Boom Bam! The adrenaline rush when the player is just there on his way to bag that CHICKEN DINNER or when his team aces the battlefield in COD is just overwhelming. This past decade, the gaming industry has shaped itself in newer dimensions to match the tastes, preferences, and interests of its users. With the onset of the pandemic and the subsequent lockdown, the number of online gamers has surpassed the $2.7 billion mark, according to the popular statistics forum Statista. So, what has eventually made such a large group of first-time gamers to set foot into these thrilling pastimes?
Besides all those high-definition graphics and the realistic game flow comes in-app communication that lets the user connect with his friends while still being glued to the game. Especially during the COVID pandemic when schools, colleges, offices, and almost every other hangout spot ever existed being absolutely dry and shut down, players found ways to chill with peers through these built-in chats/ voice options available to them on several gaming platforms. All we can say is the pandemic has opened doors to boost a large number of gaming businesses who have integrated instant messaging into their apps.
In-Game Chat Vs Outside Apps
So, if you are one of those masterminds who is on the road to launch the era’s most hot and happening game, you are left with two options. You either build a regular game with no in-app chat services and ask the user to install apps like Discord and Steam Chat for communicating with his friends/ peers, or make an intelligent move to fetch an in-app chat API for your game so that your users don’t have to go around downloading multiple chat apps from their play stores.
Here are some of the downsides of choosing external apps for connecting with other players and the consequences it can have on the game and the game’s publishers/ owners.
1. Paves Way for Detached Gamers
User engagement is the key aspect to building any game. The more the gamer is into the match, more is the possibility of him returning back to the game and more are the chances that he recommends it to his friends. With the help of in-app chat facilities, one can keep the gamer engaged at all times since he doesn’t have to swap between apps during the crucial moments during a game.
2. The Gaming Experience is Lost
Imagine the player sees an enemy right behind his peer and he wants to notify him within the next possible nanosecond, do you think he’d still prefer an outside app to save his teammate? Games like PUBG and COD require spontaneity which might be lost when the gamer opts for an external app for communication, ultimately compromising his gaming experience.
3. Lag Due to Multiple Running Apps
Several gamers around the world have experienced lag in their games when they use an outside app for communication with their team players. Outside apps have their own cache and hence, there are chances their smartphones might not be able to bear the load of multiple programs running at once.
4. Brand Image Is at Stake
Your gaming company’s brand image can stumble overnight if you don’t provide the best service all within the premises of your app. There are several competitors out there who are waiting to make it big given the smallest chance. We bet your reliance on an outside app for chat/ voice communication isn’t the best thing to do in this competitive market.
5. Chances of Incompatibility between the Apps
Software incompatibility is nothing new to mobile users. Especially with heavy load games that occupy huge space, there comes a point of vulnerability where the system might crash due to the same.
Benefits of In-App Chat in the Gaming Industry
To help you understand better, I’ve jotted down why in-app chat facilitated games are the next groundbreaking pastimes people would rely on bigtime.
1. In-App Chat Helps You in Increasing App Downloads and Making Revenue
People opt for apps that they can closely relate to. No matter how high-end or techno-savvy your game is, users wouldn’t give it a thought if they aren’t able to connect with it personally. So, when your game offers the player with an in-app voice/ video chat facility, it paves way for socializing and hence, boredom of playing alone or with a mere programmed computer is often brushed off.
Multiplayer games like PUBG and LUDO are classic examples of how their in-app chat options have made them two of the highest grossing apps during the pandemic. In fact, Sensor Tower, a leading intelligence data provider based in San Francisco, has mentioned that PUBG bagged a whopping $270 million in revenue in March 2020. Similarly, LUDO King has an impeccable record of 500+ million downloads to date as mentioned on the Play Store. Not just these, games like Houseparty, Fortnite, and COD have equally made big with their easy-to-communicate in-app chat, voice/ video features.
2. In-App Chat Moderates Unnecessary Toxic Conversations
One of the major drawbacks of using outside apps for communication is the loss of privacy. Not only creating communities on these apps with strangers brings in huge risk, it provides room for unethical/ toxic conversations which can otherwise be controlled by the game’s publishers/ developers by
- Muting/ unmuting players
- Banning/ unbanning players
- Broadcasting messages from the administrator to the users
- Enabling message throttling by limiting the number of messages from a user
- Freezing the channel to identify offenders/ lawbreakers
3. In-App Chat Surges User Engagement and Retention
As mentioned earlier, user engagement is the key to a successful gaming business which is most possible with the help of in-app chat functionalities. There are even real-life stories on how couples have met through online gaming platforms like LUDO that come with instant messaging options. The impact of in-app chat functionalities is so deep that it can keep the gamers thrilled, high-spirited, and intrigued all at once, thus retaining them for another set of games. Moreover, the game developers can also gain social insights through chat facilities which further helps them fine tune their apps for better user experience and engagement.
Gaming can be fun, but building a gaming app that generates revenue is no joke. Only when all the vital features are put in the right place can the app perform at its best making the game a go-to pastime for people of all ages. This is where CONTUS MirrorFly comes into the picture with the most advanced in-app chat solutions for your online gaming applications be it on Android, iOS, or web platforms.
Explore more https://www.mirrorfly.com/