Animated explainer videos work well across a limitless range of industries. While we may think of them in connection to a few prominent types of businesses though – online communications and team management platforms, mobile tech companies, and so on – they are also well suited to some industries that haven’t necessarily embraced them yet.
Among these, the online poker industry stands out as one that could benefit greatly. We point to poker not simply because it seems to be a good fit, but because it is already on the cusp of significant growth. State by state, the U.S. is inching toward broad legalisation of online poker, which has been famously forbidden in most states for roughly a decade now. Nevada and a host of northeastern states have opened their doors to online game providers, and there’s now talk that Michigan — having become the first midwestern state to join in — could develop the biggest online market for poker and other gambling activity in the U.S.
As legalization continues to spread, however, and online poker becomes a bigger industry once more, it’s important to note that American players aren’t necessarily familiar with this type of gaming anymore. The crackdown on poker occurred largely in 2011, and in the 10 years since there simply haven’t been an lot of great options for would-be U.S. players. Some content themselves with free-to-play options of course, and plenty have found ways to play at offshore and overseas sites as well. But by and large the gaming public in America is now seeing expansion of poker platforms that are largely unfamiliar.
This sets up what is frankly an ideal application for explainer videos, which could accomplish a number of important objectives for poker platforms:
Site breakdowns – First and foremost, explainer videos can serve as informative welcome messages to new sites. U.S. players unfamiliar with online poker (or simply out of the practice for a while) will do well to be met with brief, appealing videos breaking down site navigation and different play options. It will make the whole process of getting back into online poker (or doing so for the first time) less intimidating and more enjoyable.
Rules & game types – In addition to listing play options in an introductory site breakdown, explainer videos can also be used to explain the specific rules for different types of poker. Presumably, people exploring poker sites will at least understand some fundamentals of the game. But sites can make their different poker styles, game rooms, and tournaments more approachable by providing explainer videos that recap rules and explain processes with simple, intuitive animations and vocal guidance.
Site etiquette – In large part, online poker takes care of some of the potential ethical issues that can arise in poker. Players can’t insult one another face to face, for instance, and it’s more difficult to cheat, or to practics angle shoots – grey-area ways of seeking advantages without technically cheating. Nevertheless, online poker does involve some etiquette. For instance, players should be civil in chat windows, and should avoid making opponents wait too long in live multiplayer games. All of this too can be covered in video explainers, such that it’s all the more likely everyone has a smooth, fun, and friendly experience.
Marketing – We believe 2021 will be the year of video marketing in general, across a huge range of industries. And if poker platforms embrace videos, they’ll be poised to take advantage of this modern marketing trend. New sites, or old ones looking for fresh growth, have the option of using social media and other means to reach out to possible players with exciting and appealing videos pitching online gameplay as a fun, available option.
Among the countless types of businesses that can benefit from animated explainer videos, poker is one to keep an eye on for all of these reasons. It’s a big industry that is poised for fresh growth in a large U.S. market, and video outreach and explainers would do much to bring players back to this largely dormant corner of the gaming world.