Table of Contents
・Introduction
・What are HTML5 Games?
・Types of games that can be created in HTML5
・Advantages of releasing HTML5 games for website
・Case studies
・How to launch an HTML5 game
・Conclusion
Introduction
One might be curious what value do HTML5 games bring to a website.
HTML5 games are handy because users don’t need to install an app to enjoy. Primary advantage of these browser-based games is that they help increase length of a user session and number of advertising impressions on your site. They also can be utilized to enhance user loyalty along with this.
In this post we’ll talk about the benefits of releasing HTML5 games on websites and show some case studies of actual websites with HTML5 games.
What are HTML5 Games?
Programmed by a combination of HTML5 and JavaScript, HTML5 games allow users to play directly in a web browser, thus getting us around resource-consuming app development. With HTML5, you can publish games without going through platforms like App Store or Google Play.
Site visitors also can play such games on any devices including smartphones, laptops and tablets, by simply clicking or tapping.
Over the last few years, game releases by major platforms have been increasing, with an aim of winning customer loyalty. As they amplify websites’ potential and improve ad impressions, this new digital marketing tool is in the limelight throughout the world.
Types of games that can be created in HTML5
HTML5 games range from simple, straightforward breakout clones to complex role-playing games.
The games are capable of not only entertaining site visitors, but promoting your products, services and PR campaigns.
Advantages of releasing HTML5 games on platforms
Publishing an HTML5 game on a website offers a lot of benefits. The following are some specific illustrations.
・Extended time spent by visitors increases ad impressions
HTML5 games increase your revenue by displaying interstitials and reward ads while users play.
Holding players’ attention, the games keep them longer on your website, increasing visit duration and number of impressions.
・Can be a factor in preventing subscription churn
Improving customer satisfaction is a surefire way of staving off subscription and regular churn. As a preventive measure for customer defection, a lottery game with coupon prizes is a good example of a tool that prevents customers from leaving and even makes them happy.
Analyzing how quitting customers behave on your site will help develop traffic flows to HTML5 games to persuade such customers to stay
・ Attract visitors and keep them coming back to your website
HTML5 games can be leveraged on corporate websites or sales campaign websites to elevate customer base. A campaign site with an HTML5 game offering discount coupons based on game scores will help funnel more visitors to the site.
This is a quite versatile tactic that can be applied in many ways. Another example is a game offering rewards for points: such a game could bring more visits to a website for opportunities to win extra points.
・Strengthen website’s message
Games that help visitors understand your products and services, as well as games that deepen their knowledge of your industry, can reinforce users’ perception of sophistication and uniqueness on your website and give visitors a new experience.
Case studies
A variety of domestic and international major businesses employ HTML5 games to entice customers and improve UX on their websites.
For example, the New York Times, a world-leading daily news media from the U.S., and Financial Times, a leading british business news media, have expanded their fan bases through games
Here are some case studies:
January 31, 2022, the New York Times, a media with over 7.8 million subscribers worldwide, announced that it had acquired an HTML5 game called Wordle that is pretty popular in some countries.
The New York TImes has a large number of users who subscribe for their entertainment content such as crossword puzzles, and adding Wordle is expected to further raise the number of subscribers.
With more than 7 million reporters in 40 cities around the world, the Financial Times is focusing on distributing educational content and games. Developed for students, “Climate Game” allows players to learn about climate change in an intriguing way.
Players take on the role of a minister trying to save the future, answer quiz questions about various policies and technology investments, and save the planet from a future-shaking climate crisis.
The Climate Game is gaining popularity in English-speaking countries and has been shared, retweeted, and liked a total of over 4,300 times on Twitter and Facebook.
The Climate Game, which has become a hot topic by addressing the global weather problem, has helped the Financial Times improve its brand image and attract more readers.
The Washington Post, a historic daily newspaper published in Washington D.C., also has a crossword game on its website.
By updating the crossword game daily, the Washington Post is attracting regular solvers thus increasing daily traffic.
HTML5 games are a very good fit for newspapers, magazines, and other web media that want to increase their subscriber base and generate repeat visitors.
With the spread of HTML5 in Japan, major Japanese companies are launching HTML5 games one after another to attract customers to their websites.
“Yahoo! Zubatoku,” a Yahoo! Japane-owned media company, has provided HTML5 games such as
raffles and scratchcards
to win incentive points which can be accumulated through PayPay, a Japanese electronic payment service.
When a user wins by scratching the covered spot, he or she will receive PayPay points worth 1 to 10,000,000 yen.
The simple daily raffles effectively tempt visitors to come back, and by giving them the chance to win discounts on products, they’re also expected to improve user satisfaction.
H&M, the second largest international clothing retailer, conducted a sales campaign using an HTML5 game.
It’s a roulette game where players spin a wheel and win discount coupons, gift cards, and luxury accommodation vouchers based on where the wheel stops. Winners are verified through issuing a serial code.
Publishing HTML5 games in conjunction with sales campaigns can be applied to a variety of commerce sites, leading to an increase in visitors from social media and acquisitions of new customers.
How to launch an HTML5 game
When implementing an HTML5 game on your website, there are two ways: developing a game with your own resources or asking a vendor to develop it for you.
HTML5 games can be developed by anyone with HTML5 coding and JavaScript programming skills.
However, more specialized knowledge and skills are usually required for more complex games. If you need an elaborate game for your site, it’s worth considering hiring a vendor to develop it.
Developed HTML5 games can be easily implemented by simply incorporating the URL into the HTML code of the website.
If you’re seeking to grow the number of visitors or lower the abandonment rate, why not release an HTML5 game and approach your customers in a new way?
Conclusion
HTML5 games garner attention as it can be added to websites as a fresh marketing tool.
HTML5 games that are easy to use across a wide range of devices not merely can increase session length and number of ad impressions, but also can introduce sales campaigns that improve UX and conversions to repeat visits, lure new users and finally raise ad revenue.
HTML5 games are an essential tool to entertain visitors, so before implementing HTML5 games don’t forget to consider what visitors want first and foremost before implementing HTML5 games.