015.Whatisthebestwaytolocalizeamobilegame?Accessedon
13.10.2016.https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-best-way-to-localize-a-mobilegame
Seufert,E.xx.xx.2015.3ReasonsIndieMobileGameDevelopersShouldn’tCopyBig
Studios’MarketingStrategies.Accessedon30.9.2016.
https://www.chartboost.com/blog/2015/05/3-reasons-indie-mobile-gamedevelopers-shouldnt-copy-big-studios-marketing-strategies/
Schab,F.17.8.2016.THEPSYCHOLOGYOFFIRSTIMPRESSIONS.Accessedon
11.10.2016.https://www.six-degrees.com/the-psychology-of-first-impressions/
Shestakova,M.7.8.2015.8TipsforDevelopingaSuccessfulMobileGame.Accessed
on11.10.2016.http://r-stylelab.com/company/blog/mobile-technologies/8-tips-fordeveloping-a-successful-mobile-game
Sinek,S.9.2009.Video:Howgreatleadersinspireaction.Accessedon11.10.2016.
https://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action
Subsplash,13.7.2016.KEEPINGUPWITHTHEMOBILEGAME:CREATINGAGREAT
APPIN2015.Accessedon30.9.2016.
http://www.thechurchapp.org/blog/2015/7/keeping-up-with-the-mobile-gamecreating-a-great-app-in-2015
Sukhyani,M.19.6.2015.Whatarethebiggestchallengesmobilegamingdevelopers
faceintodaysappmarket?.Accessedon30.9.2016.https://www.quora.com/Whatare-the-biggest-challenges-mobile-gaming-developers-face-in-todays-app-market
TrainerTips,10.6.2016.PokémonGOHandsOn:FirstImpressions(USFieldTest).
Accessedon29.9.2016.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxLPKdxO9Tg
Tuomi,J&Sarajärvi,A.2009.Laadullinentutkimusjasisällönanalyysi.Helsinki:
Tammi.
Venturepact,7.5.2015.9ChallengesFacedbyMobileGameDevelopers.Accessedon
30.9.2016.http://blog.venturepact.com/9-challenges-faced-by-mobile-gamedevelopers/
Vierula,M.2009.Markkinointi,myynitjaviestintä:SuuriIntegraatiokirja.Helsinki:
Talentum.
Vilpas,P.1.KVANTITATIIVINENTUTKIMUS.Accessedon15.10.2016.
https://users.metropolia.fi/~pervil/kvantsu/Moniste.pdf
Vuokko,P.2003.Markkinointiviestintä:Merkitys,vaikutusjakeinot.Porvoo:
BookwellOy.
42
White,P.2010.MakingUseofSecondarydata.Partofabook:Clifford,N.French,S.
&Valentine,G.KeyMethodsinGeography.London:SAGEPublicationsLtd
Wigmore,I.6.2013.uniquesellingpoint(USP).Accessedon14.10.2016.
http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/unique-selling-point-USP
Williams,D.25.9.2013.Therearemanygaminganalyticssolutionsavailabletoday
(mobile&socialgames).Howaregamedeveloperschoosingwhichtouse?.Accessed
on30.9.2016.https://www.quora.com/There-are-many-gaming-analytics-solutionsavailable-today-mobile-social-games-How-are-game-developers-choosing-which-touse
Wong,A.8.5.2014.Whataretheprimarychallengeswhenlocalizingamobileapp?
Accessedon5.10.2016.https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-primary-challengeswhen-localizing-a-mobile-app
Worldgame01.25.2.2016.What’syourbiggestobstaclesorchallengesingame
marketing?Accessedon29.9.2016.
https://m.reddit.com/r/gamemarketing/comments/4626vy/whats_your_biggest_obs
tacles_or_challenges_in/
Wu,B.27.3.2014.SurvivingGDC:TipsforGameConferenceSuccess.Accessedon
12.10.2016.https://gamedevelopment.tutsplus.com/articles/surviving-gdc-tips-forgame-conference-success--cms-20359
Yip,P.31.10.2014.GettingStartedwithMobileGameLocalization.Accessed
13.10.2016.http://www.oneskyapp.com/blog/getting-started-mobile-gamelocalization/
Yip,P.26.2.2015.Whatisthebestwaytolocalizeamobilegame?Accessedon
4.10.2016.https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-best-way-to-localize-a-mobile-game
FIGURE1.
OneSkyApp.10.9.2014.WhyMobileGamesOftenFailatInternationalExpansion?
Accessedon4.10.2016.http://www.oneskyapp.com/blog/mobile-games-often-failinternational-expansion/
FIGURE2.
AlexanderOsterwalder.Accessedon11.10.2016.https://wordpressinnovately.rhcloud.com/business-model-canvas/
FIGURE3.
Bland,D.21.4.2016.AgileCoachingTip:WhatIsanEmpathyMap?Accessedon
11.10.2016.http://www.solutionsiq.com/what-is-an-empathy-map/
FIGURE4.
Wegerer,S.ValuePropositionCanvas.Accessedon11.10.2016.
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/112519690666790057/
FIGURE5.
AnExampleofacodingprocess.
43
Appendices
Appendix1.Interviewquestions
Firstquestionhandlesthegeneralinformationoftheintervieweeandtheirposition.
Whoareyouandwhatisitthatyoudo?
Whatisyourrelationtomobilegamedeveloping?
Introductiontothetheme.
Whatisyourviewontheobstaclesinternationalizationofsmallmobile
gamedevelopers’?
Possibleadditionalquestionstosteertheintervieweebackintothetheme“obstacles”.
Arethereanyotherobstaclesyouhaveencountered?
In-depthquestionstofindoutthetoolsfortheobstaclestheintervieweesbrought
up?(Examplesoffewofthequestions).
Youmentionedlocalization,whatareyourtoolstoovercomethatissue?
Isthereanytoolsforgainingthebetterdiscoverabilityyoumentioned?
Whatwasityoudidtogethelpfromapublisher?
Wordingandstructureofthequestionsvaryalittleinsemi-structuredinterviews.