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Social engagement gaming has been a part of the hobby since its inception, including things like multiplayer gaming and game streaming. Both are ways to share the experience with others. During a panel at GamesBeat Summit Next 2022 called “New Ways to Experience Games on the Big Screen,” several panelists spoke about the importance of large screens for gaming as a social activity.
The panelists clarified that “big screens” can mean a large TV in a room or a huge screen in a larger social setting. Chris Early, SVP of Strategic Partnerships and Business Development at Ubisoft, pointed out that they (Ubisoft) both made games for the former and had great social connections with the latter. “We’ve done the ‘big screen’ with Just Dance, and we’ve had 1,000 people dance in a city, and we’ve also done the 10-foot experience for years.”
Andrea Cutright, head of global marketing for Prime Gaming and game growth at Amazon Games, clarified that it is more of a concept of “The Big Screen”. She added, “I think big screens are getting more and more social engagement that can take place outside of your own living room.”
Mike Lucero, Samsung’s director of gaming product management, said a large screen exposes one’s gaming to public compliance. “If you’re playing on a big screen (versus a small screen where you’re less exposed), the fact that there’s public exposure has a big impact on how you play and how you interact with the game.
Games on all screens
All three panelists also talked about using screens as ways to get games to users faster. All three companies have streaming or streaming-friendly services: Prime Gaming, Ubisoft+ and Samsung’s Gaming Hub.
Early said getting games on more screens helps expose users to as many games as possible. “Making that access easy will expand the number of people who can play games.” Lucero added: “We’re all dealing with game streaming and the difference in player patterns when you don’t have to download? That changes how you think about games.”
Cutright added that thinking about “fencing” was more about thinking about the players who use them and how they can improve their experiences. “The more we can unlock that – really put the player first – that content, that experience, that controller, that device. How much freer can we make all those things? If we can think beyond the experiences we’ve had over the past five, ten years, the environment will open up more.”
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