Importance Of The Segmentation On Time-Rich And Time-Poor For Development And Marketing Of Computer Games

Abstract

ICT (Information Communication Technology) development has already changed many aspects of our life. One of the most successful industries in using ICT as a means for development of new products as well as marketing and sales activities, is the entertainment industry. The games industry is developing rapidly and has penetrated every layer of society. In 1998 video and electronic game revenues reached USD 5.5bn in North American markets alone. The annual increase has been approximately 25% during a number of years. 

The success of ICT based entertainment products depends to a high degree on the penetration of PCs and Internet connections. Many governments all over the world have strategies and programs in order to reduce the digital divide and to offer all citizens Internet access. In the not so distant future Internet access will be as natural as water, electricity, radio or telephone. 

Time is more and more becoming an important variable for market segmentation. Everybody has 24 hours per day and night at his or her disposal. However, the perception of time varies. Some feel they have too much time and they are time-rich. Some feel that they have too little time and they are time-poor. 

Traditionally, time-rich people were also money-rich, but the big majority was both time-poor and money-poor. This is completely turned upside down in the Information society. Nowadays people are equally divided between time-rich and money-poor, and time-poor and money-rich. Both time-rich and time-poor need entertainment and are potential consumers of entertainment especially games as e-services but in different ways. 

This is a conceptual paper and its purpose is to investigate the importance of the division on time-rich and time-poor for the entertainment industry and practical implications with a special focus on computer games as products and e-services.