What egaming can learn from the Pokemon GO craze

Did you ever think you would be waiting for the lift in work, and be asked “Are there any Pokemon in reception?”

Thanks to an April Fool’s prank gone viral, this could now be a common conversation among your colleagues. The newest global phenomenon Pokemon GO succeeds in blurring the lines between the physical and digital, in a way never before seen, by using a combination of augmented reality (AR) and GPS to bring wild Pok?mon to your front door. Or in our case, Qubit HQ.

Niantic Inc’s brainchild captured the nation’s attention way before its official release in the UK. Now that it is finally here, it has effectively created a new benchmark for enhanced user experience within the egaming market.

So how does it work?

Bridging the gap between augmented reality and location-based gaming, Pokemon GO uses an AR interface that overlays 3D digital content onto the user’s physical surroundings.

The stats speak for themselves. Boasting a record breaking download rate of over 7.5 million users in the US, Pokemon GO surpassed Twitter for daily active users within mere days of its release. Globally, fans are going to great lengths to download the app ahead of each country’s release date, leading us to investigate what is ushering in this new age of Pokemania.

Technological determination is changing the landscape of customer experience. The possibilities with this immersive technology are endless, a fact that consumer industries have already began to capitalise on.

Lay your cards on the table, literally

Augmented reality is a powerful way to bring the online experience to life, an advantage that egaming entities certainly aren’t ignoring. Brands often struggle with proximity, presence and interaction when it comes to customers visiting their digital platform, however AR is paving the way to battle this user uncertainty.

Transforming the online casino experience using a 360 degree camera and augmented eyewear, Infinity Augmented Reality Inc have partnered with Google allowing players to feel like they are at the blackjack table with impressive casino simulations. At present, only a handful of companies have adopted this technology.

It is therefore the universality of Pokemon GO that is the true change agent for the egaming industry. Accessible and free for all users, the game normalises what has previously been regarded as a futuristic application.

Considering this, further developments may not be as far ahead as we first presumed. Soon you could attend a race, point your phone at a horse and receive instant relevant statistics such as the horse’s name, current odds and betting opportunities with the click of a button.

What does this mean for the egaming industry?

It means that the customer, and the experience is changing.

Gambling participation for the younger generation has always remained the lowest demographic. However, the sensationalisation of AR technologies with products such as Pokemon GO and the following adoption of these by egaming companies could see a turnaround in this trend.

Now, this doesn’t necessarily mean you need virtual poke balls to provide an immersive and interactive customer journey. Fundamentally it is all about creating a seamless engaging experience, and removing any roadblocks from the user journey.

Adding highly personalised content coupled with location based contextualisation to your omni-channel can form that important connection between brand and customer. AR is propelling the gaming world into a new golden era, egaming brands should therefore take notes on how they too can utilise its lessons to boost customer engagement.

Five things we can learn from Pokemon GO:

• Location-based interaction captures the user’s attention and masters a moment of intent
• Compelling visual content inspires customers to engage with a brand
• Merging the online and offline experience is becoming essential
• Personalisation allows the customer to champion their own experience
• User expectations are higher than ever, and regardless of the industry it is imperative to keep up

One day we may have a virtual roulette table simulated in our living rooms, but for now I will just keep my fingers crossed that our staff kitchen will attract a new herd of Bulbasaur.