Analyzing the Challenges of Commercializing Serious Games in the Field of Health (A Case Study of Games Submitted in 2017-2022 in the Serious Games Festival: SEGAP)

According to some researchers in the gaming industry, a major challenge for startups and teams in computer game development has been securing financial resources. Therefore, intense competition is essential for attracting and securing the required financial resources. With the sixth cycle of the National Game Innovation Event taking place in the form of the SeGaP Festival, it is crucial to examine the commercialization process and challenges faced by game developers in this field. In this context, the present study, utilizing a theoretical framework, examined 35 participants of this festival. The analysis of games submitted to the SeGaP Festival from 2017 to 2021 indicates that a total of 82 health-related games were submitted, with over 23% of them being commercialized, as determined by the festival secretariat. The study results revealed four main reasons for the non-commercialization of games, including financial constraints, limitations in infrastructure and technology, constraints in relationships and networking, and a lack of specialized human resources. Additionally, four intervention conditions were identified, such as inadequate facilitation of support processes, weaknesses in managerial capabilities for team management, deficiencies in marketing and customer relations processes, and the absence of correct strategies for commercialization. Furthermore, it was evident from the study of the reviewed games that three different approaches to product commercialization exist, including problem/time-centric games limited to a specific timeframe, goal-centric games created for scientific and educational purposes, and organization-centric games, which, in contrast to the previous two categories, are often serious games produced with organizational support that have successfully entered the commercialization phase.