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The Ever Changing Videogame Industry
By Jack Stapleton
The videogame industry is a rapidly changing one. In 2009, the UK’s videogame industry was more lucrative than the Country’s film industry, with GamesTM magazine reporting that it managed to gross over 150 million pounds more.
But how has videogaming gone from a small pastime which many predicted would fall in its fledgling years to a flourishing multi-billion pound industry since the ‘80s?
There are two major changes occurring in the industry. The “digital revolution”, which concerns new titles being developed at smaller costs and being distributed via digital mediums, and the widened demographic and shift in focus towards more “active videogames”, like Nintendo’s popular Wii console.
While the industry has come a long way since the 8-bit home computers of the 1970s and 1980s, the biggest changes have all come about in recent years. Some would argue that the transition into three dimensions with the Nintendo 64 and Playstation in the mid 1990’s was one of the biggest evolutions the industry has seen, but in my view, it has been the latest generation of videogames consoles which has brought about the greatest changes, and improvements, in the industry.
With the launch of Microsoft’s Xbox 360 in 2005, high definition graphics were first brought to the table. Now, games look more realistic than ever, and high definition textures allowed for developers to craft game worlds which they could have only dreamed about previously, or breathe life into characters in ways which would have seemed impossible just six or seven years ago.
The pursuit for the most powerful console or the most realistic graphics has always been a priority for those developing new games consoles, which is why it came as quite a shock when Nintendo decided to move the goalposts with their latest console, the Wii.
The Wii launched to considerable fanfare in 2006, after a long pre-launch advertising assault, and consumers were wowed by its innovative motion sensitive controller. When it was first announced, gamers began dreaming up uses for its capabilities. It could be used to accurately aim a gun, as a sword, for the most realistic sports games imaginable.
While there has been some debate with regards to whether or not the Wii actually lived up to these promises, and fulfilled its potential, it cannot be argued that it's controller, which swapped complicated button inputs for simple movement, has revolutionised this industry. So much so that rivals Sony and Microsoft will be launching their own motion based control methods later in 2010. Is this the future for the industry? Only time will tell, and it will certainly be interesting to see how these new ways to play are embraced by the public.
Thanks to these new ways of playing the medium has been introduced to the general public. More people than ever play videogames, people of all ages, races and genders. Nintendo’s mission statement now embraces the goal of making videogames that everyone can enjoy, and whilst this has seen some of their original fan base jump ship to more “traditional” videogame consoles, sales of software such as Wii Fit, which stands in the region of 22 million copies, are proof that new genres are embraced by the public.
The biggest change that has affected the industry is digital distribution, which concerns methods of making games and other content available to be download to a user’s computer or games console at a typically much lower price point than their tangible counterparts.
On one hand, it means that games can be designed by smaller teams, and are more cost effective. This means that fledgling developers can get their ideas to market without relying on working with the big name developers, and it also means that they do not have to compete for valuable shelf space on the high street.
It is this move away from the High Street that signals the greatest change that the industry is ever likely to see. The once lucrative games stores could see a fall in revenue as consumers take to the convenience, and lower price points, of digital content. Now, consumers can get games cheaper from the comfort of their own home, and while there are still plenty of videogames which are only available in tangible form, one can only wonder how long it will be before everything makes the move to online.
But will we ever truly see the death of the high street retailers? In this time of economic uncertainty, it’s feasible.
As more and more developers start to take advantage of this new distribution method, the industry can only benefit. Sure the high street will suffer, but creativity in videogame design, and freedom of expression are the real winners here. The small time developer, the bedroom coder and the visionary will have their day once again, free from the worry of competing for lucrative shelf space which would ordinarily be taken up by row upon row of sequels from the big name development studios.
The videogames industry is one which has evolved a lot in a short space of time. Not all of the evolutions have been worthwhile ones, and some of the business decisions could certainly be counted as questionable, but in 2010, we’re seeing the industry morph into something brand new, as developers shape the future through new ways to play, and all new ways of getting the products into the hands of the consumers.
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