Franziska HandrichExploring the road to successful video games

About this book deutschenglish

The video game industry can be considered as one of the most important growth markets worldwide. Furthermore, video gaming is gaining in importance also in other areas beside the entertainment sector.

Yet, despite the growing significance of the video game industry, so far little is known about important success drivers of the industry and its products. Up to now, only few causal relationship studies were conducted, but the literature is missing detailed analyses of video game characteristics throughout different genres.

Games like GTA, Pokémon, Call of Duty or Need for Speed have succeeded. They rank among the most successful video games of all times. However, what distinguishes these games from the thousand upon thousands of games, which are pushed year after year onto the markets worldwide?

These and other questions will be answered within this book.

Thus, within the first essay a game-specific typology will be developed and verified. Subsequently, the second essay provides answers to the question which factors mainly influence short- and long-term economic game success. Finally, the third essay focusses upon the innovativeness of identified success factors and their influence on the success of video games.