Adver-gaming website Hyzonia.com yesterday said it would enhance its web platform to attract the estimated 38 per cent of the world's 1.6 billion internet users who play online games.

A 2009 Entertainment Software Association report pegs the average age of the casual online gamer at 35 years, up from 33 in 2008 and representing a demographic with high spending power.


Hyzonia.com said in a statement that the global downturn has helped define online advertising and gaming as a more effective and cost-efficient solution to attract consumers. The game-based advertising sector was worth around $120 million (Dh440.75m) in 2004 and is expected to surge to $D1.8 billion by the end of 2010.

"More advertisers are being drawn to online advertising's competitive rates and its ability to extensively reach target audiences, especially in light of the financial crisis. The generally mature captive audience of online gaming will transform internet advertising into an integral part of brand media advertising, especially in regions such as the Middle East where internet penetration rates are rising exponentially," said Maryam Alimardani, Managing Director of Rena, the Dubai-based creator of Hyzonia.com.

He said: "Numerous popular brands now offer dedicated sections in their web portals for adver-gaming. Hyzonia.com has accordingly made substantial investments to capitalise on this growing trend, boosting our capacity to provide more unique services to our clients.

"We are incorporating a wider range of value-added features for adver-gaming that will establish Hyzonia.com as a truly powerful integrated solution that satisfies the needs of advertisers and publishers."

source: Emirates Business 24/7