NEWS
Using Video Games with Other Media Achieves Better Results Than Employing Them Alone Master’s Study at UoB: Video Games Are an Effective Way to Establish a Brand
Sakhir – University of Bahrain (Ali Al Sabbaq)
13 July 2023
A scientific study at the University of Bahrain (UoB) confirmed that video games are an effective way for organizations to establish their brand and mental image among users, noting that games help reach new categories in a distinctive way.
The study was prepared by Maryam Ghuloom Juma’a, a student in the Master’s in Media program at UoB, as part of the requirements of a master’s degree in the program offered by the Department of Media, Tourism and Arts at the University.
The thesis – which was recently discussed by an exam committee – was titled: “The Effectiveness of Employing Video Games in Media Plans: A Case Study of Private Institutions in the Kingdom of Bahrain.”.
“Video games are one of the fastest developing technologies, and among the most prominent entertainment and interactive means that are accepted and enjoyed by users, due to their ability to create an enthusiastic and enjoyable experience that is imprinted in the user’s mind.” Researcher Mariam Juma’a stated.
She further added: “Institutions in several fields have begun to pay attention to the potential of this technology, and have worked to employ it in their various activities, such as training, raising awareness, and advertising, in order to interact with the public and deliver messages to them to achieve their goals in an innovative and distinctive way, which is what attracted me to study this topic.”.
The study was supervised by a faculty member in the Department of Media, Tourism and Arts, Dr. Hatem Ahmed Al-Suraidi, and it aimed to identify the effectiveness of video games in achieving the objectives of the media plans of private sector institutions in the Kingdom of Bahrain, by revealing the reality of the video game industry, and the areas of its use in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
According to the researcher, the study sought to identify the reasons behind the use of video games by institutions in their media plans and their methods, to measure its effectiveness, and to provide recommendations that contribute to improving the use of video games in the media plans of institutions.
The study findings showed that the public accepts and desires this technology, and that the integration of the video games being employed in the media plans of institutions with other media outlets achieves better results than using them alone and relying entirely on them.
The study found that the mobile phone is the most appropriate platform for this type of game, and that the prizes associated with the games contribute to encouraging the public to use them, and thus achieving their goals.
Moreover, the thesis recommended the necessity of effective planning for the media plan in which video games will be employed to achieve effective results, considering having the proper design, customizing game elements, making the game system distinctive and linking it to the field of the institution, and providing incentives and prizes to the public.
In addition, she stressed the importance of linking the game to the institution’s website, in order to make optimal use of the databases, with the need to communicate with customers.
The committee discussing the student’s thesis consisted of: Associate Professor in the Department of Media, Tourism and Arts at UoB, Dr. Sama Alawi Al-Hashemi, and Professor of Media in the Department of Media at Umm Al Quwain University in the United Arab Emirates, Professor Dr. Al-Sir Ali Saad Mohammed.
