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The Bottom Line

1.0   Notes on Methodology and Report Focus

1.1 Sources of Industry data

1.2 Sources of Consumer data

1.3 Scope of Report

2.0   Online Gaming: a Market Overview

2.1 Summary of Different Online Gaming Categories

2.2 Online Gaming Market: a Bird’s Eye View

2.3 Key Consumer Findings

3.0   MMORPGs

3.1 Market Overview

3.1.1    The Subscription Model

3.1.2    The Episodic Model

3.1.3    The Free-to-Play, Virtual Goods Model

3.2 Drivers and Inhibitors

3.3 Competitive Analysis: Key Industry Players

3.3.1    The Subscription Model

3.3.2    The Free-to-Play, Virtual Goods Model

3.4 MMORPG Technology Enablers

3.4.1    In-Game Marketplace Solution Providers

3.4.2    VoIP Solution Providers

4.0   Online Casual Gaming

4.1 Market Overview

4.1.1    Try and Purchase

4.1.2    Subscription Services

4.1.3    Casual Game Advertising

4.1.4    Flash Games: the “New Casual”

4.2 Drivers and Inhibitors

4.3 Competitive Analysis: Key Industry Players

5.0   Gaming 2.0

5.1 Social Gaming

5.2 User-Generated Content

5.3 Gamer Social Networks

6.0   Market Forecasts and Strategic Recommendation

6.1 Market Forecasts: MMORPGs

6.2 Market Forecasts: Casual Gaming

6.3 Strategic Recommendations

6.3.1    Game Publishers

6.3.2    Service Providers

6.3.3    Retailers

6.3.4    Media Companies

Resource Book

1.0   Consumer Analysis

1.1 Gamer Segmentation

1.2 Consumer Adoption of Online Gaming

1.3 Game Genres and Gamer Demographics

1.4 MMORPGs

1.5 Online Gaming Features

1.6 Online Gaming Destinations

1.7 Digital Distribution and Games-on-Demand

1.8 The Impact of Online Gaming on Media Consumption

2.0   Company Profiles

2.1 Acclaim Games

2.2 Big Fish Games

2.3 Double Fusion

2.4 Jagex

2.5 Kongregate

2.6 Miniclip

2.7 Mochi Media

2.8 Nexon America

2.9 Oberon Media/i-Play

2.9.1    Playfish

2.9.2    Raptr

2.9.3    Real Networks

2.9.4    Trion World Network

2.9.5    Vivox

2.9.6    Wild Tangent

2.10     Zynga

The Bottom Line

Overview of Different Online Gaming Categories
Number of Internet Gamer Households Playing and Purchasing Different Online Games/Services
Percentage of Gaming Revenue Generated from Different Gamer Segments
Selected MMORPG Casualties
Subscriber Growth: World of Warcraft (2004-2008)
Quarterly Revenue from Guild Wars Compared to Other NCSoft MMORPGs (Q3 2006-Q3 2008)
Percentage Paying for Virtual Items among MMORPG and Virtual World Players
Types of Virtual Items Purchased
Adoption of Free-to-Play vs. Traditional MMORPG
Interest in MMORPG Business Models by Segment
The Continuum of Business Models
Drivers and Inhibitors: Subscription and Free-to-Play MMORPGs
Market Share of Different MMORPGs
Emerging Publishers/Developers of Subscription-based MMORPGs
U.S. Market Share of Free-To-Play MMORPG Publishers (2008)
Virtual Marketplace Solution Providers
Growth of Casual Gaming Revenue: Real Networks, Big Fish Games, and PopCap (2005-2008)
Growth of Club Pogo Subscribers
Growth of Miniclip’s Monthly Unique Visitors
Drivers and Inhibitors: Casual Games
Comparison of Leading Casual Gaming Companies
Top 3 Activities Consumers Engage in on a Social Network Site (4Q08)
Leading Social Gaming Companies
Selected Social Gaming Networks
U.S. MMORPG Subscriber Forecast: Traditional Subscription Model and Optional Premium Subscription Model (2008-2013)
U.S. Free-to-Play MMORPG Forecast: Total Players and Paying Players
U.S. MMORPG Revenue Forecasts: Subscription and Free-to-Play Models (2008-2013)
U.S. Forecast of Premium Casual Gaming Revenue (2008-1013)
U.S. Premium Casual Gaming Revenue by Business Model: Try-and-Purchase, Subscription Services, and Virtual Items (2008-2013)

Resource Book

Gamer Segmentation Methodology
Summary of Gamer Segments
Percentage of Gaming Market by Gamer Segment
Entertainment Dollar per Gaming Hour by Gamer Segment
Percentage of Gaming Revenue Generated from Different Gamer Segments
PC Gaming Behavior: Online vs. Offline (Q1/08)
Console Gaming: Online vs. Offline (Q1/08)
Online & Offline Gaming Hours per Month by Platforms
Monthly Online vs. Offline PC Gaming Hours by Gamer Segments
Number of Internet Gamer Households Playing and Purchasing Different Online Games/Services
Growth of Paying Users of Different Online Gaming Services (2006-2008)
Adoption of Different Game Genres I (Q1/08)
Adoption of Different Game Genres II (Q1/08)
Gamers of Different Online Games: Males vs. Females
Gamers of Different Online Games: Average Age
Growth of MMORPG Adoption (2006-2008)
Interest in MMORPG Business Models by Segment
Percentage of Paying Subscribers among MMORPG and Virtual World Players
Adoption of Free-to-Play vs. Traditional MMORPG
Reasons for Not Playing MMORPGs (Q1/08)
Percentage Paying for Virtual Items among MMORPG and Virtual World Players
Important Online Gaming Features I (Q1/08)
Important Online Gaming Features II (Q1/08)
Important Online Gaming Features by Gender
Important Online Gaming Feature by Age
Awareness and Adoption of Online Gaming Services and Websites I
Awareness and Adoption of Online Gaming Services and Websites II
Paying Adoption of Online Casual Game Services
Composition of Gamer Segments among Paying Users of Leading Online Gaming Services
Interest in Digital Distribution by Age
Interest in Digital Distribution by Gamer Segment
Preferred Games-on-Demand Service Providers
Interest in Games-on-Demand at Different Price Points
Interest in Ad-Supported Games-on-Demand Services
Interest in an Ad-Supported Games-on-Demand Service by Gamer Segment
Weekly Hours Spent on Watching TV among Different Online Gamers
Leisure Time Spent on Different Activities by Gamer Segment
Gaming While Multitasking

Publish Date: 1Q 2009

Pages: 110

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Authored By:
Parks Associates - About Parks Associates

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Executive Editor: Stuart Sikes
Published by Parks Associates

© February 2009 Parks Associates
Dallas, Texas 75230

All rights reserved.  No part of this book may be reproduced, in any form or by any means, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Printed in the United States of America. 

Disclaimer
Parks Associates has made every reasonable effort to ensure that all information in this report is correct.  We assume no responsibility for any inadvertent errors.