汽车行业可以从视频游戏中学到什么？

What can the automotive industry can learn from video games?

汽车行业可以从视频游戏中学到什么？

Friday June 17, 2022 by Åsa Forsell | Comments

​2022年6月17日，星期五，奥萨·福塞尔评论

At a glance, the traditional automotive and creative video games industries seem worlds apart with very little in common. However, when you look beyond the surface, there are many similarities between where the automotive industry is right now and where the game industry was a decade ago.

乍一看，传统的汽车和创意视频游戏行业似乎天壤之别，几乎没有共同之处。然而，当你从表面上看，汽车行业现在的位置与游戏行业十年前的位置有很多相似之处。

As I've been lucky enough to experience both of these industries first-hand, I wanted to identify some key ideas that the automotive industry could learn from video games.

由于我有幸亲身体验了这两个行业，我想确定一些汽车行业可以从视频游戏中学习的关键想法。

What can the automotive industry learn from video games?

汽车行业可以从视频游戏中学到什么？

Moving from ‘deliver and forget’ to Software as a Service (SaaS)

从“交付并忘记”转向软件即服务（SaaS）

For a long time, the automotive industry operated in a 'deliver and forget' mentality. The custom was to release a new model every couple of years and sell it as a one-off product, with minimal options for updates after the new owner received it. The only way to access new features and services was to upgrade to the next model.

很长一段时间以来，汽车行业一直处于“交付即忘”的心态。按照惯例，每两年发布一款新车型，并将其作为一次性产品销售，在新车主收到后，更新选项最少。访问新功能和服务的唯一方法是升级到下一个型号。

One of the core problems with this approach is that it relies on intermittent revenue streams. An OEM makes a profit when a new car is bought, and that's often the end of the line until the same customer upgrades to a new model. This approach makes it challenging to gain revenue outside the initial hardware purchase. It relies heavily on the assumption that the consumer stays loyal to the brand and upgrades to a new model every few years.

这种方法的核心问题之一是它依赖于间歇的收入流。OEM在购买新车时获利，这通常是生产线的终点，直到同一客户升级到新车型。这种方法使得在最初的硬件购买之外获得收入具有挑战性。这在很大程度上依赖于消费者对品牌保持忠诚并每隔几年升级一款新车型的假设。

All of this is changing with the advent of the software-defined vehicle.
As new car features, like Tesla's autopilot, are mostly software, looking into a SaaS approach opens up new ways to introduce consistent revenue streams and increase customer lifetime value, bringing in more cash flow in the long term.

随着软件定义车辆的出现，所有这些都在发生变化。
由于特斯拉的autopilot等新车功能大多是软件，因此研究SaaS方法开辟了新的途径，以引入一致的收入流并增加客户终身价值，从而在长期内带来更多现金流。

Software is becoming a differentiating factor.

软件正在成为一个与众不同的因素。

I think we all know by now that the software inside the car – the UI visuals, companion apps, virtual assistants, autopilot, navigation – have become a differentiating factor in and of itself. Many want their cars to blend into their lives seamlessly. They want their vehicle to integrate with their mobile apps and smart home setups and expect regular updates and feature improvements over the air.

我想我们现在都知道了，车内的软件——UI视觉效果、配套应用程序、虚拟助理、自动驾驶仪、导航——已经成为一个与众不同的因素。许多人希望他们的汽车能无缝地融入他们的生活。他们希望自己的车辆能够与移动应用程序和智能家居设置集成，并希望通过无线方式定期更新和功能改进。

For this reason, it's prudent to think of car software as a continuously evolving, living, breathing thing instead of something shipped once and then forgotten.

出于这个原因，明智的做法是将汽车软件视为一个不断进化、有生命、有呼吸的东西，而不是一次发货然后就被遗忘的东西。

But what has this to do with games?

但这和游戏有什么关系呢？

So why are we interested in games at all? Well, it all comes down to numbers. It might surprise some, but the games industry is larger than the music, movies, and home entertainment industries combined. It is even looking to overtake traditional sports in revenue in the next decade.

那么为什么我们对游戏感兴趣呢？好吧，这一切都归结于数字。这可能会让一些人感到惊讶，但游戏行业的规模超过了音乐、电影和家庭娱乐行业的总和。它甚至希望在未来十年的收入超过传统体育。

In 2020 games industry made a whopping 139.9 billion USD, while the music industry revenue was at 21.6 billion and movies and home entertainment at 98.3 billion. Looking at the numbers, it is clear that games have done something right in the vicious competition over people's free time and attention.

2020年，游戏业收入高达1399亿美元，音乐业收入216亿美元，电影和家庭娱乐收入983亿美元。从数字上看，很明显，游戏在争夺人们自由时间和注意力的恶性竞争中做了一些正确的事情。

The games industry also found its most profitable avenue yet - mobile games. Mobile games dominate the market because they cater to the masses. Surprisingly to some, most of the industry revenue comes from casual games like Candy Crush, Clash of Clans, and Pokémon Go instead of high-budget triple-A smash hits like The Witcher 3 and Grand Theft Auto V.

游戏业也找到了迄今为止最赚钱的途径——手机游戏。手机游戏占据了市场的主导地位，因为它们迎合了大众。令一些人惊讶的是，该行业的大部分收入来自《糖果粉碎》、《家族冲突》和《神奇宝贝围棋》等休闲游戏，而不是《巫师3》和《侠盗猎车手V》等高预算的AAA级热门游戏。

Efficient monetization of the masses

大众有效货币化

"Ok, ok, we get it. Games make money. But how does this relate to the automotive industry and how it can boost its low-end and mid-end vehicle segments through SaaS?" 

“好吧，好吧，我们明白了。游戏可以赚钱。但这与汽车行业有什么关系，以及它如何通过SaaS推动其低端和中端汽车细分市场？”
Well, funny that you asked!

你问得真有趣！

Historically, games were something a consumer could only purchase alongside a device. Take 'Snake' as an example— a game that took the world by storm when it launched alongside Nokia phones in 1997. 

历史上，游戏是消费者只能与设备一起购买的东西。以《蛇》为例，这是一款1997年与诺基亚手机一起推出时风靡全球的游戏。

In 2008, however, the launch of Apple's App Store revolutionized the industry, introducing a new way to distribute games. Thanks to the app store, people could now download standalone games and get regular updates on their chosen apps. The app store paved the way for many innovations like in-app purchases.

然而，2008年，苹果应用商店的推出彻底改变了整个行业，引入了一种新的游戏发行方式。多亏了app store，人们现在可以下载独立游戏并定期更新所选应用。应用商店为许多创新铺平了道路，比如应用内购买。

Initially, there were either free or premium games on the app store, and premium games like Angry Birds sold over a billion copies at 0.99USD. However, with the influx of several free games, people became more reluctant to pay for games up front. The introduction of in-app purchases was a way to keep games free while locking premium features behind a paywall for engaged and more serious players.

最初，app store上有免费或高级游戏，像《愤怒的小鸟》这样的高级游戏以0.99美元的价格售出了10多亿份。然而，随着几款免费游戏的涌入，人们越来越不愿意预付游戏费用。应用程序内购买的引入是一种保持游戏免费的方式，同时锁定付费墙后的高级功能，以吸引更多敬业的玩家。

Games like Fortnite also popularized vanity purchases. Players could purchase clothing, weapons, and other assets in an otherwise free game. While none of the purchases particularly affected game progression, many users were more than willing to spend money on customizations because they felt they were getting value from it. Not surprisingly, personalization and bragging rights monetize exceptionally well. 

像Fortnite这样的游戏也普及了虚荣心购买。玩家可以在其他免费游戏中购买衣服、武器和其他资产。虽然这些购买都没有对游戏进程产生特别的影响，但许多用户更愿意花钱进行定制，因为他们觉得自己从中获得了价值。不足为奇的是，个性化和吹嘘权的货币化非常好。

From my perspective, the auto industry is where mobile games were when the Apple App Store launched in 2008. It's on the verge of a massive revolution with different OEMs experimenting with ways to offer better services and, ultimately, to continue to turn a profit in an environment where consumers are reluctant to purchase a new car every two years.

在我看来，汽车行业是苹果应用商店在2008年推出时手机游戏的发展方向。随着不同的原始设备制造商尝试提供更好的服务，并最终在消费者不愿意每两年购买一辆新车的环境下继续盈利，这场巨大的革命即将到来。
Monetization models that translate to the automotive industry

转化为汽车行业的货币化模式

Luckily for the automotive industry, many learnings from mobile games can also directly apply to cars. These learnings include both winning strategies and some spectacular failures that sometimes bordered the lines of ethics and good taste.

幸运的是，汽车行业从手机游戏中学到的许多知识也可以直接应用到汽车上。这些经验既包括成功的策略，也包括一些有时接近道德和品味的惊人失败。

1. DLC (downloadable content) packages

1、DLC（可下载内容）包
Since most new automotive innovation is in software, automotive companies can sell new features to existing customers via app stores. Features and updates could also be upsold to consumers buying second-hand vehicles. Upselling to the second-hand market could significantly increase the OEM revenue streams as they'd be able to tap a market previously out of reach for them.

由于大多数新的汽车创新都是软件创新，汽车公司可以通过应用商店向现有客户销售新功能。功能和更新也可以向购买二手车的消费者追加销售。向二手市场追加销售可以显著增加OEM收入流，因为他们可以开发以前无法触及的市场。

2. Subscriptions

2、订阅
Most OEMs already offer subscriptions to access features like connectivity and navigation. As OEM app stores become more popular, new doors for subscription services also open. Perhaps customers not willing to pay hefty prices on features upfront could subscribe to services like auto pilot and navigation on a monthly basis. There's also potential for offering services such as charging network and parking subscriptions in urban areas through 3rd party service providers.

大多数OEM已经提供了访问连接和导航等功能的订阅。随着OEM应用商店越来越受欢迎，订阅服务的新大门也打开了。也许不愿意在功能上预先支付高昂价格的客户可以每月订阅自动驾驶和导航等服务。还可以通过第三方服务提供商在城市地区提供收费网络和停车订阅等服务。

3. Updates and feature improvements

3、更新和功能改进
Overall updates and feature improvements can also be offered as part of regular car maintenance. These may include personalized themes, visual upgrades, convenience purchases, and essential system updates.

作为定期汽车维护的一部分，还可以提供整体更新和功能改进。这些可能包括个性化主题、视觉升级、便利购买和必要的系统更新。

4. Digital advertising

4、数字广告
Ads are not something you'd want or should experience in a vehicle you pay half your annual salary to purchase. However, there are opportunities to monetize through advertisements in shared and entry-level cars to mitigate some of the upfront cost. We've recently released the Qt digital advertising platform, which has also gained traction in the automotive industry.

​广告不是你想要的，也不应该在你付一半年薪购买的汽车上体验的东西。然而，也有机会通过共享和入门级汽车的广告赚钱，以降低一些前期成本。我们最近发布了Qt数字广告平台，该平台在汽车行业也获得了吸引力。

Not everything can be monetized.

并不是所有的东西都可以货币化。

One important thing to note is that car companies have one huge difference from gaming companies: they are responsible for their customers' lives and safety. It is necessary to make a clear difference between what is vital and what is vanity. Vital features such as security updates, new safety features, and anything that could prevent accidents and save lives should never be put behind a paywall. However, convenience and vanity features are excellent targets for experimentation.

需要注意的一点是，汽车公司与游戏公司有一个巨大的区别：它们对客户的生命和安全负责。有必要明确区分什么是至关重要的，什么是虚荣。安全更新、新的安全功能以及任何可以防止事故和挽救生命的重要功能都不应该被放在付费墙后面。然而，方便和虚荣的特性是很好的实验目标。

Key building blocks for software service success

软件服务成功的关键构建块

What changes should be made to the automotive development approach to make all of these possible? 

为了使所有这些成为可能，应该对汽车开发方法进行哪些更改？

Analytics and continuous optimization: Software service is continuously evolving. It’s never in its ‘final form,’ so to speak. Continuous optimization entails understanding how the customer uses the software, which involves a deep understanding and application of insights from analytics.

分析和持续优化：软件服务不断发展。可以说，它从来都不是“最终形式”。持续优化需要了解客户如何使用软件，这涉及对分析见解的深入理解和应用。

Fast release cycles: To continuously optimize the service, agility must be practiced right from development to shipping software. Updates and downloads must also happen seamlessly and efficiently from the customer’s end.

快速发布周期：为了不断优化服务，必须从开发到发布软件都要练习敏捷性。更新和下载还必须在客户端无缝高效地进行。

Flexible architecture: A flexible architecture is needed to adapt to and support the use cases of the times. Software needs to anticipate and address the market’s needs proactively, creating value for consumers.

灵活的体系结构：需要灵活的体系结构来适应和支持时代的用例。软件需要主动预测和满足市场需求，为消费者创造价值。

Conclusion

结论

The games industry went through massive reinventions to keep pace with new marketplaces and evolving consumer expectations. Likewise, using a SaaS approach in the automotive sector entails treating software as an evolving service rather than a static product.

为了跟上新市场和不断变化的消费者期望，游戏行业进行了大规模的改造。同样，在汽车行业使用SaaS方法需要将软件视为一种不断发展的服务，而不是静态产品。

To learn more about software solutions that can give your automotive company an edge, visit Qt for Automotive pages or send a contact request to our sales team.

​要了解更多有关能够为您的汽车公司带来优势的软件解决方案，请访问Qt的汽车页面或向我们的销售团队发送联系请求。