Creativity in Video Gaming Technology
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Transcript Creativity in Video Gaming Technology
Creativity in Video
Gaming Technology
Presentation by Horace Flournoy
Overview
• Video Gaming Industry Today
• Brief History of Inventive
Products
• Historical Errors in the industry
• Creativity in the Next Generation
• Basic Keys to Success
Video Gaming
Industry Overview
• The Innovator’s Dilemma - by
C.M. Christensen
• Improved over the economic
downturn
• Industry growth for the
foreseeable future
• Huge following and fan base
that is only growing (with time)…
Industry Overview
(cont.)
• Video game sales exceeded the
movie industry's annual box
office draw last year by $1 billion
• production costs ranging from
$1 million to $8 million
Present Success
Stories
• Sony, a major record label and
movie producer, got nearly 60% of its
profit last year from sales of
hardware and software for its latestgeneration video game console, the
PlayStation 2.
• Electronic Arts (The biggest
independent game maker) - brings in
more than $2 billion in revenue a
year and has been added to the
Standard & Poor's 500 index.
Present Success
Stories (cont.)
• Barnes & Noble -GameStop, the
video game retailer of which it
owns 60%, contributed as much
to profit as its banner
bookstores. Without video
games, Barnes & Noble would
have reported a loss.
• The graduating Student studying
Video Games!!
Brief History of
Inventive Products
(Sustaining
Technologies)
• "Sustaining" technology
improvements are those which seem
to be in line with the needs of the
current customers.
• Current customers key for video
game industry (vs. Sega Dreamcast)
• Current sometimes does not mean
most innovative.
• Nevertheless- gave the gamers what
they wanted.
Atari 2600
• most popular videogame
console of its day and it was
available until 1990
• on the market longer than any
other system in history
• Well marketed, Price ok for the
time
Nintendo
Entertainment
System
•
•
•
•
•
•
released in 1985
Average graphics at the time
Almost every developer
Simple, cartridge-based system
Not overly engineered, easy to use
Innovative products – Light gun,
power pad
Nintendo Gameboy
• Portable Game play
• Affordable prices
• Easy operation
Sony Playstation
• Easy Programming
• Excellent Marketing
• Great Graphics
Capabilities
• Market/Consumers
Ready
• Average Price
• Huge Developer Support
Historical Errors in the
Gaming Industry
(Disruptive
Technologies)
"Disruptive" technology
developments are those which don't
immediately seem to meet the
established customer's demands
• Most Video Game system disruptive
technologies – Consumers not ready
for innovation, price, etc.
• Oftentimes better technology at the
time but with less support (vs. NES =
more support, less capable HW)
(Disruptive Technologies)
Christensen writes that even the
best-managed companies, in
spite of their attention to
customers and continual
investment in new technology,
are susceptible to failure no
matter what the industry.
Sega, Atari, 3DO, now in some
ways Nintendo
Magnavox
Odyssey
• Introduced in 1972 at a price of
$100.
• Players had to keep score by
themselves because the
machine was incapable of doing
so
• Lack of Marketing + Overpriced
for the time.
NEC Turbografx-16
• First system to have a CD
player attachment.
• Developers/Consumers not
ready for CD
•The console lost out in the
market to the Sega Genesis,
due partially to a smaller game
selection and a less powerful 8bit CPU.
Sega Dreamcast
• Fairly successful console
• Hardware Costs too much
for company
• Launched too late (or too
early) – Between product
cycles
• Innovative 3-D capabilities
• Not Marketed well
• First system with online
game play – but customers
not ready
Price Issues
• Price of the popular video game has
remained about the same for about
twenty years
• Profits are made by selling the
games*
• Overprice Consoles never made a
significant impact –
• Sega CDX
• 3DO REAL: “VERY strong system
with movie like graphics and a scary
price.”
But you Can’t Dictate
the Market…
• Both 3DO and Panasonic were
trying to make a profit off the
system while most other
companies rely on software
sales.*see above fact
• System Price: $1000.00
• 3DO RIP (1993-1996)
Creativity in the Next
Generation
• Online Gaming with file sharing
• Console as media center, complete
with ability burn DVDs, play MP3
music, and record TV.
• Will Integrate Digital Pictures, Movies,
etc.
• Portability and Wireless
communication between devices (eg.
PSP and PS3)
“The technologies that are needed to
address the social and environmental
challenges associated with economic
growth can best be developed.”
User Interface Design
• Ability to wirelessly
communicate with the console
using a combination of
controllers and voice activated
commands
• Console will be able to detect
facial expressions (ex. Eye toy)
• Will consumers be Ready??
Ideas for Next
Generation
• Networked power will be able to
utilize a next-generation Internet
connection to take advantage of
Parallel Processing
• Will be able to serve as cheap
supercomputers (eg. Networked
PS2’s)
Basic Key to Success
•
•
•
•
Playability and Game play
How fun are the games?
And Price
Innovation only good when
these two above factors are met
• Timing, timing, timing!
(Innovative solutions can indeed
have very bad timing).
• Play By the Industry’s Rules!!