In 2021, gaming — consistently reported as a roughly $175B industry — stands as the largest media category by revenue. Having recently claimed the leading position from long-term media behemoth linear television, gaming today is larger than the global music, film, and on-demand entertainment sectors combined.
I am a proud gamer, and I have played video games since 11 years old. I am now 26 years old, accounting for over 15 years playing video games. I have played religiously. I still do.
Here are five growth hack lessons from video games
#1 Elden Ring — Put that pride aside and walk away
Kill lower-level enemies, grind out some souls, level up and go back.
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Elden Ring has a lot of bosses and is the most punishing game that I have played so far. The game took me over 156 hours to beat.
Elden Ring taught me the #1 lesson — to walk away. Yup, go back, kill lower enemies, grind out some points to level up, and return.
Are you ready for the boss?
Performance marketing is sexy; ads are often rewarding but is your brand ready for it?
The first time I ran Facebook ads, it was punishing. Our competitors were sitting on top of insane ROI from the same channel, so the tendency to resume the ads was tidal. Regardless of what I changed or did, the results were disappointing, but I kept doing it. I wanted it to work.
Our competitor was strong. They were established in the market. They had a customer base to retarget. Their pixel codes (code installed on a website to understand users) were aged. These facts went above my head.
Stepping back is not backing out. Instead, it helps you think objectively and understand what is missing.
Fix the basics and come back.
#2 Call Of Duty — Switching to your pistol is always faster than reloading
Reloading takes time. Switching to your secondary weapon is faster.
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Call of duty games are violent and fast-paced, and needless to say, if you reload during a close combat skirmish — you will be done.
Stuck reloading in close combat?
Things go wrong all the time – Ad disapproved, payment gateway ban, social media restriction, longer approval period, and whatnot.
Before you jump into fixing things, deal with the problem quickly. Take the same issue above.
Fix the leak before clearing the water
Ad disapproved- Before running to appeal the ad or trying to fix the ad copy and to get it approved, go back and resume a working (previously worked) ad. Same for ads that take longer to approve.
Payment gateway ban- This is usually scary; often, there are multiple payment gateways implemented. It’s better to fall back on one of the working ones before trying to fix the broken one.
These might sound like obvious things to do in a crisis, but often, we find ourselves reloading at crucial times.
#3 Fifa — Don’t make it personal. It’s just a game
PvPs (Player vs Player) are challenging and annoying. Keep your cool, and don’t take it personally.
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Some players are trashy, and they mock you. Since day one, that’s how it has been on the internet multiplayer space. The trick is not to take it personally.
Competitor running search ads with your brand name is frustrating
You should reach out to Google ad support and fix it ASAP. This shouldn’t be a problem if you have your brand name trademarked.
A good friendly email asking your competitor not to is a neat approach.
Usually, brands end in bid wars when the competitor tries to steal your brand keyword searches. It’s best left ignored than riling up a bid war. But, again, a friendly email might help.
You can protect the brand, and you should do it if necessary (especially during the inception and brand awareness stages). The idea is not to take it personally and burn $$$ to feel good. Let it go.
The same goes for angry customers and lawsuits. You can’t make everyone happy nor solve every problem how hard you try. Not moving will clear the muddy water.
Competition is bitter, and things always don’t go in the right direction. So be the bigger person and move on.
#4 Witcher 3— Use your resources
Dying with plenty of potions and magic is just…. SAD.
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I remember the many times I said, “D*mn! I should have used the health/magic” after a fight in ‘The Witcher 3’.
Being conservative is a good approach but it drastically hinders performance and growth.
A $1000 budget to test an ad channel should be used thoroughly and objectively to test the outcomes before concluding. Use different copies and different targeting, check consistency etc.
Go ping that friend on Twitter or email and ask for help — what are networks for?
Share the new product with your friends and family — You never know where you will get awesome feedback from.
Use that $500 ad credit before it expires.
Send that 5th newsletter if it’s necessary — sending important newsletters is not spamming.
It’s not hyperbolic discounting — it’s expiring/wasting resources
Think of the times when we saved for a ‘better time’ and never used it.
#5 No enemies, no obstacles is often the wrong direction
You are either going backwards or stuck in the same place- try something different
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Tomb Raider is the very first game I spend playing for more than 100 hours. The game is challenging and has no markers to direct the players in the right direction. Mission progression was 100% discovery-based.
There was a subtle marker — the right path had enemies and puzzles
A wave of resistance from the market is a sign that you are on the right track and should press on.
You are going the right way and progressing only if you keep coming across new challenges to overcome.
No/less resistance is usually a sign of a blunt channel/ referral. Super cheap leads often are poor-quality leads. On the other hand, a high-quality lead generation referral/channel is usually expensive — this is where the focus should be.
Work on the copy, landing page, or product/service. It might be more challenging, but you are on the right track.
