GAMES INDUSTRY CLOSES OUT 2009 ON A HIGH NOTE
Computer and video game hardware and software proved to be popular holiday gifts last year, resulting in December 2009 sales of $5.29 billion. This was the industry’s highest volume of sales for any single month and an increase of four percent over December 2008. By comparison, just over a decade ago in 1997, the computer and video game industry generated $5.1 billion in sales over the entire year.
"December sales broke all industry records and underscore the incredible value consumers find in computer and video games even in a down economy," said Michael D. Gallagher, president and CEO of the Entertainment Software Association, the trade group that represents U.S. computer and video game publishers. "This is a very strong way to transition into 2010. I anticipate these solid sales numbers to continue upward through 2010 with a pipeline full of highly anticipated titles."
The slate of upcoming titles to be released in the first quarter of 2010 provides reason for optimism. Electronic Arts’ Mass Effect 2 and Dante's Inferno, 2K Games’ BioShock 2, Ubisoft’s Splinter Cell: Conviction, Square Enix’s Final Fantasy XIII and Sony Computer Entertainment America’s God of War III are just a sampling of the expected blockbusters set to hit store shelves in the coming months.
3-D: THE NEXT BIG THING FOR GAMES?
Each year, techies and gadget lovers marvel at the latest offerings from home electronics companies, and this year consumers are all thinking the same thing: 3-D is the wave of the future. It’s clear that the computer and video game industry will be right in the middle of that wave.
Sony Electronics is making a push for its forthcoming line of 3-D televisions by featuring their video gaming possibilities. The company is using demo versions of Sony Computer Entertainment America’s (SCEA) Super Stardust HD and Gran Turismo 5 formatted for 3-D to illustrate the capabilities of the new technology. SCEA also announced plans to offer a downloadable update to its PlayStation 3 console starting in the summer of 2010, which will allow 3-D gaming.
The possibility of 3-D gaming is appealing because the basic intent of computer and video games is to immerse the user in an interactive environment. Adding a third dimension to the interface would only enhance that experience. The 2009 film blockbuster Avatar utilized 3-D technology to great success. And it should come as no surprise that Ubisoft’s Avatar: The Game, based on the film, takes advantage of the same stereoscopic 3-D effects as the movie when played through a 3-D-enabled television or monitor.
The 3-D gaming revolution will not happen overnight. Currently, adoption of home television sets equipped with 3-D technology is not widespread. This may be the case for the immediate future, as these televisions are currently cost-prohibitive. As the technology advances, these prices will go down and the demand for 3-D televisions will increase, bringing with it the demand for 3-D computer and video games. In time, we may even see 3-D technology in games as revolutionary as motion-control technology and online connectivity.
GAMING FOR AN OLYMPIC MEDAL
From the Alps of Torino, Italy, to the Wasatch Mountains of Park City, Utah, athletes around the world are gearing up to compete in the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games. Computer and video game manufacturers have capitalized on the excitement, developing competitive sports-themed games that allow players to battle it out for gold, silver and bronze.
After launching a successful series of video games involving the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympic Games, Sega obtained an exclusive licensing agreement with International Sports Multimedia to be the sole entertainment software publisher of the 2010 Olympic Games. The company recently released two new titles including Vancouver 2010 and Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games in conjunction with Nintendo.
The games capture the spirit of the Olympics and feature a variety of winter sports including skiing, snowboarding and bobsledding. As a creative approach to promote the new titles, Sega held a press event in November 2009 at Utah Olympic Park where the 2002 Winter Olympics were held, enabling game enthusiasts to test out the games in an ideal setting.
This summer, Wired magazine sat down with a few Olympic athletes and asked them for their thoughts on whether video gaming should become an Olympic sport. As expected, opinions varied on the topic. U.S. snowboarder Seth Wescott acknowledged that video game playing requires real skill, but that it does not apply directly to "real-life, actual physical efforts of sports."
On the other hand, U.S. downhill skier Lindsey Vonn, a big Nintendo DS™ fan, said she thinks gaming should "definitely" be considered an Olympic sport, suggesting that the industry host its own video game Olympics.
In addition to Olympic-themed games, there are a number of titles on the market today that give players the ability to compete like a professional athlete in a variety of winter sports. Players can dominate the half-pipe in Ubisoft’s Shaun White Snowboarding: World Stage or get a real feel for the sport by playing Namco Bandai’s We Ski & Snowboard, which enables players to use a snowboard designed for the Wii Balance Board™ accessory by Nintendo.
The Olympic Games are highly anticipated and only come around once every two years. Video game players no longer need to curb their enthusiasm for the next Olympiad like the rest of the world. Instead, they can enjoy the Olympics day in and day out from the comfort of their homes. |
