Smart speakers — a new gaming platform
The popularity of smart speakers is still niche in nature. However, the first games have already appeared for them. About the smart speaker market and popular games on it, — for App2Top.ru Anna Vyugina, head of the conversational AI of smart devices from Just AI, told us.
Anna VyuginaSmart speakers are a more promising topic than VR
Over the past few years, VR technology has generally been considered as a new “blue ocean” in the gaming market. However, virtual reality headsets have not become widespread in the user segment. In 2018, 5.9 million VR devices were sold. And a large share of sales fell on the commercial segment.
Smart speakers, which were not initially considered as an entertainment device, on the contrary, found a response among the masses. In 2018, in the second year of the existence of the market as such, their global shipments amounted to 78 million. This is 125% more than a year earlier.
The main market leaders are Amazon and Google
Annual sales of VR headsets will at best reach half of these sales only by 2023.
It is clear that the installation base of this type of device will not be serious. According to SuperData’s forecast, it will at best amount to 50 million devices by 2022.
A completely different story awaits smart speakers. In five years, they are predicted to have an installation base of 500 million devices. In other words, this type of device has a chance to become a really common platform.
Smart speakers are already playing
Like smartphones, smart speakers are platforms open to the distribution of third—party software. Software for such devices is called differently. It all depends on the speaker manufacturer. Google, for example, has actions, Amazon has skills, and Yandex’s virtual assistant has skills.
In a few years, the speakers may end up in everyone’s house
One of the most popular categories of software today for smart speakers are games.
The sections related to them and to entertainment in general are among the most visited. 20% of users use smart speakers for games (considering the current installation base of 100 million, this is about 20 million people), 64% of them do it daily.
Quizzes, adventure and strategy games, as well as jokes, interesting facts, funny stories and educational materials are especially popular. Virtual assistants for board games are also becoming more common now. They teach the rules and act as a moderator.
What are the games for voice assistants and smart speakers
Due to the specifics of voice games, they are not always diverse. However, the simplest quizzes evolve, large-scale quests and complex interactive dramas appear. I have selected three central projects for each of the popular platforms.
Alice Platform:
- “Yes, my lord.”
A quest in which you are entrusted with the management of the king’s lands. Your influence, wealth and life depend on how well you manage them. The game took the first place of the Alice Award in November 2018.
- “One of two things”
This game is suitable for both a fun company and for one. You are asked unexpected questions, your task is to choose one answer out of two.
- “One hundred to one“
Here the rules are the same as in the famous TV game – earn points by guessing the most frequent answers of people from all over the country. You can play alone, together or with the whole company.
Google Assistant:
- “The World of Lovecraft“
The game takes place in the USA, the 20s of the twentieth century. A distant relative has bequeathed you an ancient mansion, and you are going to the Durand estate to inherit. But within the walls of the mansion you will have to face ancient secrets and a frightening legacy of your kind, Evil awaits you, incomprehensible to the human mind.
This is an exciting game on the knowledge of the capitals of different states. The game consists of ten random questions, try to guess them all.
The game is based on the legendary TV show “What? Where? When?”. Its format allows children and adults to play it, people of different professions and different levels of erudition.
Alexa:
You need to get out of the virtual room, focusing only on its hints about the things around you. At the moment, you can choose one of four rooms in the game: a prison, an office, a car or a garage.
According to the rules, you need to remember not only the name of the artist, but also the exact name of the song. To simplify the task, you can select compositions of a certain decade.
Your goal is to solve the murder of Thomas and Martha, the parents of Bruce Wayne (Batman). Every choice made during the game affects whether you solve a mysterious murder or not. Be careful, the game content is not suitable for children.
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If you have any questions about the market, I will be happy to answer in the comments.
