EirplayMedia (c) The Games Industry Eirplay Media ©

EirplayMedia (c) Computer Games Now a mainstream leisure activity….

EirplayMedia (c)

Topics of Discussion ► History of the Games Industry ► Profile of the Industry ► Dominant gaming platforms ► Mobile Games ► Game types ► Game design - why addictive ?

EirplayMedia (c) A little history A little history

EirplayMedia (c) history... ► 1st game : Core Wars on Unix - text based ► 1970’s : no of text based games running on mainframes.Mainly MUDs (multi-user dungeons ) ► 1st real mass market game : Pong designed by Nolan Busnell. Atari was born. ► industry slumps. Market saturation, lack of new product

EirplayMedia (c) history... ► 1980’s : gaming machines were ‘home computers’ such as the Commodore 64 & Sinclair Spectrum. Consoles were NES and Sega Master system ► Early 1990’s dominated by 16-bit consoles from Sega and Nintendo ► 1994 : Sony Playstation launched - mainstream games moved from 2D to 3D ► Mid 1990’s :enter the games PC with CD ROM, 3D graphic cards plus online capabilities ► bit consoles (PX2,Xbox). Move to online and mobile ► 2005 – Playstation 3, Xbox 360 and online games such as WOW

EirplayMedia (c) Industry Profile A ‘hits’ driven media market Key Players Publishers Hardware Manufactures DevelopersRetailersConsumers Market segments Core gaming - PC, console, handheld, online Casual gaming - Web, mobile, PC

EirplayMedia (c) Why as big as Hollywood ► Deliberate attempt to become a mass market product ► Though production costs are rising, cheaper to develop (average console $15/30m) ► Shelf life can be extended due to add-ons, expansion packs, peripherals etc. ► Different game genres suit different players - more gamers over the age of 30 ► Replacing the TV as the entertainment centre

EirplayMedia (c) Games - a popular medium ► Highly interactive medium - immediate feedback - very satisfying for young people ► Early games tended to be quite abstract due to the limitations of the techology - a favourite of mine :Thrust. Simple, yet addictive ► With the introduction of more advanced game systems (16/32 bit), 2D/3D games allowed basic character representation

EirplayMedia (c) Games - a popular medium ► 3D technology means that games can more accurately simulate real world scenarios

EirplayMedia (c) popular medium.. ► Online play - the most addictive ! Even with the most advanced AI, it is hard to beat the behavior of your friends

EirplayMedia (c) Gaming Platforms

EirplayMedia (c) ‘Console is king’

EirplayMedia (c) Social Games: Playza

EirplayMedia (c)

Curse of Khofu Mobile Games

EirplayMedia (c) CURRENT EMBEDDED GAMES HOME MOBILE ENTERTAINMENT GATEWAY PURE GAMING MOBILE PHONE ENTERTAINMENT The mobile platform has huge potential amongst a broader base than a GBA or console… Positioning for mobile phone entertainment

EirplayMedia (c) Games types ► 1st person shooters, FPS ► Sports ► Fighting ► Arcade/platform ► Simulations ► Strategy ► Interactive stories/adventure ► Puzzle/board ► Retro

EirplayMedia (c) Designing addictive games ► Play a lot of games ! ► A good hook is essential ► Create a fantasy world that make ‘sense’ ► Keep the gameplay progressively challenging - “Final Boss” syndrome ► Make sure the game is fun ► Know your gaming audience ► High quality production values - good graphics and sound

EirplayMedia (c) ► MMORPG advanced online gaming ► Mobile & Tablets iPhone and Android Trends….

EirplayMedia (c) Final though... Though technology and online play will allow bigger,brighter and more sophisticated environments, games are all about fun Good games are made by good players