????傳統(tǒng)的男孩玩具同時還面臨一個強(qiáng)勁的長期競爭對手：電子游戲。霍達(dá)克指出，電子游戲的競爭對男孩產(chǎn)品的銷售影響更大。這是因?yàn)槟泻⒏菀邹D(zhuǎn)向電子游戲平臺。根據(jù)歐睿國際的調(diào)查，2012年在6歲以下男孩中45%在過去一年玩過電子游戲，而女孩只有38%。由于索尼（Sony）和微軟（Microsoft）將于假期分別推出新款游戲機(jī)PS4和Xbox One，電子游戲?qū)鹘y(tǒng)玩具的銷售將到來更為劇烈的影響。

????另外，還有一個最具威脅的對手：移動游戲。市場調(diào)研公司SuperData的數(shù)據(jù)顯示，基于平板和智能手機(jī)的行業(yè)將從2010年的9.01億美元增加至今年的30億美元。對于這類行業(yè)中某些估算，孩子是他們最理想的顧客。根據(jù)Superdata的調(diào)查，8至14歲的孩子中大約62%經(jīng)常在智能手機(jī)或平板上玩游戲。Superdata公司CEO喬斯特?范?德魯涅恩說：“隨著內(nèi)容提供商不斷推出面向這類消費(fèi)者的游戲，這個數(shù)字預(yù)計(jì)還會增長。”

????霍達(dá)克指出，電子游戲在孩子中的流行主要驅(qū)動力來自免費(fèi)類型的游戲，因?yàn)樗麄兛梢悦赓M(fèi)下載這些游戲。一旦孩子們開始玩這些游戲，并且在父母的允許（有時未經(jīng)父母許可）下開始為輔助、增強(qiáng)和更高級別而支付金錢時，游戲開發(fā)者就可從中賺錢盈利。

????霍達(dá)克說： “（移動游戲）正在搶奪傳統(tǒng)游戲的銷售額。這個年齡段的孩子們非常容易接觸平板，他們可以用父母的iPad或自己的平板玩游戲。”美泰公司CEO斯托克頓在上周三的通話中對此表示反對，同時指出，電子游戲和玩具的銷售都在增長，玩具是電子游戲的補(bǔ)充。

????無論如何，玩具公司正在努力趕上并試圖從流行電子游戲中獲利。今年7月，孩之寶投資1.12億美元收購了移動游戲公司Backflip Studios高達(dá)70%股權(quán)。同時，作為一種棋類游戲電子化的策略，它還與電腦游戲開發(fā)商育碧公司（Ubisoft）結(jié)成了合作伙伴。美泰公司為旗下許多玩具增加電子組件。例如，新推出的Ever After High系列配備了網(wǎng)站、全球性的Facebook頁面和YouTube頻道。上周三，斯托克頓宣布，美泰公司已與Minecraft達(dá)成了一項(xiàng)交易，將于2014年秋季開發(fā)一系列的游戲。后者的移動應(yīng)用下載量高達(dá)3,000萬。

????如果能夠成功在傳統(tǒng)玩具、電腦游戲和移動游戲之間取得平衡，玩具公司或許將迎來救世主。電腦游戲發(fā)行商動視暴雪 （Activision）即是一個很好的例子。2011年10月，這家公司推出了游戲《Skylander》，通過電腦游戲和移動游戲?qū)⑻摂M角色帶入現(xiàn)實(shí)生活。截止今年7月，相關(guān)的銷售額已經(jīng)達(dá)到了15億美元。（財(cái)富中文網(wǎng)）

????譯者：柴志斌

????Traditional male toys are also feeling the heat from a longtime rival: video games. Competition from video games is felt more acutely on the boys' side of sales, says Hudak, since males are more prone to jump to electronic playing platforms. According to a Euromonitor survey, in 2012, 45% of boys up to age six had played a video game in the past year, compared to 38% of girls. Video games will be an especially fierce menace to traditional toy sales this holiday season as Sony (SNE) and Microsoft (MSFT) release their new consoles, the PS4 and Xbox One, respectively.

????And then there's the biggest threat of all: mobile gaming. The tablet_and smartphone_based industry has grown from $901 million in 2010 to a projected $3 billion this year, according to Superdata, a market research firm. And children are some of the industry's best customers. Roughly 62% of children ages 8 to 14 years old regularly play games on their own smartphone or tablet in the U.S., according to Superdata. "We expect this number to grow, as content providers continue to release games suitable for this audience," says Joost van Dreunen, Superdata's CEO.

????The popularity of digital gaming among kids is driven mainly by the free-to-play category of games, which kids can download for free, says Hudak. Game developers make money off of these games once kids are hooked and pay for add-ons, power-ups, and extra levels with -- and sometimes without -- their parents' permission.

????"[Mobile games] are sapping sales from traditional toys. Kids are so tablet–oriented at such a young age because they're playing with their parents iPad or a device of their own," Hudak says. Stockton of Mattel countered that point during Wednesday's call, arguing that digital and toy sales were growing together and that toy play complements digital use.

????Nevertheless, toy companies are trying to catch up to and capitalize on their popular digital counterparts. In July, Hasbro purchased a 70% stake in mobile gaming company Backflip Studios for $112 million. It also brokered a partnership with Ubisoft, a video game developer, as part of a strategy to bring board games to the screen. Mattel has added digital components to many of its toys. Its new Ever After High doll line, for instance, is supported by a website, global Facebook page, and a YouTube channel. And Stockton announced on Wednesday that the company had signed a deal with Minecraft, whose mobile app has been downloaded 30 million times, to develop a range of games in fall 2014.

????If they can pull it off, striking a balance between traditional toys, video games, and mobile games might be a toy company's savior. Just ask video game publisher Activision (ATVI). In October 2011, it launched its Skylander franchise, which brings action figures to life through video and mobile games. As of July, sales had reached a staggering $1.5 billion.