Machines & gaming: What happened to the digital revolution?
Inspired Gaming, which recently sold its pub machines division to rival Gamestec, claims to be the world's leader in server-based gaming, and pinned its hopes for the UK pub trade on fomenting a digital revolution. But it didn't happen soon enough.
No-one doubts digital video AWPs are the future. They will enable suppliers to download new games directly into machines and free themselves of the burden of moving 120kg cabinets from pub to pub.
Players will have more choice, their interest will be continuously refreshed and most repairs will be able to be carried out online, so there is less downtime. Yet after countless trials over the last few years, still only one to two per cent of pub AWPs are digital.
The trials continue. Gamestec, which is left with the greatest responsibility for taking pub gaming forward, has just installed all-digital machines in a selection of pubs in the Greene King, Punch Taverns and Enterprise Inns estates in an attempt to better understand what works.
Gamestec commercial director Adrian Ah-Chin-Kow believes that it's not so much the technology itself but getting the right games content that will be the key to digital success.
"Digital trials have tended to be done with specialist small operators and have been tightly controlled. We've still got to demonstrate that it can work on a grand scale," he says. "We're developing a better product offering and a better knowledge of the player and we are starting to focus on customer enjoyment.
"There's a massive amount of player inertia, and a danger that attracting new players will lose the core market. We need to educate the player, and that's the responsibility of the licensee.
"We can't expect to get to the digital tipping point without working very, very hard. So we are spending time with licensees to explain machines - we are making a big investment in education.
"In the end it's the player who will tip the market if we can come up with a compelling gaming experience that will change behaviour" he says. "The consumer doesn't think in terms of analogue or digital - for them it's the difference in experience."
Games Media is a relative newcomer to the pubs market and is fully backing the digital revolution. It is carrying out trials with seven major pub operators.
Managing director Andrew Ludlow blames all the false starts on "poorly developed and segmented content, inappropriate packaging and an operational approach centred on industry-accepted practice".
"Understandably, a number of pub companies have become sceptical about digital's ability to change the status quo," he says.
"But it's imperative that previous experiences and preconceived ideas are parked and we give them the support and commitment to create a long-term, vibrant proposition.
"From a Games Media perspective, we remain exceptionally focused and positive about digital and its ability to address the challenges its analogue predecessor clearly cannot."
