In our digital world, it is no longer enough to simply have a great product or service. To succeed, your business needs to develop an online persona and create content that resonates with your audience. Many businesses have understood this and are using games to engage potential customers through online marketing. In this article, we will discuss 10 online marketing games that you can use to increase brand awareness, establish yourself as an industry leader, and drive sales.
Dota 2
While most people know and play video games named after their dominant hand, Dota 2 is the classic example of a game that has risen to popularity not because of its gameplay, but because of the community that plays it. This game was originally created by Valve Corporation and they wanted to create a game that combined strategy and tactics where players could work together towards a common goal.
If you are unfamiliar, Dota 2 is a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game where two teams of five compete against each other on a map made up of lanes. The two teams take turns attacking and defending a series of control points located along the map. Whoever controls the most control points at the end of the game wins.
The beauty of Dota 2 is that it is completely free, available on all major PC operating systems, and has a highly active and engaged community. If you want to start a business and want to engage with potential customers, then you can’t look past Dota 2.
Battlefield 1
First released in 2016, Battlefield 1 is the classic WWII shooter and is the direct sequel to the critically acclaimed Battlefield 4. While gameplay remains mostly the same, Battlefield 1 introduces some much-needed changes to the formula, including a campaign that can be completed in either single-player or multiplayer modes. This is a significant change from Battlefield 4, which was completely focused on multiplayer gameplay.
One of the distinguishing features of Battlefield 1 is its use of real-life weapons, including machine guns, rifles, and pistols, as opposed to the slingshots and arrows used in previous Battlefield games. The game also makes extensive use of explosive barrels and vehicle mounted cannon, which fire high-velocity shells that can damage opponents.
If you are looking for a classic WWII shooter that is completely free and has an established community, then you need to download and play Battlefield 1. It doesn’t get much more perfect than this!
Counter-Strike:Global Offensive
Released in 1999, Counter-Strike:Global Offensive (CS:GO) is one of the original and most popular team-based shooter games. It was developed by Counter-Strike co-creator and developer, Andy Slavik, and was the first game in the series to incorporate a campaign that could be played in single-player or multiplayer modes, similar to what we see today. In addition to the single-player campaign, the game also features a competitive multiplayer mode where players can either work together or against one another to ‘own’ enemy players.
Unlike many other team-based games, Counter-Strike:GO was designed to be played by people of all skill levels. Not only does the game feature a built-in leveling system that allows players to progress through the game while learning new skills and familiarizing themselves with the controls, but it also has an extensive tutorial section that walks players through the game’s mechanics and tips on how to play. This game might be old, but it’s still popular because it has kept up with the times and stayed relevant throughout its entire life-span.
Halo 5
As we mentioned earlier, gaming industry veterans at Valve liked the idea of creating a game that combined strategy and tactics where players could work together towards a common goal. Well, they created Halo, one of the biggest and most popular multi-platform games of all time, which released in 2014 and was supposed to have a direct sequel named Halo 5. However, because of unforeseen circumstances, Halo 5 became the last game released in the Halo franchise.
Halo 5 is a military-themed first-person-shooter game where players assume the role of an elite soldier working for the “Symbol of Humanity,” the UNSC. The game centers around the idea of an ongoing war between the Covenant and the UNSC, where each side is trying to secure a tactical advantage through military might. Players will fight against the other in a bid to complete a series of tasks, including protecting human settlements and retrieving data caches in the process.
This game was among the first to implement a competitive mode where players could work together towards a common goal or against each other, looking for that proverbial “tactical advantage.” It also marked the return of classic Halo elements such as: weapons that automatically reload when emptied, shields that regenerate when struck, and gravity that forces you to your “kp” (Keep ‘Pressing’ to continue)
Overwatch
Overwatch is a team-based multiplayer game where players assume the roles of mercenary soldiers with varying degrees of combat proficiency. The goal is to stop an alien invasion by any means necessary. This game was released in 2016 and was developed by Blizzard Entertainment, the creators of the popular Warcraft and Diablo franchises, amongst others. It is the spiritual successor to the Defense of the Ancients (Dota) game that was first released in 2009.
The gameplay in Overwatch is incredibly similar to that of Defense of the Ancients (Dota), with the main difference being that instead of controlling a single ‘hero’ or character, players control a team of heroes that they switch between during the course of a match. In fact, Overwatch was heavily influenced by Dota and even uses the same classification system for its champions. While the basic formula for gameplay is still the same, the way players interact with each other and the way matches are constructed has changed drastically since the first iteration of the game.
Blizzard Entertainment has taken advantage of this game’s popularity by creating a franchise out of it. They’ve released several expansion packs that have added new playable characters, maps, and game modes. In fact, due to its expansive lore and character variety, players have nicknamed Overwatch the “the motherlode of all demon slayers.”
Rainbow Six Siege
Siege is a first-person shooter game developed by the renowned French company, Ubisoft. It was first released in 2015 to critical acclaim and was immediately followed by the sequel, Siege 2, which was released the following year. This is the first game in the series to not feature any dialogue and instead focuses solely on gameplay, which makes it a rather unique and refreshing break from the routine talk in most modern first-person-shooter games.
Ubisoft decided to go the extra mile and create an entirely separate game experience for the console players who purchase the game digitally. They did this by making use of the game’s ‘split-screen’ functionality, where players can and often do play on separate devices, such as a console and a mobile phone. This allows them to continue playing the game even when certain devices are offline or unusable. However, this was not necessary as the game was already perfectly playable on single devices.
Siege’s gameplay is similar to that of Counter-Strike:GO, with the main difference being that instead of being on a map, the game takes place in a large, open world where the action constantly shifts and players need to adapt accordingly. While the game’s graphics are far from being the highlight of the experience, they are functional and do their job well, especially on higher-end devices.
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six
Finally, we arrive at one of the most popular games of this list, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six. This game was initially released in 2000 and quickly rose to popularity not only because of its addictive gameplay but also because of its extensive and highly-detailed fiction. It was developed by the French company, Ubisoft, and is often cited as the “father of realistic combat simulations” in video games. This game is also notable because of how it evolved over time, incorporating elements of first-person shooter (FPS) games and adding elements of role-playing games (RPGs).