The Future of Gaming

Gaming is a new media technology which is growing steadily at an alarming rate and this trend looks set to continue in the future. This growth is being fueled by the ever-broadening audience for games, with many women and older people now getting into the new generation of gaming.

There is also the new idea of user-generated content in games which this article on bbc.co.uk discusses. This is where "gamers, instead of being thrown into a universe created by teams of designers, can grow their own world, inhabited by any shape of creature they can imagine." This style of game reduces the costs of game designers and therefore increases the profits of the companies, whilst at the same time gives gamers a truly personal gaming experience.

I personally do not believe that the gaming industry can continue to grow at this rate and eventually the public will find other ways to amuse themselves. However for the time being at least I think that ideas such as user-generated content will help to keep the gaming industry expanding and growing at its present rate.

Key Terms - Gaming

Microsoft

Sony

Nintendo Wii

X-Box 360

Playstation 3

Demographics

Digitisation

High definition

Blue-ray

MMO (massive multiplayer online)

RPG (role-playing game)

EDi – Electronic Distribution initiative

Social interaction

Customisation

Personalisation

Key NMT terms

Convergence

Democratisation

Digitisation

Personalisation

Interactivity

Web 2.0

Linear / non-linear

Push technology

Pull technology

Digital divide

New media technologies

"global village"

Narrowcasting / Broadcasting

Area of Study 4 - Issues

A major issue in gaming at the moment is violence - Games such as Grand Theft Auto, Hitman and Manhunt have come under recent scrutiny for being too violent and people are questioning whether these games could be responsible for certain crimes.

Another major issue is that of obesity - Many children are spending hours in front of TV screens playing on games instead of being out in the fresh air.

Some games are also critised for being too gender specific - the vast majority of games have a strong male hero which could be seen as negative stereotyping as the men are portrayed as being stronger and more powerful than female characters. There are some exceptions, most notably 'Tomb Raider' who's hero is Lara Croft.

Area of Study 3 - Audience

Gaming is now a very fashionable commodity in the new market. For example it is now seen as a very important aspect of life to have the latest mobile phone or to have a portable console such as a PSP to play on. These are now perfectly normal activities and have become second nature to us.

Gaming can have a major influence on the audience and in some games like Second Life people actually live their lives by working and doing everyday activities such as shopping and talking on the internet in a 3D game rather than in reality.

Area of Study 2 - Institutions

Gaming companies are increasing their profits by converging their products with the film, television and music industries. They have also started creating games which are based on famous films, such as 'Finding Nemo' and 'Star Wars', this is designed to help them reach a wider market of not just gamers but also movie and television fans. Music fans can also buy games such as Singstar and Guitar Hero, which encourage personalisation and are very interactive.

Area of Study 1 - Technology

Gaming has undergone a massive change in the last few years, not merely with new games consoles that have been released but the new technology that they incorporate. The consoles or 'home entertainment systems' now play DVD's, CD's, and internet multiplayer games.

Gaming is primarily targeted at men between the ages of 10-30 although with the new trend of multiplayer online games the market is spreading to try to appeal to the female audience as well.

Gaming is a NMT that is developing at an extraordinary rate and in the future there is sure to be systems which can do everything a person wants from an entertainment console.

The market is mainly controlled by 3 major companies and they each have a console on the market. These companies are Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo who produce the PlayStation 3, X-box 360 and the Wii respectivly. However Nintendo and Sony are tapping into the portable consoles with Nintendo producing the DS and Sony the PSP.