Struggling to boost player engagement in your video game? Quick Response Codes (QR Codes) may be the missing piece. Thanks to their flexibility and versatility, you can incorporate interactive QR Codes in video games to enhance your marketing strategy and provide access to rewards, exclusive content, and even gaming communities to improve players’ experiences.
Plus, these solutions are trackable and provide valuable insights into your campaign’s performance and player preferences for continuous optimization and improvement.
In this post, we look at how to leverage interactive QR Codes for in-game promotions, offer tips and best practices, and show you how to measure campaign success.
Why you should use QR Codes for in-game promotions
Predictions show that there will be 3.8 billion people playing video games globally by 2030. So there’s no better time to secure players for your game, and QR codes can help enhance their interactions and engagement. Here’s how:
- They bridge the gap between physical and digital experiences by connecting players to exclusive rewards, downloadable content (DLC), and online communities.
- QR Codes allow players to engage with external content without impacting their gameplay since they can be seamlessly embedded in-game elements like interfaces.
- They bring an element of FOMO (fear of missing out) into video games, which can build up players’ excitement and keep them engaged—even more so when codes are hidden within a game and used to unlock sweepstakes or tournament rewards.
Beyond improving the user experience, QR Codes also provide actionable insights to help marketers and developers improve game marketing campaigns and optimize future titles.
Marketers might identify the most effective promotional campaign through total scan data, and developers can pinpoint the best-performing in-game elements. Similarly, they can determine where most players are through scans-by-location data and refine targeting strategies to maximize reach.
Examples of where players might see in-game QR Code promotions
There’s no shortage of areas to include in-game QR Code promotions. Some great options include:
- Virtual event signage and displays: Virtual gaming events attract active players who are already immersed in a game. Adding QR Codes to signage can drive players to additional activities like challenges, boosting overall engagement with your game. You can also use QR Codes for augmented reality experiences during these events to add a whole other level of immersion.
- Loading screens: These are excellent spots for QR Codes because they’re natural pauses in gameplay. Incorporating QR Codes at this point allows players to engage with external content without impacting their focus or interfering with their game progress.
- Game settings and menus: These are ideal locations for QR Codes because players see them every time they boot up the game. Including QR Codes that direct gamers to your website, social media pages, or gaming communities here can drive traffic to these destinations.
- Achievement unlocks: Embedding QR Codes in moments of high player satisfaction like achievement unlocks, can boost engagement, as users may be more receptive to additional activities when they’re doing well in a game.
To encourage engagement, include clear calls-to-action (CTAs) that let players know what to expect from scanning each QR Code. In other words, if you add a code that directs them to your Reddit community, you could include something like “Scan to Join Our Subreddit.”
Similarly, if you use QR Codes for augmented reality experiences during in-person or virtual events, write “Scan for an AR Experience.” A call-to-action removes ambiguity from your codes, which can help build trust and encourage scans.
Best practices for integrating QR Codes into games
While QR Codes are inherently valuable, you need to follow some best practices to maximize their usefulness. As you implement your codes, keep these tips in mind.
Make QR Codes part of the gameplay
Embedding QR Codes into the gaming experience helps to capture players’ attention. You can include codes within your game’s storyline by adding them to elements like billboards, walls, and treasure chests and using them to unlock special clues, challenges, or events.
Alternatively, you can display them based on triggers, like completing or failing a game level. Scanning can reveal secrets or unlock hidden levels, adding an extra layer of excitement.
Whichever option you go for, ensure your codes aren’t intrusive and don’t impact playing experiences. If you choose to embed them within your storyline, make their presence feel natural by adding them to existing elements instead of displaying them as pop-ups.
Use Dynamic QR Codes for more flexibility
Dynamic QR Codes are a better option for gaming than Static QR Codes because they’re editable—you can change their destinations at any time if your needs change. Say you run a survey and find that players want more exclusive rewards. You can redirect the codes to pages that offer them without altering game assets or updating the QR Codes themselves.
Dynamic QR Codes are also trackable and can provide valuable information to help guide engagement strategies. Through total scan data, you can identify the kind of rewards that resonate best with your target audience for continuous gaming experience improvements. You can also track scans by location, time of day, and device (iOS or Android).
Design QR Codes that match your game’s aesthetics
Match QR Codes to your aesthetic so they blend seamlessly within your game. Powerful QR Code generators like Bitly allow you to adjust your codes’ colors, patterns, and logos to align with your game’s style. Rather than using standard black-and-white colors in a colorful game, use vibrant options that reflect the game’s overall vibe.
However, be careful not to impact your codes’ scannability. Some customization best practices to keep in mind include:
- Keep essential QR Code elements like alignment markers and finder patterns simple.
- Maintain a light background and a dark foreground, which makes it easier for mobile devices and QR Code scanners to detect and read the codes.
- Maintain sufficient white space around your code—ideally, the quiet zone should be 15% of a code’s size.
- Test your codes with different smartphones (iOS and Android) before launching them to confirm their scannability.
How to measure the success of in-game QR Code campaigns
The key to continually improving in-game QR Code campaigns is to monitor their success and refine your strategies. Fortunately, with the right platform, this is an easy process.
Track scan rates and engagement metrics
With a tool like Bitly, you can monitor the performance of QR Codes throughout your campaign via a centralized dashboard, making it simple to understand what drives your target audience to take action.
Bitly provides real-time scan data, including the total number of scans, scans by operating device, scans by location, and top-performing codes via Bitly Analytics, so you never have to guess what works best for your players.
You can even connect Bitly Analytics and Google Analytics for more granular data on what players do after scanning the codes and how much time they spend on your landing pages. Monitoring the entire player journey gives you more in-depth insights into your audience for even better improvements.
Here’s an example of how this works: Bitly Analytics can show you how many players scan codes that direct them to downloadable content, and Google Analytics can show you whether they download it. By comparing your scans and downloads, you can determine whether the linked web page effectively drives conversions and tweak your landing page to drive more downloads.
Gather feedback from players
Another way to assess your campaign’s performance is to get feedback directly from players. Asking them about their experiences with in-game QR Codes can help you improve future marketing efforts and promotions by letting you know exactly what works and what doesn’t.
Use QR Codes for surveys by embedding them in follow-up emails or elements like your game’s interface, menu, and settings. They eliminate the need for lengthy URLs by providing instant access to feedback collection forms and pages, which can encourage more responses.
What better way to refine your strategies, promotions, and even future titles than by getting insights straight from your user base?
Take your in-game promotions to the next level with Bitly QR Codes
QR Codes are powerful additions to your in-game promotions. They can increase player engagement and provide valuable insights into what resonates best with your audience, allowing for well-informed improvements. To get the most out of these innovative solutions, integrate them thoughtfully into the gaming experience to enhance (rather than disrupt) gameplay.
With Bitly’s easy-to-use QR Code generator, you can create QR Codes for your promotions and customize them to align with your game in a matter of minutes. You also get access to real-time scan data, allowing you to track the performance of your codes throughout your campaign for continual optimization.
Get started with Bitly today to create trackable, custom QR Codes that drive in-game engagement!
