Week 2 EOC: Boston Consulting Group - Video Games

In today’s gaming market, there are many games for the avid gamer to choose from. From consoles to online gaming, there’s never a shortage of games to play.

Rewind over twenty years ago, I remember begging my mother to buy me the NES (Nintendo Entertainment System). It was the latest in video game technology and everyone on my block had one except for me. I had to ride my bike to my best friend’s house only to have to wait an hour or more to play. Video games weren’t as available as they are today.

In 2014 however, they’re everywhere. Not only are there game consoles, but there are also PC games, and online games. In fact, online gaming will soon take the lead over consoles and pre-installed pc games. "The report Online Game Market Forecasts estimates worldwide revenue from online games to reach $35 billion by 2017"(forbes.com).

Let’s not forget about mobile video games that have been extremely popular. The introduction of Apple’s iPhone in 2007 changed the playing field in a significant, exciting way. "The iPhone created a “wide-open” market for third-party titles, where the barrier to entry for developers is low and games cost relatively little money for consumers" (theesa.com). Internet users worldwide with a smartphone have easy access to a plethora of mobile applications such as the ever addicting Angry Birds by Rovio Mobiles. "Mobile games remained the largest segment in terms of revenue, accounting for around a quarter of the total market" (marketwatch.com).

Great Customer Service

Armed with a few hours of research and online browsing, I finally decided to leave the house to check out my favorite store in the world- REI. What I needed was a good pair of hiking boots, as the trail-runners that I have been using were ready to be retired. Based on excellent reviews, I was dead set on purchasing a pair of “Vasque Breeze 2.0‘s”.

The shoe department associate was more than helpful while assisting me choose my size. It took all of about 15 minutes, and I was out of there with a new pair of boots. However, when I got home, I tried on the shoes again and I just didn’t feel in my heart that I had the correct size. It felt a little narrow in the toe-box. Fortunately, REI has a great return policy, so I went back the next day to return the boots and pick out another model.

This time, I had my son Kamai with me, and he can be a bit of a rascal. I tried on a completely different boot, the “Vasque Talus” model, while Kamai was running around the store like a he just drank a Redbull and popped a caffeine pill. I paid for the boots and had to get out of there with a quickness. 

That weekend, I wore the boots on a short hike up Maryjane Falls in Mount Charleston. They were really heavy, and I just didn’t like how they felt. Once again, I took advantage of REI’s return policy. Brushing off the boots on my way to REI again, I returned those and finally settled with a pair of hiking shoes and never looked back. 

“Outstanding marketing companies go out of their way to keep important customers satisfied. Most studies show that higher levels of customer satisfaction lead to greater customer loyalty, which in turn results in better company performance” (“Marketing: An Introduction” 6). This is why REI is my favorite store! 

REI Las Vegas, Boca Park

Photo Credit: www.yelp.com

My Voice

I am both leader and workhorse. In the industry of Web Design, it is imperative to have these qualities. Working within a creative team, each member relies heavily on one another to achieve a common goal. This is where thrive. I place the mission before my own needs, making sure that any given task is complete. I have confidence in my abilities. Enough to step-up in the absence of leadership, and make decisions to ensure the mission progresses. What I pride myself the most in is, I possess the ability  to create and to build. From the strategy to surface planes of any website, I can design for and address the needs of the user. By asking the right questions and having a clear understanding of what a client needs, I can then start to construct and build. Just like a carpenter building a house on top of a strong foundation, the skills that I have acquired enable me to build functional websites. As a web designer, my duties are to marry the business objective with a clean and attractive interface that benefits both the client and the user.