The Improvement plans of the Mobile Game Industry
based on Mobile Web 2.0
Seok-Woo Shin1, Sang-Hyeon Park2, Yang-Woo Park3 and Seung-Il Moon4
1
Lunosoft Inc., Seoul, Korea
[email protected]
2
Hanyang Cyber University, Seoul, Korea
[email protected](Corresponding Author)
3
Chung-Ang University, Seoul, Korea
[email protected]
4
Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea
[email protected]
Abstract. The mobile web 2.0 has been discussed in Korea since 2008. In a
situation undergoing a lot of changes in this mobile environment, measures
investigated through stakeholder interviews about mobile game industry's
development plans are as follows: First, the proportion of data of mobile
communication service sales of the carrier is needed to limit to 40%. Second,
large-scale developers having Com2uS, Gamevil, etc so-called the Big 3
domestic mobile games are already servicing games overseas mobile contents
open markets such as Apple's App store or Google's Android Market, etc, and
are preparing games for the smart phone, compared to most of the small
domestic mobile game developers have not coped with environmental changes
beyond focusing on immediately domestic mobile carriers-centered Feature
phones market. Third, the development of new business models such as partial
charging, etc is required.
Keywords: Mobile Game, Mobile Game Industry, Web 2.0
1
Introduction
The mobile game's growth is expected to sustain because the rapid development of
the network environment, multimedia services provided and high-tech handsets
emergence in domestic mobile contents market environment(Park, Hyeongil, 2004).
Jeong, Seongcheon(2008) noted that so far hardware upgrades and appearance designoriented differentiation are core values of the mobile phone, in future optimization of
contents service in mobile handsets will take place it. Mobile carriers have also
concentrated how to activate it, portal enterprises have atmosphere to worry about
how to react contents as a key driver of future business rather than the level of
preparing just the future, and contents suitable for it can be seen mobile games.
In the era of Mobile Web 1.0 of WAP-based wireless internet environment in the
past, people were able to access contents through the browser of mobile carriers
themselves such as LG Telecom's ez-i and SK Telecom's Nate because domestic
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wireless internet service was closed. To do that, the frequency of the web use was
insignificant. However, in the era of Mobile Web 2.0 established with the advent of
the smart phone, open services were available, users involved directly and led
changes (Kim, Younggeon, 2007). In addition, it's noted that Wi-Fi access feature is
equipped in the smart phone and the mobile game will develop into the network game
with large amounts or service web browser games by taking advantage of its fast
speed and free fee (Kim, Minsik. Jeong, Hyeonjun, 2009).
There are not a lot of researches related to mobile games compared to changes in
this mobile environment. Until now, the study on mobile games remains to the extent
of mobile games usage status. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to analyze what
is required to develop the mobile game industry and to propose ways on this in the era
of Mobile Web 2.0. It's expected that the results of this study are useful in mobile
game policy establishment and development.
2
Theoretical Background
Looking at mobile web 2.0 features, first, 'Mobile web as a platform' combining a
wide range of mobile technologies and applications is possible. In other words, it
doesn't remain in the single service technology and the environment combining
various services and application as a platform type can be built (Lee, Seungyun, 2007).
Second, Mashup is available as the standard such as XML and MobileOK that are its
standard and openness features is created and Open API is serviced. Third, constraints
of mobile devices are minimized and its mobility's advantages are maximized by
utilizing the network with various transport levels such as WiFi and Wibro and user
interface based on the technology for ubiquitous web access. Fourth, applications and
service models which search and ads that is possible only in the wired are associated
with are common, business models considering the long-tail rather than traditional top
20% of users have occurred. Fifth, closed mobile carrier-oriented service environment
in the past became to be changed into open user-oriented service environment(Han,
Seungjin, 2009).
Mobile web 2.0 makes boundaries between various business areas and business
roles and leads mobile communications and device manufactures, wired portal and
contents operators as a new competition(Hong, Sanghyun, 2007: Kim, Minsuk, 2007).
In Japan, KDDI, NTT Docomo have already provided full browsing from 2004, full
browsing environment is growing rapidly with the increase of subscription users. In
case of Europe countries, T-mobile has carried out unlimited access services with
monthly flat sum system since 2006 for services started in October 2005(Ye,
Seungcheol, 2007). The latest mobile industry has prepared a foundation that mobile
applications may grow with network upgrading and the prevalence of high-end
devices' dissemination like smart phones. In particular, as it's expected to expand
smart phones equipped with a general OS, an interest on the application market to
distribute a wide range of applications has also been increasing. Though the mobile
application market is open according to changes in the mobile industry in Korea, it
has a limit inherently compared to the overseas major application market formed with
a standard platform based on its inherent general OS(Gartner, 2009).
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The Improvement plans of the Mobile Game Industry based on Mobile Web 2.0
In the early stages, mobile games were mainly classic games familiar to consumers
rather than creative games due to the limited platform, and puzzles to operate simply
but in the current mobile game market, it displays 3D games or MMORPG games,
various games equipped with the high quality beyond portable game consoles in the
past. In addition, it's expanding the area with creative mobile games combined with
movies, music, broadcast contents (Korea Game White Paper, 2008).
3
Research Method and Result
In order to achieve the purpose of this study, researchers tried to derive development
plans by dong in-depth interviews with experts in the field of mobile ie mobile game
representatives of the carrier, marketing and development managers in leading mobile
game companies and persons in charge of mobile game community. Those who were
doing the work associated with mobile games and have at least 3 years were selected
as interviewees. The reason why this researcher has these criteria is that three years is
the period that their own opinions related to mobile games are reflected in the
company or they have their own thinking, and that they should be working to consider
recently rapid changing mobile environment and mobile game's status and
development plans. In addition, snowball sampling that other professionals from
interviewees are recommended was used. This researcher illuminated his introduction
and the aim of the study via primary e-mail, and determined easy place and time for
subjects via secondary confirmation phone, interviews were carried out in a way to
visiting them directly.
Four measures were suggested to activate mobile web 2.0 based-mobile game
industry, which could be summarized as follows: first, there were government policies
related to the mobile industry but they came to nothing without their ongoing
management and support. It's necessary to suggest government's ongoing policies and
their management for improvement of the mobile internet environment and activation
of the market, second, As MIM(Mobile Instant Messenger) is emerging as a core
platform to replace the portal in the mobile era, competition surrounding this is
becoming increasingly fierce. Strategy Analytics, market research company in the
U.S(2013) expected the carrier would lose over $ 3 billion revenue for 6 years since
2012 with messenger services such as Kakao Talk, Line, Eye messenger, third, most
mobile game developers are small companies with less than 20 employees except for
large developers, they have focused on feature phone services in domestic carriers
proceeded meanwhile rather than entered overseas markets or mobile open market.
However, there are limitations in the these methods since recently foreign large-scale
mobile game companies enter the domestic market, fourth, The mobile game industry
has entered a new growth phase due to wireless internet infrastructure expansion and
various billing models application. In the past, as the online game industry grew
rapidly due to internet flat rate and its infrastructure expansion, the mobile game
industry shall be similar. Yun, Hyeonjong(2009) noted the mobile game industry has
entered a new growth phase and entered a paradigm shift phase. The rise is expected
in terms of 'P' through price increases of mobile games and partial charging and the
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increase in terms of 'Q' such as wireless internet access tariff cuts, the spread of smart
phones, overseas markets entry through the open market is possible.
4
Conclusion
The domestic and international market environment is going to change into mobile
web 2.0 environment. Among them, the advent of the smart phone to enjoy the web
with the mobile phone and App store that is a mobile contents open market gave the
mobile game developers opportunities and crises at the same time. Therefore, the
purpose of this study was first to identify the rapidly changing mobile environment
with the impact of the mobile web 2.0, second to examine improvement plans in the
domestic mobile game industry developing with changes in the mobile environment..
Thus, in the situation undergoing a lot of changes in the mobile environment,
measures identified through interviews with stakeholders regarding development
plans of the mobile game industry are follows: first, national policy support is
required. Regarding things small mobile game developers don't do directly with larger
carriers, national policy support is needed. Second, developers' recognition on
changes in the market about the rapidly changing mobile environment is required.
Third, it's necessary to develop new business models such as partial charging, etc. The
life cycle of the domestic mobile game was 3 months before but that of some games is
has a long run of more than 1 year through this partial charging.
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