Overall, I enjoyed blogging for the very first time. I would say one of the challenges I faced while blogging is coming up with content for my blog. Although, I would struggle coming up with content for my blog, I found blogging helpful towards improving my writing skills. Many business classes don’t require much writing but blogging is a great way to practice and strengthen your writing skills. Seeing my blog come along and seeing how much I have improved since my first blog post is very rewarding. At first I doubted myself because this was my first time ever blogging and I wasn’t sure which direction I wanted to take with my blog. As time went on, I began to notice how easy it was becoming to blog as I kept  uploading weekly posts. I believe that businesses who blog have a greater competitive advantage against businesses who don’t. If given the opportunity to maintain a company blog, I feel like I do have the confidence to take on this task. Although this blog is for a class assignment, I plan to continue working on my blog in order to keep learning and strengthen my skills for future terms.

Rockstar Games, is an American video game publisher, known for some of the best games of all time. Some of their top selling game series include Grand Theft Auto, Red Dead Redemption, Midnight Club and many more. Growing up, these were some of the best games you can get your hands on. Pre-ordering games and having to wait in line for hours to get a hold of a copy was one of the best experiences growing up. Although, I would spend countless hours playing these games, I was unaware of the lack of representation of minorities. Shawn Allen, a former Rockstar Games employee and game developer, describes his workspace  environment as an “industry dominated by white guys.” “I had been really ignorant of the lack of diversity in the workforce in my industry for a while, but once I noticed it I couldn’t stop paying attention to it or stop bringing it up” (Allen).  Now, that I am aware of this, it is clear and evident that game developers throw minorities under the bus. Majority of the characters seen in these games are based on stereotypes. These overgeneralization are usually exaggerated and often offensive used to describe a particular group.

For example, in this clip of the game GTA, a youtuber pinpoints whether or not  Grand Theft Auto 5 is a racist game that stereotypes specific characters. The game consists of three characters named Trevor, Franklin, and Michael. In the game, Franklin the character in the middle, is depicted as a gangster who is trying to escape that lifestyle. Playing as this character involves gang shoot-outs, robberies, and homicides. Based on the color of the skin of each character, the role and lifestyle changes drastically for each one.

Electronic Arts Inc. is a leading global interactive entertainment software company. EA delivers games, content and online services for Internet-connected consoles, personal computers, mobile phones and tablets. Ever since I can remember, EA has been a huge part of my life. Sports always revolved around my life as a kid , but I never decided to actually partake in any sport. My dad was a soccer coach and athlete who would encourage me to play a sport but I always felt soccer was not for me. Until, I bought my first EA FIFA video game, I realized how much fun soccer could be. Soccer is like a religion in the Hispanic household. You are surrounded by soccer enthusiasts who live, breathe, and eat soccer. Nonetheless, EA has done a great job understanding their Hispanic consumers. I would say that the brand identity does resonate within the Hispanic market. I can say that EA affects or appeals to many people in a personal or emotional way. Although everyone is different in their own unique way, EA games serves as the common ground that unites and brings everyone together.

With the rise of the Hispanic population, it is evident that they prefer video game         content in Spanish. One of the challenges companies in this industry might face is translating and localizing video games in Spanish. About 300 million people’s native tongue is Spanish. However, not all of these 300 million people speak the same kind of Spanish. Different countries and cultures express the same idea in different ways, even if they speak the same language. Maintaining linguistic coherence and cultural sensitivity is key to a successful international release.

Till this day, I still own and play with my very first gaming console. I remember the excitement on my face every time I would walk past my local GameStop hoping that my father would let me explore and buy a game. There was nothing better as a kid than to walk out of GameStop with a physical copy in hand of your favorite game. All of a sudden, a new trend arose and for the first time ever, video games were available digitally. Now, walking out of  your local GameStop with a clunky plastic case and disc became a thing of the past.

According to a report published by SuperData, the total market for digital games in August 2016 earned $6.1 billion, up 11% from 2015. A batch of successful releases across console, PC, and mobile drove double digit year-over-year gains in market growth. Console digital revenue increased 16% year-over-year to $399 million, and premium PC grew 21% to $401 million. Digital downloads are thriving in the market seeing substantial growth year after year. It’s pretty clear to say that the majority of consumers prefer digital downloads over a physical copy of the game. As a Hispanic gamer myself, I can say that I prefer digital games over a physical copy. Now that I am older with more responsibilities, I enjoy the amount of time I save and the convenience of buying games from my home.

You may not realize it, but if you’re gaming on a PlayStation 4 or Xbox One, the actual disc you buy at the store doesn’t really do much. One way video game industry leaders can be more sustainable is by eliminating physical copies. Gaming consoles cannot run games directly off the disc itself, so eliminating physical copies will produce less waste and encourage others to buy digitally. For example, the fastest growing part of EA’s business is the delivery of games directly to consumers, which does not require the manufacturing, packaging, and distribution of physical discs. Their transformation from a predominantly packaged goods business to a digital business significantly reduces EA’s carbon footprint.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With the Hispanic population on the rise, many companies have decided to dive into the Hispanic market. The Census Bureau projects the economic clout of U.S. Hispanics will rise from $862 billion in 2007 to more than $1.2 trillion in 2012, accounting for 9.7 percent of all U.S. buying power. “Any marketer who doesn’t recognize the value of this consumer is missing a great opportunity,” says Tom Maney, svp, ad sales, Fox Sports en Español. “This is an educated and employed consumer with a lifestyle that includes technology and upscale consumer goods.”

Now, even the video game industry is hopping on board. They’ve not only noticed how big the Hispanic market is but also realized that Hispanics are avid gamers. Recent findings show that “hardcore’ and ‘professional’ Hispanic gamers are most likely to be younger males. Hispanic males of age 31 self-identify as ‘hardcore’ gamers and account for 70% of the video game market. On the other hand, people who identified as ‘casual’ gamers were eight years older than those considered who self-identified being ‘hardcore’ gamers.

In general, Hispanics are most likely to play with others compared to Non-Hispanics. Statistics show that 34% of Hispanics play offline by themselves and 29% play online by themselves. Only 17% played offline with others and 20% played online with others. When comparing results with Non-Hispanics, 40% played online by themselves and 35% played offline by themselves. Additionally, 13% played online with others and 12% played offline with others.

Research suggests that 155 million Americans play video games and that four-out-of-five households own at least one gaming device. That means about that about eighty percent of the American population are gaming on either a computer, console, or tablet. With the Hispanic population on the rise, video game companies like Nintendo, Activision-Blizzard, and Ubisoft are now focusing on the Hispanic market. Plenty of opportunities await video game companies with the intent to sell more content and raise more capital.

Statistics prove that Hispanics play video games more often than Non-Hispanics. Hispanics tend to play video games for 12 hours a week versus Non-Hispanics who dedicate 9 hours per week. Furthermore, Hispanics are self identifying themselves as being ‘hardcore’ or ‘professional’ gamers. Companies in this industry love to hear how invested consumers are with a product because that means they can strategize to improve and sell more of their products. This extends beyond the sell of video game copies. For example, Hispanics are twice as likely to buy and wear video game branded apparel. This being said, many of the top video game industry leaders around the country are discussing the importance of engaging Hispanics through marketing.