Motivation is characterized as an internal impulse or a special inner feeling of a person that encourages them to perform any action. In this case, “player motivation” is a set of measures aimed at involving and retaining a player in a particular video game. Often, this concept is defined as the “main gameplay cycle.” Hence, a well-developed strategy of motivation helps publishers attract people’s attention to the product, making them stay for a longer time in a video game and satisfying the needs of each of them.
Main body
There are many game projects that have gathered millions of audiences of players around the world. Thus, not only avid gamers know about them, but also ordinary people who are far from this industry and its popular products. One striking example that has been able to gain popularity and a lot of active players from every corner of the globe is “Fortnite,” created by the company “Epic Games” and designed by Darren Sugg.
“Fortnite” is a free-to-play cooperative action game in the open world, which has a “story mode” and a “battle royale” mode. According to Sugg, people have to fight with particular enemies in this game and build fortresses and structures to prevent damage and survive as long as possible (Bell, 2017). In this case, to motivate the players to enjoy the gameplay and prolong their pastime in “Fortnite,” Darren Sugg uses the following key features. For instance, the project gave its players the dynamic and fast pace of the game, a vast and detailed map, various locations, several different weapons, and character skins, and this is not all the possibilities. Moreover, large-scale events and exclusive collaborations attract the attention of a diverse audience to “Fortnite.” The game is relatively slow compared to “Apex Legends,” but at the same time, the gameplay in the video game is not dense as in “PUBG.” Consequently, “Fortnite” has found a middle ground for a wide range of players and is taking advantage of it.
As a rule, any motivation is based on three principles: objective, competition, and reward (OCR). Everyone likes to achieve something and progress, especially when it is noticeable. The objective of “Fortnite” has a certain gambling subtext and sports interest – it is to defeat enemies and become a leader. The competition or challenge in the video game is the use of combat skills such as accurate shooting and fast construction. The more complex the challenge was, the more fun the player got coping with it. The reward, respectively, is experience, high positions in the leaderboard, and specific bonuses. The award proves that the goal has been achieved and is commensurate with the importance of the goal and the efforts made. OCR repeats all the time, and the game does not end when players reach the first short-term goal. People in the game are constantly doing something: killing opponents, completing tasks, and interacting with NPCs and objects.
Besides, as practice shows, different players are motivated by entirely different things. “Fortnite” considers the main four groups of players and adjusts the game for each. For instance, an “achiever” will try to get all the achievements, reach leadership positions or assemble the strongest team. There is also an opportunity for an “explorer” to thoroughly study the game and the fictional world, explore locations, get acquainted with all the NPC, and study the universe’s history. A “socializer” will be able to chat with other players and find friends of common interest. Consequently, a “killer” will try to commit as many murders as possible and strive to dominate the opponents. The systematics proposed by Richard Bartle is suitable for any player; everyone will find exactly what they like most in “Fortnite.”
Also, the video game has a unanimous rule of “more opportunities and fewer formalities,” which adds “colors” and “brightness,” a wide range of diversity to the game. Once on Twitter, David Sugg noted that in the world of “Fortnite,” first of all, there is a wide abundance of various elements that should also exist not only in the game but all over the world (Sugg, 2020). In addition to the created modes by “Epic Games,” there are many other interesting ones created by players themselves. Thus, “Fortnite” is not limited to just one or two main types of games and allows everyone to realize their ideas, plans, concepts, and desires. As the creative director explains, “Fortnite” encourages experimentation by players who interact with a fictional in-game world (Hodent, 2019). By providing such a wide variety of tools and devices, the game is unlikely to bore a player for a long time.
Additionally, the designer of “Fortnite” provides players with new events almost every day, develops the fictional world, and fills it with various content. One of the first and definitely the loudest performances was Travis Scott’s concert at “Fortnite,” which took place in the game. Another similar activity followed this success – the video premiere of the famous K-pop group “BTS.” The game showed “Marvel” films, performances by “Diplo,” “Young Thug,” “Noah Cyrus,” “Marshmello,” “Ariana Grande,” and other similar events. A wide range of different activities makes a strong impression on players, increasing the already huge interest in “Fortnite” and motivation to stay in it.
Besides, “Fortnite” has a free and paid version of “battle pass,” which presents additional game content that rewards players with some pleasant bonuses for completing specific tasks and challenges. This pass is updated approximately once every three months, and along with it, tasks, locations, and characters change, which exactly will surprise any “Fortnite” fan. Thus, players are motivated by the desire to unlock all available rewards, and in some cases, they will play non-stop until all game items are unlocked.
Even though one does not have to pay anything to enter the game, developers also attract people’s attention with beautiful outfits for characters, weapons, hang gliders, and many other in-game elements for a reasonable amount. For example, more recently, the game has featured character models from “The Walking Dead” universe. Accordingly, fans of the series or comic book most likely, will purchase the appropriate items and will have fun playing for characters from this universe.
The “goods and services” offered inside the video game are not only the monetization of the project but also the motivation of players to make purchases in games, thereby forcing them to stay in “Fortnite” longer. In fact, in-game items are one of the types of predatory techniques (Fishbulb Productions, 2020). They encourage players to spend money on their favorite cosmetic items, heroes, and weapons or open new tasks and discover more exciting gameplay. As a rule, after completing microtransactions, players desire to enjoy the delight of paid purchases – they try to complete new quests and tasks and play for a while for their favorite heroes. However, taking advantage of certain psychological factors, developers manipulate their audience and force players to delay the game’s time, helping them have fun and relaxation in the digital world.
Once, “Apple” limited “Fortnite” players to enjoy shopping and the joy of new features, setting prices for in-game goods above the original cost from “Epic Games.” Tim Sweeney, the creator of Fortnite, won an “unspoken dispute” with Apple, which, in turn, violated EC legislation (Liana K, 2020). Subsequently, Epic Games achieved a certain kind of fair access and competition (Liana K, 2020). Perhaps it was one of the most high-profile conflicts in the history of the gaming industry (Liana K, 2020). Fortnite, in turn, attracted the attention of new players, and some of them continue to play to this day.
Conclusion
In conclusion, if video game companies and developers skillfully and creatively approach the concept of motivating players, then they achieve unprecedented success and prosperity. Using the example of “Fortnite,” which is famous worldwide, it is worth noting that “Epic Games” managed to fulfill this mission perfectly, consolidating its leadership position in the market of free multiplayer games. The game provides its loyal fans and new “inhabitants” with a reasonable variety of opportunities and abilities. Therefore, “Fortnite” reinforces the motivation of players to make friends and score new victories and achievements as well. In addition, regular events and musical shows reinforce the desire of people to stay there for a long time and try not to lose sight of the latest news about the world of “Fortnite.” Moreover, the leading game designer of the game was able to breathe life into this project and make the internal gameplay rich and exciting. Thanks to the talent and creativity of the designer, the game, which appeared in the heyday of its genre, was able to strengthen its position over time and get to the top of the “battle royal” market among competitors.
The 1990s in the gaming genre in general can be characterized by the introduction of several home consoles, which gradually transferred games from sprite-based to polygon –based graphics. In the racing genre it can be stated that the major hits in this decade, with a few exception were ports from the arcades. A few notes can be stated regarding the racing games in this decade. Many of the genre-changing games were introduced simultaneously in one year, while there are years that lacked exceptional titles. Thus, the list will not be on a game per year basis, rather than notable games in general in the period from 1990 to 1999.
Stunts (also known as 4D Sports Driving) – 1991
Fig 1 Stunts (Leadbetter, 1994)
Usually referred to as Stunts, this game was published by Brøderbund/Mindscape and was first released on personal computers in 1990. The game was rereleased on other platforms such as NEC and Amiga. As the title implies, Stunts is a racing games that focuses on performing stunts. Being an unusual aspect for the racing genre, it nevertheless was not its main characteristic. The game was characterized by polygon graphics, great controls, a variety of customization options, and what is most important a map editor that allowed players to make their own tracks (“4D Sports Stunt Driving Review,” 2010).
Virtua Racing (1992)
Fig 2 Virtua Racing (“SEGA F1 Virtua Racing arcade game,” 2009)
Virtua Racing by Sega can be seen as an important turning point for the racing genre, specifically in terms of 3 dimensional graphical concepts. The game was first released on arcade machines, and it took almost 3 years for the title to be transferred on home consoles. The game was a formula 1 racing game, and was fully polygonal at the time. The game was introduced as a simulator of driving experience, which also brought a multiplayer experience, allowing players to compete within the location in which the machines were placed.
Ridge Racer (1993-1994)
Fig 3 Ridge Racer (Car Games Reviews, 2010)
Ridge Racer by Namco was a racing game which was famous for its arcade controls, rather than realistic driving experience. The twin date in the title refers to the date the game was introduced to arcade machines as well as the date it was transferred to consoles which popularized the game (IGN Staff, 1995). In addition to arcade car behavior, the game was also famous for its beautiful graphics at the time, with each game in the series being a launch title showing the capabilities of the console. It should be noted that promoting the graphical excellence of the game the arcade version is implied. Generally, the main aspect of the game is its focus on enjoying driving cars, rather than transferring realistic driving experience.
The Need for Speed (1994)
Fig 4 The Need for Speed (Varner, 2996)
The significance of a game can be seen when it is a pilot of a long lasting series. The Need for Speed (the article was removed in subsequent titles) is an exemplary case in that matter. The game was developed by Electronic Arts Canada, and was first introduced on the console 3DO, although the popularity came when the game was released on personal computers a year later. The main genre changing attribute in this game can be seen through the introduction of real driving characteristics of cars, which made each one distinguishable from the other. A characteristic important for the series in general is the selection of real top luxury cars to drive. Another important characteristic is the inclusion of exotic locations in the game.
Daytona USA (1993-1994)
Fig 5 Daytona USA Arcade (Sega, 2009)
Daytona USA was a NASCAR like racing game developed by Sega and released on arcade machines in 1993 and 1994 in Japan and North America respectively. The features exclusive to the arcade versions which made the game popular include fast speeds, realistic racing perspective with arcade behavior, and powerful force feedback that allowed players to feel the road with their cars (Sega, 2009).
Sega Rally Championship (1995)
Fig 6 Sega Rally Championship (RadioSEGA, 2010)
Sega Rally Championship is a racing game developed by Sega for arcade machines, which was later ported to their console Sega Saturn. The game, in addition to being the first rally game by Sega, can be distinguished by the main characteristic of allowing players to feel different surfaces. Such differences could be felt by the player through the way the car was controlled, as well as physically in the arcade version (RadioSEGA, 2010).
TOCA Championship Racing (1997)
Fig 7 TOCA Championship Racing (Ryan Mac Donald, 1998)
Toca Touring Car Championship is a game developed by Codemasters for Playstation and personal computers. The game can be seen as the leader in the racing genre until Gran Turismo came up. The main characteristic of the game defining characteristic of the game is a large number of licensed cars with real physics as well as a close to real representation of cars’ destruction (Ryan Mac Donald, 1998).
Need for Speed III (1998)
Fig 8 Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit (PC)
The third installment of the Need for Speed Series is a game of the racing genre which was developed by Electronic Arts Canada. The game was released on two platforms, Playstation and personal computers. All the characteristic elements of the genre were present, such as exotic cars, arcade controls, and great music. The genre changing element that popularized the game was the introduction of the pursuit mode, as it can be implied from the title. Such mode allows players to race with police cars while avoid being caught by them.
Gran Turismo (1997-1998)
Fig 9 Gran Turismo (Gamespot Staff, 1998)
Gran Turismo is a racing game by Polyphony Digital which was released in 1997 and 1998 in Japan and North American respectively. The main characteristics of the game were genre defining at the time. Additionally the following games in the series are still considered influential. The characteristics include high levels of realism, real life tracks, a large selection of licensed real life cars, and enormous tuning options (Gamespot Staff, 1998).
Gran Turismo 2 (1999)
Fig 10 Gran Turismo 2 (Taruc, 1999)
Gran Turismo 2 (1999) by Polyphony Digital might not a genre changing game like its predecessor; it nevertheless, started a trend witnessed in all the following games in the series, which is more of everything. The number of vehicles included in the game was record breaking, reaching more than 400 cars.
Monopoly Tycoon is a game based on the well-known monopoly, which is available for PC, Android, and iOS. It is primarily focused on management and construction, where the winner is the one with the most wealth accumulated within a specific period of time. Each play is provided with an opportunity to use a given land to build businesses and housing units. These can include hotels, apartments, and companies. The revenue and wealth are generated by selling services and products as well as renting. In addition, utilities, roads, and other properties can be owned through an auction process. The game is stylistically similar to the board game Monopoly, and it can be played both online and offline. However, the major flaw of the game is difficulty finding other players online.
Usefulness for Students
It is important to note that the game has a multiplayer feature, which can be played both online and through a LAN connection. Therefore, the first usefulness is that students can play with each other in a class without being exposed to outside individuals or being constrained to a single-player mode. The second major utility of the game is that its complexity teaches a significant amount about commerce, capitalism, and asset management. The third advantage is that the game is time-sensitive, unlike the board game version, which is why it can be incorporated into an educational process. It was found that mobile game-based learning can be an effective method of knowledge delivery and education if utilized appropriately (Gao et al., 2020). Monopoly Tycoon can become part of the discussion to discuss an array of subjects, such as math, history, politics, economics, financial management, personal financial freedom, sociology, and even the environment.
Reference
Gao, F., Li, L., & Sun, Y. (2020). A systematic review of mobile game-based learning in STEM education. Educational Technology Research and Development, 68, 1791–1827.
FIFA 10, also known as FIFA Soccer 10, was developed by Electronic Arts (EA) Canada and released by EA worldwide in different regions of the world from 2nd October. This is the 17th label in the EA FIFA series of soccer game series and is available for PlayStation 2 and 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, and Nintendo’s Wii. Portable editions were also released for the iPhone, Nintendo DS, PlayStation Portable (PSP), and mobile phones. FIFA 10 is an improvement of its predecessor, FIFA 09, and gives the players a new level of game control through enhanced gameplay responsiveness, individual team settings, pre-match scouting news, advanced goalkeeping tactics, and a new Russian league. Upon its release, FIFA 10 was given high approval ratings by various game review agencies such as Metacritic, GameRankings, and IGN UK, it even ranked higher than its closest competitor, Konami Pro-Evolution Soccer 2010 (Konami PES 2010). The game features 31 leagues with more than 500 teams.
Discussion
FIFA 10 addressed numerous issues and criticisms that had arisen in its previous versions, some of the features unique to this title are discussed below.
Gameplay
FIFA 10 features a more complex ball control and improved physical interactions among players; it offers gamers a 360-degree control and this was its major giving (Bramwell, para. 3). A gamer can make runs, shots, and passes precisely; greater ball control is partly due to the improved ball physics. A new feature, the ‘Total Football Experience’ was added to this edition and allows players to access football news from all the clubs participating in a tournament or league. A player can use an ‘Assistant Manager’ to prepare his team for upcoming matches, for example, if the next match pits the team against a strong opponent, he will choose the most outstanding players. Pre-season friendlies have been added to some versions of this edition and give the manager a chance to prepare the team for the upcoming league season.
When a player chooses to simulate a game, the results are based on the team’s strengths unlike in earlier editions where the scores were randomly assigned. Many improvements were made in the gameplay regarding minor offenses, for example, unintended handballs and players making tackles after the ball has been released can go unpunished. This was not possible in FIFA 09. Besides, the referee may play an advantage in case of these fouls and the game is only halted when a player is seriously hurt. Quick free kicks are also a feature of FIFA 10. Other game modes include ‘Be a Pro’ and ‘Virtual Pro’, other worthy features include the ‘Player Experience and Growth System’ and ‘Live Season’. Generally, FIFA 10 is easier to play and more enjoyable than the earlier editions due to these additional gameplay options.
Realism
FIFA 10 scores highly in its attempt to make the gameplay close to the real action. The main one is the ability of a player to dribble in a 360-degree manner unlike in earlier titles where the players were limited to an eight-point axis that limited their ability to move in any direction. Ball physics have been enhanced, loop and through balls can be played very precisely as the ball moves as expected, passes and spin shots too are accurate (Leyton, 2009, para. 4). Player capabilities have been minimized to acceptable levels, for example, in previous editions, a tall player, such as Peter Crouch, who struck a header in the box score, or a top-notch striker scored in most cases where he was on a one-to-one with the keeper. FIFA 10 developers understood that not all headers by tall players will go in as the player may be under pressure and may head wide or the keeper might block it. The top-notch striker might also encounter a good keeper or fail to gain proper control of the ball, thus failing to score. Long-range or last-minute goals are also rare (Yin-Poole, 2009, para. 4).
Another realism feature is the visuals, the likenesses of the players, stadia, and spectators are very strong albeit with a few mistakes as in the case of Luka Modrich. Player movements too are very swift and devoid of jerky movements as in PES 10, there is a slight delay when a player turns due to practical momentum that comes into play. Ball passing is also real as the ball makes contact with the player, when playing previous FIFA editions and PES 10, it is common to see a player pass the ball at an impossible angle (Bramwell, 2010. para. 7).
FIFA 10 has a highly refined audio system, for example, the drumming by the spectators is heard and commentary is rarely repeated. However, on the flipside, there is a lack of reaction to closely missed chances or when the referee books a player.
Flaws in FIFA 10
Despite the many praises heaped upon this game, it suffers some weaknesses. It is common to see a player like Rooney, with his low center of gravity and great stamina, easily pushed off the ball by a lean right back, or a big-bodied player tackles a small striker such as Arshavin viciously but the referee does not intervene. FIFA 10 performs poorly on close-up details of players, as there is little facial detail (Squiddo, 2010, para. 10). A lack of consistency is evident in the various versions of this game as FIFA 10 played on a PC lacks the realism that is exhibited when the game is played on XBOX 360 and PS3 (Ahearn, 2009, para. 8). The lack of reaction by the spectators on crucial decisions is also a shortcoming. However, these are minor details and one is bound to enjoy the game on any platform.
Conclusion
EA Canada did excellent work in the development of this game by perfecting the procedure laid down when the game first came out and as a result, this is one of the most enjoyable games on any platform. The improvements might seem little on this paper but on the console, it is a different experience altogether; the minute improvements work together to produce a beautiful game experience that is bound to engage the gamer for one-to-many hours. The numerous modes enable the gamer to approach FIFA 10 from many different perspectives, besides, the addition of more leagues to this latest edition means there is more to be played. As game lovers enjoy FIFA 10, they can only ask themselves whether EA Sports will keep up to its standards in the forthcoming titles. Improving on the current version is going to be a great challenge.
The complex development of video games and their entry into the market for ordinary consumers began in the 1970s. However, even before the 1970s, the first developments of the simplest and most well-known games appeared. The first mention of the creation of such games dates back to the 1940s, but it was in 1952 that Alexander Shafto “Sandy” Douglas officially presented his dissertation at the University of Cambridge. The application to the dissertation was the game OXO or tic-tac-toe, but after a successful defense, the game never got on sale.
Five years later, William “Willy” Higinbotham, in New York, demonstrated his brainchild called Tennis for Two. The explosion was less than ten years away, but in 1962 Steve Russell at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) created the first game that multiple computers could play (History.com Editors, 2019). This game was called Spacewar! and was based on the principle of space combat. University workers and students could only play this game since it could only run on the large, complex computers that universities usually purchased.
In the second half of the 1960s, Ralph Baer created a console prototype called the ‘Brown Box,’ which ultimately turned the still barely-born video game industry. For the first time, this prototype made it possible to think that video games could be at home and not require a purposeful trip to the club, bowling, or karaoke from the players. Baer decided to sell the prototype to Magnavox, which sold the system under a different, more resounding name, Odyssey. In 1972, Odyssey became incredibly popular, although it had the most uncomplicated graphics and even required overlays on the TV to play.
In the same year, Atari, led by Nolan Bushnell, created the Pong game, which gained popularity among the players and became the foundation for subsequent successful products. It is how the Atari 2600 system was born in 1977, allowing players to change many cartridges and not worry about monotony. Magnavox Odyssey was compatible with cartridges but did not store any game program on them; the console determined a set of games (28 pieces). In the meantime, things were not rosy, and in parallel with successful creations, some developers had no problem riveting low-quality games (The Gamer, 2021, 06:13-08:29). In addition, the number of consoles offered to customers gradually increased. Cartridges came to consumers in large quantities and obviously contained fragility and limited use.
By the end of the 1970s, the Japanese Pak Man entered the US market and made a splash among the players. Japan introduced the first developments of Nintendo, and the fans learned about the Nintendo Donkey Kong. The arrival of Nintendo in the US market was not easy, as, in 1983, researchers stated total satiety with consoles. There was no standard algorithm by which they could work, which created difficulties in use. A vast number of different consoles complicated the joint games. Often people, without an agreement, bought other consoles and only then realized that the games offered by the program did not fit with those of their friends. In 1985, the world saw the NES: Nintendo Entertainment System (Famicom). The system was assembled to a much higher quality than anything on the market, and the developers used 8-bit graphics, making the games brighter and more colorful (Wirtz, 2020). Subsequently, Nintendo made it their philosophy to produce fewer games but deliver high quality to rival competitors.
Cartridges kept their niche, but for collectors and avid gamers, there was a difficult question about their storage. Nintendo even offered a promotion when buying cartridges as a gift with an empty cardboard box. In 1989, the popularity of cartridges allowed Nintendo to release several essential games: Super Mario Bros, The Legend of Zelda, and Metroid. Considering its popularity and authority, Nintendo began to deal with the low quality of games (Tyson, 202). Low-quality games continued to flood store shelves and became the leading cause of inappropriate cartridge usage.
8- and 16-bit Consoles
Nintendo was one of the most recognized companies that led the 8- and 16-bit era. One of the most popular consoles that impacted the game industry was the Gameboy and Nintendo 64. Players around the world could take their games anywhere and play them to their heart’s content. Game Boy sold over 120 million units around the world. The man who invented the Gameboy was Gunpei Yokoi, which also created the Metroid video game series. He got the idea of a portable gaming system after watching a businessman playing with his calculator. He worked with the Nintendo research and development team to refine his idea. Even though there were electronic handheld games before the game boy, they weren’t as popular due to the rudimentary design and limited choice. The Gameboy was first released in April 1989, in Japan. After three months, it was released in the United States. When the game boy was first introduced, Tetris was added to the Gameboy due to the success that it has in arcades and home computers.
Nintendo later added Tetris as one of the games that were sold with the Game Boy system. Due to this, Tetris became one of the most popular video games ever, which led to 35 million units sold. There were other games that were also popular on the Gameboy, including Legend of Zelda, Kirby Dream Land, and Super Mario Land. Even though Nintendo was very successful, it was surpassed by Sega Consoles. One of the most popular games that was developed by Sega was Sonic. Sea developed the first CD-quality game soundtracks, which changed everything about the gaming industry. The 16-bit era was able to allow developers to tell stories of greater complexity and resonance. Which later led to the creation of the Sega Genesis. Sega Genesis was released in order to compete against the aging 8-bit Nintendo Systems. The Sega Genesis became super popular when Sega Breakthrough hit video game called; Sonic the Hedgehog gained worldwide momentum. Because of this breakthrough, Nintendo saw this as a threat, and later developed a system called Super Nintendo in order to compete against Sega consoles. This Console war between Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis led to the 8- and 16-bit era during the 1990s. Both gaming systems advanced the gaming industry and led to the development 32- and 64-bit consoles later in the 2000s.
3D to Modern Consoles
In the early 90’s, Nintendo and Sony collaborated on a project to produce CD-ROMs for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. CD-ROMs were an alternative storage type that were cheaper to produce and were capable of holding up to 650 MB of data. This new project that was eventually scrapped would have allowed the SNES to read both cartridges and CD-ROMs that would be used to store games. Following this failure, Sony decided to produce its own console, the Sony PlayStation, also known as the PSone. The Sony PlayStation was released in Japan in December 1994 and released in America in September 1995. The PlayStation was a 32-bit console that used CDs instead of cartridges. 32 bit consoles were able to hold more memory which allowed the consoles to run faster and would allow games to make the jump to full three-dimensional polygon graphics rather than 2.5D polygon graphics that was used prior to allowing games to feel as if they were 3D. Utilizing the larger storage capabilities that CD-ROMs provided, game developers could create more complex games that were longer than games released in the past and could add cinematics to enhance the gaming experience. Some of the most famous games that helped make the PlayStation a success is Square Enix’s “Final Fantasy VII”, Capcom’s “Resident Evil” and Naughty Dog’s “Crash Bandicoot”. Sony’s PlayStation would mark the beginning of what is known as the fifth generation of video game consoles.
Following the release of the Sony PlayStation, the next fifth-generation gaming console would be created by Nintendo, who released their response to the PlayStation in the form of the Nintendo 64, a cartridge-based system in Japan in June 1996 and released in America in September 1996. The Nintendo 64 was the successor to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, which had a 64-bit CPU capable of new levels of three-dimensional polygon graphics. Nintendo chose to utilize cartridges instead of CDs which were quickly becoming the standard in the industry due to the advantages ROM cartridges had over CDs, which were that ROM cartridges had faster load times when compared to games on CD and because cartridges were more successful in preventing piracy. Both the Nintendo 64 and PlayStation marked the beginning of the shift to analog-style controllers that remains the standard today. Analog-style controllers utilized analog sticks as an input devices for a controller that would allow for more movement capabilities beyond the traditional standard of “up”, “down”, “left”, and “right” that were provided on a directional pad or d-pad. The Nintendo 64 controller was also the first controller to utilize force feedback vibration in the Rumble Pak accessory that was released alongside Star Fox 64 in 1994. Force Feedback Vibration was a feature that caused the control to vibrate in response to actions that occurred in the game if the game supported the feature. This feature would become a built-in feature to controllers that would be released in the future. Some of the bestselling games of Nintendo 64 that are among the most iconic games in history are “Super Mario 64”, and “The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time”.
Prior to the release of the Nintendo 64, another fifth-generation console was released called the Sega Saturn. Released in November 1994 in Japan and May 1995 in North America, the Sega Saturn was the successor to the Sega Genesis. The Sega Saturn was intended to compete with the Sony PlayStation and utilized a newer CPU, Video Display Processor, and CD-ROM drive to handle the requirements of three-dimensional games. Unfortunately, while the Sega Saturn was initially a success in Japan due to the popularity of the “Virtua Fighter” series and Panzer Dragoon series, a surprise release four months early in North America failed to match the sales in Japan. The console was also regarded as a complex system to develop for and as a result, had limited third-party support. This factor and the release of the Nintendo 64 caused the Sega Saturn to be regarded as a failure and was discontinued in 1998.
Four years later, Sega would release another console that would mark the beginning of the sixth generation of video game consoles. The Sega Dreamcast was the successor to the Sega Saturn and was released in November 1998 in Japan and in September 1999 in North America. The console was designed with the intent to reduce production costs and utilized common parts such as the Hitachi SH-4 CPU and the NEC PowerVR2 GPU and was advertised as the first 128-bit console. This decision would lead to the console’s failure as the components were less powerful than the components used by competitors and game developers had little to no experience with the hardware, which made it hard to develop games. After a disappointing release in Japan, hopes of a successful North American release were dashed when Entertainment Arts, the largest third-party game publisher, declared that they would not develop games for the Dreamcast. Sega collaborated with many different companies in order to make the North American release a success and this effort, alongside games like “Sonic Adventure” and “Soulcalibur” would lead to what was known at the time as the largest sales record with 225 thousand units sold in the first 24 hours of release. However, this could not help the Dreamcast overtake the PlayStation and its successor, the PlayStation 2, leading to the Dreamcast to be discontinued in 2001 and for Sega to withdraw as a console developer and restructure as a third-party publisher. Even though Dreamcast was a failure, it did change the gaming industry as it was the first console to include a built-in modem for internet access and online play.
In the year 2000, Sony released their successor to the PlayStation and a sixth-generation console of their own in the form of the PlayStation 2 or PS2. The PlayStation 2 was released in March 2000 in Japan and October 2000 in North America. The 128-bit console utilized a custom-designed CPU created by Sony and Toshiba and a cushion-designed GPU capable of rendering 75 million polygons per second. Games for the PS2 were stored on DVD-ROMs rather than the CD-ROMs games were stored on for the PSone. The PS2 was backwards compatible with PSOne controllers and games and was capable of playing DVDs and CDs. These built-in features allowed the console to be used as more than just a gaming device, expanding the console’s audience to more than just gamers as DVD players at the time were known to cost more than a PS2. Due to these features and the games released on the PS2, the console was a massive success, becoming the best-selling console of all time, a feat that remains in 2022 with over 125 million units sold. Some of the games that contributed to the PS2’s success are “Gran Turismo” and Rockstar Games’ “Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas”.
The next sixth-generation console to be released was the Nintendo GameCube. The Nintendo GameCube was the 128-bit successor to the Nintendo 64 and was released in September 2001 in Japan and in November 2001 in North America. This system was the first Nintendo-released system to use discs rather than cartridges. GameCube games were stored on MiniDV-style discs that were capable of storing up to 1.5 GB of data. Save data was saved onto Memory Cards that could be plugged into the two memory card ports on the console. The system had a mixed reception as while it was praised for its controller and games, it lacked the multimedia features like DVD and CD playback present in its competitors that made its competitors be seen as better options for home entertainment devices. Some of the games found on the GameCube are “Super Mario Sunshine”, “Super Smash Bros. Melee” and “Mario Kart: Double Dash”. The console also had limited support for online gaming and was capable of connecting to a Game Boy Advance through the use of a link cable.
Microsoft would join Nintendo and Sony as First Party console developers with the release of the Xbox. The Xbox was Microsoft’s first console, released in November 2001 in North America and February 2002 in Japan. Witnessing the success of the PS2, Microsoft feared that the PS2 would overtake the personal computer as an entertainment device and so created the Xbox. The Xbox was built around standard computer computers such as a custom Microsoft Windows and DirectX operating system and a 733 MHz Intel Pentium III processor. Like its rival the Sony PS2, the Xbox had the ability to playback CD-ROMs and DVDs. It also was the first console with a built-in hard drive. The Xbox had direct support for broadband with an integrated Ethernet port. Microsoft would change the gaming industry a year after the launch of the Xbox with the release of Xbox Live. Xbox Live was a fee-based service that allowed real time online gaming. Xbox had a massively successful launch in North America with over 1.5 million units sold thanks to its launch title “Halo: Combat Evolved”, one of the most iconic and impactful games in the gaming industry. While the Xbox was a massive success in North America, it did not sell well in Japan and due to its expensive manufacturer costs, Microsoft lost over $4 billion during the console’s lifespan.
The Seventh generation of video game consoles began with the release of Microsoft’s Xbox 360. The Xbox 360 was the successor to the Xbox that was released in November 2005 in North America and December 2005 in Japan. Using the Xbox 360, Microsoft expanded Xbox Live and supported it with constant updates. Xbox Live now has a free and subscription-based service that allows users to play games online with others and download and purchase games, music, videos, free game demos and media streaming services. The Xbox 360 included wireless controllers that were powered by AA batteries and Microsoft would eventually release the Kinect motion-sensing camera, a device that contained RGB cameras, microphones, infrared projectors, and detectors that had real-time gesture recognition that allowed players to control the system and input action with body movements and voice commands. The Xbox 360 was also capable of HD video and had built-in HDMI output. Some top-selling games on the Xbox 360 were “Halo 3” and “Gears of War”.
Following the release of the Xbox 360, Sony would release their successor to the PS2 in the form of the PlayStation 3 or PS3. Released in November 2006 in Japan and North America, the PS3 was the first console to use Blu-Ray discs to hold games and was the first PlayStation system to use the PlayStation Network, Sony’s response to Xbox Live. The system was also the first console to be controllable through remote connectivity with the PlayStation Portable and the PlayStation Vita. Initial consoles came with built-in backward compatibility, though the feature was removed in later models. The PlayStation 3 had built-in Bluetooth 2.0 and Wi-Fi networking and was capable of 1080p HD. Similar to the Xbox Kinect, Sony would release their attempt at motion control with the PlayStation Move. The PlayStation Move was a motion controller shaped like a wand that used inertial sensors to detect motion while the controller’s position was tracked with a PlayStation Camera. Top-selling games on the PS3 were Naughty Dog’s “The Last of Us” and Rockstar’s “Grand Theft Auto V”.
The last seventh-generation system to release was the Nintendo Wii. The Wii was the successor to the Nintendo GameCube and was released in November 2006 in North America and December 2006 in Japan. Nintendo decided to avoid competing with the Xbox and PS3 and chose to focus instead on targeting a broader player base through a unique feature. The Nintendo Wii was the first console to utilize motion controls, with the Nintendo Wii mote as the main control option. With traditional controls and motion sensing, the wireless Wii mote could be pointed at a sensor above or below a television that would track the Wii mote’s movement and gestures and translate those gestures as input. This new control type was a factor in the Wii’s success and would later be an inspiration for Microsoft and Sony to create their motion-sensing technology. The Wii was the first Nintendo Console to have built-in Internet support and a digital marketplace, the Wii Shop Channel, where games and media applications could be purchased and downloaded onto the console or onto a SD card. Thanks to the backward compatibility function, GameCube games and controllers could be played on the Wii. The Wii was the bestselling seventh-generation console and helped Nintendo return to its place as one of the top gaming companies. Some of the bestselling Wii games were “Wii Sports”, “Mario Kart Wii” and “Super Mario Galaxy”.
The Eighth generation of video game consoles began with the release of the Wii U. Released in November 2012 in North America and in December 2012, the Wii U was the successor to the Nintendo Wii. Intended as an update to the Nintendo Wii, the Wii U was the first Nintendo console to support HD graphics and was backward compatible with all Wii games and accessories. Nintendo continued its trend of releasing unique features for their consoles with the primary controller called the Wii U Gamepad. The Wii U Gamepad had a built-in touchscreen, camera, microphone, 6-inch display, and traditional controls and could be used as an alternative display or as a second screen to support certain functions in certain games. The Wii U was not a success and had limited games and third-party support. Some of the top-selling games on the system were “Mario Kart 8” and “Super Smash Bros. for Wii U”.
Sony’s eighth generation console was the PlayStation 4 or the PS4. The PS4 was the successor to the PlayStation 3 and was released in November 2013 in North America and February 2014 in Japan. Using an AMD Accelerated Processing Unit that was a combination of an AMD64 CPU and GPU, the PS4 was capable of supporting HDR10 video and 4K resolution. With its new DualShock 4 controller, featuring an integrated touchscreen that functioned as an additional button, a headphone jack, motion sensors, and upgraded analog sticks and buttons, games were able to be controlled in new ways. The PS4 also featured an improved Remote Play function that could allow PS4 games to be streamed and played on a PlayStation Vita or PC as well as the ability to stream games online to viewers or to a friend who could control the game as if they were sitting beside the player through the use of Share Play. The PS4 was also a given cloud streaming late into its lifespan. Cloud Streaming allows for games to be played from the cloud, a remote server controlled by the console creators, that does not need to be downloaded and can be played on your console. The PS4 was a massive success and is the second bestselling home game console of all time, second only to the PlayStation 2. Some of the top-selling games that helped achieve this are Naughty Dog’s “Uncharted 4” and Insomniac’s “Spider-Man”. In November 2020, Sony released their successor to the PS4, the PlayStation 5. The console features a custom solid-state drive and an AMD GPU capable of 4k resolution at 120 frames per second with real-time ray tracing. Its redesigned controller, called the Dual Sense is more ergonomic than the DualShock 4 and has a haptic feedback feature. The console is backward compatible with the PS4 and its cloud streaming service PSNOW.
Microsoft’s eighth generation console was the Xbox One, released in November 2013. The Xbox One was the successor to the Xbox 360, which similarly to the PS4 uses an AMD Accelerated Processing Unit. The Xbox One was capable of HDR10 and 4K video playback and could play Blu-Ray discs and overlay live television. Its controller was a redesigned Xbox 360 controller with updated controls and directional haptic feedback in the triggers. A few years after release, backward compatibility with Xbox 360 titles was added to the console as well as backward compatibility with the original Xbox. Microsoft also released Xbox Game Pass, a video game subscription service that would allow users to download games from a catalog of hundreds of games or stream those games through cloud streaming. Top-selling games on the Xbox One are “Halo 5: Guardians” and CD Projekt Red’s “The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt”. In November 2020, Microsoft released their currently supported consoles, the Xbox Series X/S. The Series X is capable of up to 8K resolution with real-time ray tracing and features a solid-state drive for the first time in an Xbox console. The Series S was a lower-end model of the Series X, that had a less powerful GPU and did not have a disc drive for physical games. Both consoles are backward compatible with Xbox One and Xbox Game Pass.
Handheld and Mobile Gaming
Mobile gaming is a staple of the modern entertainment industry and currently holds the majority share of global annual revenue in the gaming marketplace. However, the subgenre’s overwhelming success has only occurred relatively recently (within the past decade); mobile gaming has been around in some form for decades.
The first recorded example of a video game being used on a cell phone dates back to 1993, when the tech company Siemens managed to run Tetris on a mobile phone. However, because a patent on mobile phone games already existed at the time, the company did not want to risk a lawsuit and convinced the concept of mobile games as a whole was an unprofitable endeavor, elected not to pursue the concept any further. In the same year, IBM released the IBM Simon phone, which included an app with a puzzle game called “Scramble”. Towards the end of the year, another phone called the Hagenuk MT-2000 would launch with Tetris installed on it.
These early forays into the industry were largely isolated in that it would not be until the early 2000s that advancements in technologies allowed for more sophisticated games and purpose-built devices for mobile gaming to permeate the market. Mobile consoles such as the Gameboy Advance and Nintendo DS were very popular in the early-to-mid-2000s. Cell phone games did exist during this era, but purpose-built mobile gaming consoles dominated the mobile gaming market throughout the course of the early 2000s.
During this time, the gaming industry as a whole was experiencing a period of rapid technological progress. Indeed, the entire genre of mobile gaming is largely a byproduct of the considerable advancements made in computing technologies during the 90s and 2000s. Such advancements allowed for higher-resolution displays, 3d graphics, longer-lasting batteries, and more complex in-game physics engines. Later, such advancements would also allow for onboard storage of game data and, eventually, the storage of entire games without the need for an external cartridge.
Circling back to cell phones, we see in the late 2000s the advent of the Apple iPhone and the release of the iOS operating system in 2007. This represented a major paradigm shift in the cell phone industry and ushered in the modern age of smartphones. With smartphones came thousands of mobile game apps and an explosion of the mobile gaming market prevalence. Touchscreen technology, solid-state drives, and an ever-expanding wireless internet network were at the forefront of these advances.
A consequence of the advent of smartphone mobile gaming was the decline of traditional mobile console gaming, as the popular perception was that such devices were rendered redundant by the versatility afforded by mobile phones.
The earliest smartphone games were diverse and included popular titles such as Angry Birds, Fruit Ninja, and Temple Run. Many were ported directly from older mobile console counterparts, such as the Nintendo DS. Contemporary smartphone games almost always have a multiplayer component and tend to focus on the accumulation of in-game resources. Monetization is a contentious topic in modern mobile gaming, and the subgenre “gacha” game is used to denote titles in which ‘predatory’ business practices are used to entice the player into spending large amounts of money on a particular title.
Summary
The tremendous changes in the digital gaming market in the second half of the 20th century marked the beginning of a new round in the entertainment industry. They gave rise to the development of new and advanced consoles, portable set-top boxes, and other gaming tools. The transition from the simplest tools with primitive games to advanced consoles with a large volume of memory and realistic graphics took several decades, during which technology was continuously being improved. The emergence of the Japanese company Nintendo in the US market can be considered a breakthrough when gaming content began to have a higher resolution and offered users a wider range of games. 8-bit and 16-bit consoles are considered classics of the gaming industry today because, with their help, the world learned about such massive games as Super Mario Land or Legend of Zelda.
In the late 1990s-early 2000s, the gaming market was transformed once again when CDs replaced cartridges. Games received even higher resolution, and new devices for playing digital content appeared. So far, the competition between Sony and Xbox continues, which indicates the great attention of developers to the interests of gamers and significant funds invested in innovation in this area. The constant updating of the game base with new products has led to the fact that movements in support of specific games have appeared, and millions of fans worldwide have become involved. The final round in developing this area was optimizing the world’s favorite games on mobile devices. The adaptation of beloved projects to the iOS operating system has kept the target market’s interest in gaming, and the multiplayer option has expanded the understanding of mobile games, influencing the industry significantly.
References
History.com Editors. (2019). Video game history. HISTORY; A&E Television Networks.
Medal of Honor is a first-person fighter video game franchise. DreamWorks Interactive created the first game, which was distributed by Electronic Arts for the PlayStation. The gameplay focuses on the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), an American surveillance organization during the Second World War. The game is set to depict the Afghanistan invention in 2002 and the battle between the U.S. military and the Taliban. The Coalition and the Opposing Forces are the two conflicting forces in the game. The Coalition uses M16A4, M4A1, M21, AT4, and M9 pistols, whereas the Opposing Forces utilize AK-47, AKS-74U, SVD, RPG-7, and Tariq pistols, which are comparable to those used by the Taliban (Mirrlees, 2019). Due to the close resemblance of the game to the Afghanistan war, the game has sparked a controversy that depicts society as a critical element whose interest should be considered in the game settings and role play.
Identifying the Controversy
Video games, whether single or multi-player, are meant to educate, critic, and reinforce some values in society. When they fail to meet the socially accepted codes and expectations of a group of people, they can be described as controversial. The “Medal of Honor” game features the first-line combat operations in a manner that has sparked controversies among the U.S. population. According to Chapman and Linderoth (2015), the game sparked a major controversy among the American military and the families of men and women who played sacrificial roles in the Afghanistan war. This is attributed to the game’s feature that allows a player to take the role of the Taliban and fight with the American soldiers. Although the game ends in victory for the U.S. military, the fact that Americans can choose to play the roles of their enemy is controversial.
Lessons from the Controversies
Games reflect certain attributes in society and evoke different feelings and perspectives in society. In contrast to most other types of entertainment, video games may bring people together from diverse backgrounds and ideologies. When people participate in any type of gameplay, they are encouraged to adopt a point of view that they are not used to (Costa et al., 2018). Gaming has evolved to include authentic, collaborative play that brings people together from all classes. This fosters new relationships and promotes stronger communities. As video games have grown in complexity, richness, and depth, so too have the communities who enjoy them, and those communities are only growing in inclusiveness and accessibility (Burgess & Matamoros-Fernández, 2016). Through these new relationships, gamers are able to put themselves in the shoes of others, which promotes empathy and compassion among the player community. In “Medal of Honor,” society’s criticism of the characters, setting, and theme of the play reveal several attributes of its perception of video games.
Video Games as Value Moderators
Patriotism, honor, and respect are some of the values expected of every member of society. For the love of their nation and the commitment to global peace and harmony, the U.S. Military launched an attack in Afghanistan to fight the Taliban and neutralize their influence over the country. They expected that every American would honor their sacrifices on the battlefield. The game “Medal of Honor” violates this requirement by having a game setting that allows users to decide whether to play as the Coalition or Taliban (Chapman & Linderoth, 2015). The Taliban aspect reminds the American heroes of the challenges they faced on the battlefield. The situation is worsened by having Americans stake the role of the enemy who killed the military, inflicting pain on the entire force and their loved ones. This controversy led to several complaints and criticism, which led to the name change from Taliban to opposing forces.
This instance proves that society views video games as critical elements that can reinforce or limit the expression of societal values. The values in question here are patriotism and honor, which should be directed to the war heroes. In line with social expectations, Electronic Arts, the video game’s producer, was asked to pull down the Taliban part, to which it complied (Mirrlees, 2019). In a statement delivered by Mr. Goodrich, the executive producer, the move was taken to honor the heroes who “paid the ultimate sacrifice” during the war (Mirrlees, 2019). This controversy further ascertains that video games are not mere sources of entertainment but have a significant role in shaping values and teaching them to all members of society. At no point should a society’s values be violated, even in a video game.
Influence of Games on Behavior and Personality Development
Society is comprised of individuals with different life perspectives, personalities, and behaviors. In many cases, a person is bound to pick up a trait from their surroundings: people, events, and games. According to Bean et al. (2017), video gamers have been a significant and increasing part of our society for a long time. As the population of video gamers increases, so does the prevalence of social evils. War is one of the social issues that has affected individual nations and global interactions. The game “Medal of Honor” reveals the complexity of war and the advancement in warfare techniques and machines. Ouellette and Thompson (2017) show that people’s behavior can be altered by their attitudes and participation in video games. Therefore, the controversy raised on the “Medal of Honor” demonstrates that society believes it has a role to protect its people against moral erosion that could result from the game.
The impact of video games on behavior change has been going on for decades, with society and video gamers taking opposite sides. According to critics, video games, contrary to popular belief, do not promote violence or bad conduct (Bean et al., 2017). There have been many prejudices and unfounded assertions made about this aspect for years now. One of the most destructive allegations made by the media is that video games are to blame for acts of violence and criminal activity. The claims raised against the “Medal of Honor” prove that society holds the position that advocating for Taliban roles would promote violence and irate behavior among gamers.
Games Compared to National Interests
Military combats are crucial operations whose details should be minimally revealed to the public. In the “Medal of Honor,” the characters chosen, locations displayed, and weapons used are characteristic of the real world (Chapman & Linderoth, 2015). They represent the actual weaponry used in the war, hinting at the secrets of battle. Since the purpose of the game was to entertain the public and demonstrate the skill and prowess of the American military, fictional places would have been a better choice.
The game exemplifies the popular military shooter genre in interactive media, which continues to be criticized. High-definition graphics are becoming more realistic, and game developers are attempting to provide the most authentic experiences imaginable. These games are now attempting to portray contemporary events and write stories about them. There is a higher level of sensitivity when dealing with current themes (Ouellette & Thompson, 2017). When compared to earlier World War II or Vietnam War games, though, most people would say that there isn’t the same amount of sensitivity.
A source of this controversy surrounds the battlefield tactics revealed in the game. Since these strategies are specific to the Afghanistan war, they must have come from an insider within the forces. According to Mirrlees (2019), the American Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) ordered the game to be banned from sale on its military bases since it violated core principles. In defense, the producers argued that representing the war on a video game was not different from noting it down in books. The decision made by the AAFES concerning the controversy reveals that video games are viewed as insignificant elements that should not interfere with national security in their portrayal of key social concepts. Although the game attracted millions of gamers globally, it threatened to wrongly highlight American military operations and therefore had to be stopped.
The Effect of Video Games on People
Although the “Medal of Honor” was set as a harmless game to highlight the Afghanistan war and the U.S. military’s victory, its impact on soldiers and their families were ignored. According to research done by Chapman and Linderoth (2015), maladaptive behavior, poor social skills, and loneliness are some of the negative impacts of video games. It is reported that while some people may benefit from video games through enhanced critical thinking and problem-solving skills, others may lose friends and become violent through addictive gaming (Bean et al., 2017). These harmful effects are important factors that led to the controversy in the “Medal of Honor.”
From the U.S. military’s perspective, the game would traumatize the soldiers and their families. The events described in the game, the locations, and the weaponry are elements with which the soldiers were too familiar. Again, the roles played by characters in the game represent the actual roles played by the American heroes who risked their lives daily on the battlefield. If the soldiers were to watch someone being killed by the Taliban characters in eth game, assuming that they played the role of the murdered character, they would be traumatized. After the war, the soldiers needed a warm welcome and time to recover from the shock of the bloodshed they witnessed on the ground. It follows that exposing them to a game showing some of the failures would harm their psychological well-being. Essentially, this controversy reveals that games are viewed as elements that could negatively affect people’s psychological, emotional, and mental well-being.
The youth represent a large proportion of society, and their ability to take different characters is undoubtedly high. In society, criminals and terrorist organizations are led by individuals, sometimes the youth, who have learned some war tactics from video games. According to Costa et al. (2018), the media and gaming fields are two significant forces that have continued to shape characters in society. Since the Taliban were a group of terrorists, well-trained and fighting against a powerful American military, some youths may learn that they, too, could play a similar role in real life. Aggression and violence begin in the mind, which could be triggered by video games, and grow in a person until they materialize through active participation. In this case, society holds the view that young people would be psychologically affected by video games to the point that they could turn to terrorism to fulfill their roles. Video games are not viewed as mere entertainers but as tools with the potential to solve society’s challenges or inflict it a myriad of political, social, and economic problems.
Conclusion
In conclusion, video games have significantly impacted society’s values and motivated individuals to develop new perspectives on life. The game “Medal of Honor” was set to honor the men and women who took part in the Afghanistan war against the Taliban. Although the American military emerged victoriously, many soldiers died on the battlefield. The game was set to include the coalition fighting against an opposition force originally named the Taliban. These roles created a controversy among the American population, especially soldiers and their families. The controversy shows that society believes that video games significantly affect social values, impede psychological well-being, and should be insignificant compared to national interests. It is society’s role to protect its people and ensure that its core values are preserved. The pressure placed on the video game producers to change the Taliban name signifies that society was keen on correcting the apparent destruction caused by the video game. Although the game was developed to honor American war heroes, it created a controversy that limited its impact and exposed society’s different perspectives on video games.
References
Bean, A., Nielsen, R., van Rooij, A., & Ferguson, C. (2017). Video game addiction: The push to pathologize video games. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 48(5), 378-389. Doi: 10.1037/pro0000150
Burgess, J., & Matamoros-Fernández, A. (2016). Mapping sociocultural controversies across digital media platforms: one week of #gamergate on Twitter, YouTube, and Tumblr. Communication Research and Practice, 2(1), 79-96. Doi: 10.1080/22041451.2016.1155338
Chapman, A., & Linderoth, J. (2015). Exploring the Limits of Play: A Case Study of Representations of Nazism in Games. The Dark Side of Game Play, 137-153. Doi: 10.4324/9781315738680-9
Costa, C., Tyner, K., Henriques, S., & Sousa, C. (2018). Game Creation in Youth Media and Information Literacy Education. International Journal of Game-Based Learning, 8(2), 1-13. Doi: 10.4018/ijgbl.2018040101
Mirrlees, T. (2019). 29. Medal of Honor. In How to Play Video Games (pp. 242-249). New York University Press.
Ouellette, M. A., & Thompson, J. C. (2017). The Post-9/11 Video Game: A Critical Examination. McFarland.
In 1989, Fusajiro Yamauchi launched a small company called Marufuku Corporation in Kyoto Japan. The founded corporation later on turned to be Nintendo Company. Before turning into the renowned Nintendo, Marufuku was popular for the playing cards the firm produced to be used when participating in the Hanafuda, the Japanese game.
The company solidified its playing card business position between 1907 and WWII. Marufuku started to supply the Japanese communities with Hanafuda cards in 1925.
The Japanese amusement market was greatly devastated by WWII, though Marufuku and the playing card industry advanced more than any other corporations. Whereas the manufacturing plant for Marufuku was damaged during the war, the corporation succeeded to forge ahead in the following periods.
In 1950, Yamauchi assumed the position of the president in the firm and got on a variety of strategies with the purpose of rationalizing and modernizing the way the firm was controlled. Marufuku factories were consolidated by Yamauchi who then altered its name to Nintendo in 1951.
In the postwar era when Yamauchi realized that the playing cards business boomed and there were shortages, he reacted by inspiring the corporation to produce quality plastic playing cards. While challenges were encountered in the preliminary plastic cards production, the firm began its mass assembly in 1953.
Nintendo was able to sell playing cards that had the imprints of animation characters after completing a business agreement with Disney in 1959 whereby the firm had to share some profits acquired from selling the advanced cards. Nintendo opted to become public in 1962 when the company realized that the business was remarkably successful.
1960s to 1980s diversifications
Nintendo pursued its drive to innovate and diversify in 1960s and this helped the company to become common name in 1980s. The glowing company developed most of its new product lines in 1963. The game department was successful and in 1969, it built a unique game manufacturing plant in Uji Town. The first electronic technology was introduced by Nintendo in 1970.
An example of the Beam Gun Series technology produced by Nintendo was the shooting system called laser-clay pigeon. This company expanded its business of projection based games to the western markets. The arcade game technologies prospered in the subsequent periods and Nintendo was in the frontline.
For instance, Nintendo cooperated with Mitsubishi Electric in 1975 to develop filmed game systems via the use of video player technology. The technology emerged as the first artless home video game in 1977.
Nintendo also started to feature some of its high-tech amusement arcade games. In 1978, the company produced and used microcomputers to sell coin operated video games. Such innovations led to the emergence of Donkey Kong in 1981 giving the video games (arcade) its stereo sound and complex graphics.
Nintendo similarly sold watch line and game products including football with digital quartz micro hardware in 1980s. The company was able to expand its markets to the US in 1982 as it focused on the marketing and developing household video technologies. Nintendo built new production plants in 1983 to meet Famicom production requirements in Uji town.
Despite the reported losses in the video game industry in the late 1985, Nintendo used the swift selling Famicom to enter the US market. It however seized the US market by redesigning the Famicom to produce Nintendo Entertainment System. Nintendo Company became widely recognized for the numerous Pokemon pocket monster, Luigi, Zelda, Mario and other characters.
The firm’s handheld gaming system also known as Game Boy has dominated the market from the time when it made its first debut. In fact, the Game Boy advanced to give the cutting-edge play station version while the Game Cube which materialized as its gaming console overhauled the Xbox. The latter product was deemed as the most prevalent and succeeding console to the PlayStation 2 that Sony tendered to the market.
Although the console market has been ruled by Sony, the novel Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance have continuously steered the market for the handhelds despite the introduction of the PlayStation Portable (PSP) by Sony.
As Nintendo’s consoles gained a bigger market share, the firm has maintained to be the most interactive market game pioneer as a result of its continuous innovations, Silicon graphics and animated characters presently designed by Shigeru Miyamoto.
After the stepping down of Hiroshi Yamauchi in 2002, Nintendo appeared to have taken a new turn. The corporation assumed business as usual but offered low priced GameCube version to the Chinese market. Besides, Nintendo purchased 3% stake of the toy producer Bandai Corporation and Japanese software developer.
Internal strengths
Human resources capabilities
Nintendo is capable of hiring employees with rare talents in building both software and hardware that supports video games. Moreover, the company has one of the few talents that can design and develop rare video games that attract large clientele not only in Japan, but also in other parts of the world.
Having such rare talents within the workforce provides the firm with internal capability and increased competitive advantage. Investment in human capital has enabled the company to be more competitive through the value that the workforce creates for its customers.
Financial resources capabilities
With increased sales, Nintendo has accumulated enough financial resources that enable it to expand and finance its operations effectively. These financial resources have also enabled the company to enhance its research and development activities.
As a result, the company has remained ahead in developing new products that are oriented to the market. Introduction of new products in the market has led to increased sales and revenue adding to the benefits of the firm. Besides, increased financial capability is the strength behind hiring highly talented and experienced workforce which has generally contributed to the value addition.
Organization structure of the company
The way the company is organized and managed has also increased its efficiency and effectiveness. The company has adopted the less bureaucratic structure that leads to efficiency in decision making. Even though the company has been divided into various branches, the line between the management and the bottom employees is extremely thin.
This has increased employee attachment not only to the business, but also to their working environment. Such a structure leads to effective and efficient management processes. Ultimately, the internal structural organization and effective management processes enhance the competitive advantage of the company and keeps it ahead of other firms in the industry.
Technological capabilities
Nintendo has technological capabilities that enable it to develop new game consoles. These technological capabilities have made the firm to lead in the video game market by introducing new products as soon as the popularity of one game diminishes.
Besides developing new software and hardware, Nintendo is capable of developing security codes for its consoles and avoids counterfeit products. This internal technological capability has enabled the company to monopolize the Japanese and US markets for a very long time.
Internal weaknesses
Top Management
Nintendo top management comprises of individuals from one family. Although the family is the founder of the company and the major decision maker, some individuals might lack the ability to manage the company effectively. As a result, the company performance may decrease leading to the loss in revenue and market share.
Nintendo has not moved away from the old Japanese business models where the company is managed by family members despite incompetence. Such incompetence in the management may destroy the company reputation resulting into a profound reduction in the market performance.
Distribution channels
Although distribution channels that Nintendo uses to sell its products may be seen as strength, they may also be disadvantageous in terms of management. Managing such fragmented distribution channels may be cumbersome especially in a wide geographical location of US. Moreover, some of the channels may be less productive thereby increasing the cost of operations.
Besides difficulties in managing distribution channels, the company also faces difficulties in expanding to newer markets. This is primarily due to cultural differences. Most of its products are designed according to Japanese cultural aspects which might not fit well in other cultures.
Porter’s five force analysis
Rival sellers
Nintendo has been a very strong player in the game console industry. The company competed with Sony in terms of unit sales of game consoles from 1995 to 2000. The GameCube released about the same time as Xbox cost $199 which was approximately $100 below Playstation 2 and Xbox’s prices (Sterman, Jekarl and Reavis, 13).
Such a big difference in price permits the company to target at the low segment of the market; young people from 7 to 20 years of age who cannot afford to buy more expensive consoles and do not require more features as compared to mature age groups.
Microsoft is also one of the leaders in game console market. The company’s Xbox has taken a big share of the market. This makes Microsoft a household name in the industry. Xbox with its sequel is on top of the wave and has been competing with Sonny fiercely.
The firm’s strong brand name in home electronics, software and game consoles makes it a big threat in the market, especially for future game consoles (all-in-one electronic devices supporting home entertainment, gaming and web browsing). The Xbox is Microsoft’s first entry into the market but aggressive marketing by the company has resulted in much awareness of the product among the gamers.
Xbox attempts to beat Playstation in almost every feature, hoping to compensate for its late arrival and grab some market share. Moreover, Microsoft is notorious for overusing hardware resources for its operating systems and this leads to gamers suspecting that the use of more advanced hardware enhances the features of Xbox.
Buyer bargaining power
Since the game console is a consumer product, it is good to depend highly on sales. Thus, the consumer has a high bargaining power on the Nintendo gaming consoles. The market according to the case has increased heavily because of Nintendo’s sport and fun games. Sales also increased after lowering the price of the game consoles.
Suppliers bargaining power
There is high bargaining power of suppliers in regard to hardware. Therefore, it becomes necessary to calculate the product prices regarding to the price of the hardware units used. Prices for preceding game consoles were high because the output of microprocessors was generally lower than expected. Again, there were shortages of inputs like blue Light Emitting Diodes required for the BruRay Drives.
Game publishers and developers provide the games for Nintendo’s consoles thus the company has to listen to their demands and needs. The company is therefore compelled to have more games developed for the newer consoles than for the earlier version because of the complicated architecture.
Threat of new entrants
There is a very low risk of new entrants because of the development phase which has to be completed to successfully release a new gaming console. That is, a lot of money is required to enter the gaming market. Already, market saturation has been reached with only three key console providers.
Moreover, the key problem is that those who develop games would not create games for a new, unpopular and inexperienced platform when they are not sure how the new platform will sell. However, PC and home electronics manufacturers, software developers and handset makers may decide to enter the gaming market as they have the full potential in terms of resources and coverage.
Substitutes
The very threatening substitute is the upcoming Cloud Gaming Service commonly referred to as OnLive.com. There is a big potential that this expectation is not measurable yet because it is still in beta status. Other substitutes include PCs, calculators, game machines and cellular phones all of which have built-in games.
SWOT analysis
Strengths Established and give a competitive advantage Robust revenue growth provides greater stability
Weaknesses Dependence on suppliers Declining cash position
Opportunities Positive outlook for entertainment industry Changing and positive trends in consumption patterns
Threats Short product lifecycle Shift in consumer preference Currency exchange fluctuation
Evaluation of Nintendo’s corporate strategy
Nintendo Corporation created a strong brand name through innovation and licensing, although, this legend seems to fall apart as profits decline. The reasons for this decline are affected by crucial strategic issues which become the main disadvantage to the company.
The first issue is associated with the company’s inefficient manufacturing structures that decrease the quality of products which affects the reputation badly and decrease the product competitiveness. The heart of most distinct management practice in Japan is their productivity improvement, quality control (QC) circles, total quality control (TQM) activities or the labor relation-collectively termed as “Kaizen” (DeWit and Meyer 156).
It is argued that the implication of companywide quality control or TQC have been that the concepts have assisted Japanese organizations to build a way of thinking that is process-oriented and come up with strategies that ensure continuous improvement.
In Nintendo however, the company failed to perform well or make improvement in Kaizen or develop an efficient manufacturing structure to ensure high quality products thus causing an enormous damage to the business.
Nintendo’s failure to sustain an efficient manufacturing structure or implement Kaizen effectively to ensure high quality products damaged their reputation and incredible brand name causing them to lose their competitive advantage in the market. In building competitive advantage, an organization must meet the expectations and needs of its customers.
The failure for Nintendo’s product qualities to meet the expectations and needs of customers completely swiped away the company’s reputation and decreased the confidence in the market. It is also pointed that, good reputation is what all businesses would wish to have, yet it is more valuable in some cases than in others.
Good reputation is among the intangible resources for Nintendo which differentiates the firm from other competitors, enabling them to charge their excellent quality and product a premium price.
Hence, the diminishing reputation of Nintendo weakens core competencies and creates a negative prejudice which affects its competitive advantage directly and thus becomes a significant threat to the business.
Besides the reputation and quality issues, Nintendo is not swift in responding to market shift in demand and thus weakens its competitive advantage. For instance, the delays in launching of many consoles in Europe due to problems in manufacturing caused the company failure in fulfilling the market demands.
This increasingly put Nintendo at stake since other strong competitors like Sony and Microsoft were swift in gaining a share in those markets. It enabled them to enjoy the first-mover advantages. First-movers may gain competitive advantages in creating distribution channels, gaining the consumer attention or linking with the specialized suppliers.
Any product of class advertised first tends to impress more strongly in the minds of consumers than the ones that follow. As a result, Nintendo lost a large share of the market and its competitive advantage in the gaming industry; they did not benefit from first mover advantages leaving them behind other competitors in markets outside US and Japan.
Business level strategy
Since Nintendo’s conception, the business strategy was based on developing video game machines. The company focused all its strengths in innovating gaming consoles progressively. As the pioneer in the industry, the company developed a coin-operated video game machine called Famicom in the 80s which surpassed other competing products in terms of technology.
The company focused on developing gaming machines that could support several games unlike the machines offered by competitors. Through licensing, the company was able to expand in Japan and the United States.
As time went by, the company enhanced its innovation to capture the differing needs of consumers. For the United States, the firm redesigned the Fomicom to develop Nintendo Entertainment System that could fit and compete in the market. The company also opened new channels that would be more close to consumers.
Through retailers, the business was able to expand to all major cities of the United States. This expansion and business monotony was also enhanced by the strategy of securing their gaming machines such that other games could not be played in them.
With increasing competition, Nintendo’s business strategy focused more on innovation. The company led competitors in terms of product research and development. It was the first to introduce the 8-bit systems, 16-bit systems and 64-bit systems.
These in particular made the company to succeed year after year and by 1992, the firm had acquired 60% of the market share. The company was already established well in Japan and US thus dropped licensing as the supportive business strategy.
When Sony and other competitors penetrated the market with new products, Nintendo’s market share and profitability dropped significantly. The company responded by changing its business strategy and focusing on developing gaming machines using plug-in cartridges in conjunction with Silicon Graphics. This product which was targeted to children and young teenagers boosted sales until Sony introduced the Playstation.
Nintendo could no longer compete effectively as more competitors such as Microsoft introduced more advanced technology in the market. As a result, the company’s GamaCube was not successful as expected. However, the company reinvented its business strategy and developed Wii. The strategy was to use off-the-shelf components to assemble a much cheaper gaming machine that could be offered at a cheaper price.
The product was also targeted to a much wider audience through innovation that enabled motion sensitivity, wireless control that gave way to interactive games. This new innovation became the core competitive strength and brought back Nintendo to the leading position in the industry.
Nintendo structure and control systems
The strategic organizational structure of Nintendo is such that the decisions stems from the higher levels of management and flows down the ladder. It is a kind of centralized structure in which strategic decisions are closely held by middle and lower level managers.
While the licensing and merging decisions are made solely by the management, product development decisions are a combined effort of both the managers and the developing teams. The managers trigger the product strategy when competition becomes too stiff and sales decline. The design and development ideas are the ingenuity of the research and development teams.
Notably, strategy achievement and decisions incorporation are assessed through two mechanisms. First, the managers consider the operation measures in which they measure customer satisfaction and retention levels. The reason is that the major objective of the strategic decision is to capture a larger market and eventually increase sales. Therefore, customer perspective becomes a major control system.
Secondly, the company is sales-driven. Competitive pressure is determined by the company sales as compared to other competitors. Therefore, innovation and learning are also control systems used in the company where sales growth is the measure. Throughout, the company has referred its success to sales growth of each product launched.
Recommendations
For the company to succeed in the future, it must invest in technological advancement. Technology will enable the company to remain at the elevated competitive edge. Also, the company will continue to use its technological advancement to introduce new products into the market ahead of its competitors.
This capability will provide the company with a stronger competitive advantage. In addition, the company must produce games or items portraying the global outlook to attract as many markets as possible.
The future of Nintendo does not necessarily depend on innovation alone. There are other elements to consider in order for the firm to capture a royal market share and drive sales. Target markets should comprise of consumers with the ability to sustain a high financial status, not just young kids. After all, the success of the business depends on the ability of the customers to make repeated purchases.
As other competitors focus on innovation, Nintendo should differentiate by aiming to market its products in the untapped markets such as the emerging economies. Its financial position and brand name can act as the effective marketing strengths for this expansion.
Given the level of competition in the gaming industry, Nintendo needs to offer unlimited interactive entertainment to all the consumers at average prices to enable it capture dominant market share. To realize this, the company must focus in the production of a product that it feels to have higher competitive advantage over other market rivals such as Sony and Microsoft.
Works Cited
DeWit, Bob and R. Meyer. Strategy: Process, Content, Context. New York, NY: Thomson International Business Press, 2004. Print.
Sterman, John, Jekarl Kahn and Reavis Cate. 2008. Sony’s Battle for Video Game Supremacy. 2008. Web.
Power play is the intense painstaking activities undertaken in order to realize specific laid down objectives. Atari and Nintendo were among the major companies that ventured in home video game system business. Previously, Atari was a major power to reckon with in the industry but was later toppled by Nintendo. This paper is generally about Nintendo’s power play in the video game industry.
Nintendo’s product enhancement
Nintendo’s power play of displacing Atari, an earlier entrant in the industry, was by various tactics. The first tactic included by Nintendo in the earlier stages was to advance its product by extracting the performance from the 8-bit processor into an enhanced powerful home machine with superior graphics and fast action.
Secondly, Nintendo’s policy of incorporating security chip among other microchips in the console made sure that only their approved cartridges played on their system. Why? According to my personal view, it was a measure to ensure their cartridges were selling, since Nintendo was also in cartridge manufacturing business.
In addition, insulating its dedicated R&D team from sales team, guaranteed better chances of getting truly fresh game concepts in line with Nintendo’s third President, Hiroshi Yamauchi. The team emerged with several successful hit games such as Donkey Kong, Famicom and Game Boy among others.
Pricing and Subcontracting
Part of Yamauchi’s vision was to introduce new and cheaper video games in the market than the competitors. Nintendo games become cheap than those of its competitors due to several factors. Nintendo subcontracted manufacturing of its cartridges, chipsets and later on games.
This gave the company room to concentrate more on crucial matters such as marketing. Cartridges and chips were obtained at a rock bottom prices and were later retailed to Nintendo game producers at very profitable margins. These measures by Nintendo were essential in displacing Atari and ensuring impeccable sales and revenue.
Atari’s troubles
On the other hand, Atari was facing it own problems, which included rampant counterfeiting of its products, poor sales and production of low quality software which subsequently lead to lack of hardware coordination.
This was reflected when Atari came out with Super, a second-generation video game that failed to run cartridges for the VCS. Atari suffered two more blows, one was defection of its engineers who run away to open their own firm and the other was loss of money because of an overbuilt inventory.
Rationale behind licensing terms
Nintendo’s main underlying principle behind its licensing terms for game developers and its strategy towards retailers was to fight, if not to exterminate competition. It engaged in unfair restraint codes and used its market power to prevent potential competitors from challenging its market dominance in system, chip and cartridge manufacturing.
For instance, production of consoles with security codes that could only play on Nintendo’s system was one such unfair restraint code application. Another biased practise was restriction on the number of game titles.
The company restricted each developer to five titles in one year. Other competing manufactures withdrew from development after Nintendomania took grip of the market.
Nintendo intervened in the retailing price of its products and in some instances like in the U.S., the company stocked stores for free thus effectively cutting competition. This amounted to monopoly as alleged by Namco head, Masaya Nakamura as he responded to the new contract requirements.
Conclusion
Nintendo was becoming vulnerable to several factor, one being lack of concentration due to over expanding of its market. The emerging legal issues were another risk that Nintendo faced.
Many potential competitors sought legal action against Nintendo, due to indulgence in unfair business activities and allegations by subcontractors concerning power abuse. Nintendo at some point bullied retailers that it would to do away with them if they sold competitors products.
Video game streaming is a comparably new business sector that only starts developing, and careers of streamers are discussed and studied today as an innovative trend in the context of eSports. From this point, the career of a professional streamer is a developing business phenomenon that requires its detailed examination because of the increased interest of partners and viewers in this sphere. The main platform where professional streamers can broadcast their experience in playing online is Twitch.tv that was founded in 2011 by Emmett Shear (Hollist 829). Today, the platform has the monthly flow of visitors in more than 30 million people (Edge 1). The rise of similar platforms for streaming online game playing or tournaments during the recent years indicated the development of the new type of the Internet entertainment industry that guarantees profits not only for platform owners but also to professional players in the sphere of eSports who began to develop the career of streamers (Hollist 829). The most popular streamers are those ones who succeeded in developing the career at Twitch.tv, playing League of Legends. From this point, in spite of the fact that the Twitch.tv platform can be viewed as belonging to the live-streaming industry, the careers of streamers develop according to the traditional principles of the entertainment business.
The potential of Twitch.tv as the live-streaming platform is significant for people seeking job opportunities and having the experience of playing the online games or participating in game tournaments. The most attractive feature of this career is a possibility to do the job that is pleasant and usually discussed as a hobby. Observers note that professional players in League of Legends and similar games presented at Twitch.tv choose this platform in order to stream their online playing and receive monetary benefits (Aaron par. 2). On the one hand, people discuss the career of a streamer as the perfect opportunity to earn with few efforts. On the other hand, the building of the career of a League of Legends streamer at Twitch.tv is a rather challenging task as a development of any other professional career. The challenges include addressing Twitch.tv requirements to become a partner; the development of a strategy for gaining the revenue from such sources as advertisements, the subscription program, and viewers’ donations; and the improvement of the professional level of a player (Aaron par. 3-4; Hollist 829).
In addition, there is a necessity to attract viewers, support the popularity, and focus on developing the nickname as the brand, as well as gaining of the customer loyalty to increase the potential for donations (Aaron par. 3-4). In his work, Edge notes that “streaming platforms like Twitch TV have created a new interactive Internet exclusive marketplace that does not require traditional broadcasting methods” (1). As a result, there are many unique opportunities to gain from this type of business. From this perspective, a streamer can succeed when all these conditions of the live-streaming and eSports business are addressed.
In order to develop a career of a League of Legends streamer at Twitch.tv, a person needs to become a partner to allow Twitch.tv to set advertisements in the streamer’s canal and attract sponsors. Twitch.tv partnership program is the main source of developing the career in this sphere. A player needs to have more than 500 of views at his canal and broadcast during a week regularly (Aaron par. 5). The focus is on attracting concurrent viewers. This factor is important to decide about locating the advertisements at the streamer’s channel. When thousands of viewers watch the streamer playing online regularly, there is a potential for gaining monetary benefits. The practice of playing one or two advertisements during a playing session is usual for streamers to earn when they broadcast, and streamers usually receive $3-4 for each advertisement played to 1,000 viewers in an hour. Subscriptions are effective sources of income and motivating factors to improve the strategy for new streamers because each subscription of a viewer guarantees a streamer about $2.5 a month (Aaron par. 6). Donations are also not rare practices if professional streamers have the good reputation and recognition among the audience (Hope 89; Lee and Schoenstedt 40). Sponsorships as the source of revenues are also available to the most popular professional streamers.
Streamers who are professionals in League of Legends can play as individuals or as team members, and their earnings differ depending on the type of streaming. According to Hope, those streamers who develop the career of team players has the higher potential to gain more benefits because of sponsorships. The researcher states that “many of these professional teams are already beginning to be sponsored by big brand companies from everyday life. One such company, believe it or not, is Pringles” (Hope 88). Researchers and professional streamers estimated that it is possible to earn the comparable income only when the number of regular viewers is more than 4,500-5,000 people (Aaron par. 6; Hope 88). Therefore, revenues can be discussed as dependent on the success of a streamer in making its broadcasts attractive to a large number of viewers.
From this point, it is important to pay attention the fact that the main barrier to starting the successful full-time career of a League of Legends streamer and gain profits is the attraction of the large audience who will become the regular viewers and even fans who will donate to the preferred streamer. In this context, the industry justifies its discussion as the eSports because the main focus is on qualities of online players that are similar to sportsmen’s attributes: the high-quality play, speed, and strategy (Lee and Schoenstedt 40; Quiring 3). Nevertheless, in the case of live-streaming, much attention is paid to the creativity and ability to entertain the audience in order to motivate viewers to watch the playing one more time. According to Hope, “it is not unusual for some streamers of a game called League of Legends to have over 30,000 concurrent viewers at any one point in time” (88). The popularity of such professional streamers is a result of their efforts in developing their unique playing strategy and image of a successful trainer among viewers. Researchers note that the reason is that the majority of visitors of Twitch.tv are inclined to learn how streamers play, what approaches they use, and how attractively their way of playing is presented (Hope 88; Lee and Schoenstedt 40). From this perspective, developing a career of a streamer, people focus on the regular efforts to improve the quality of playing and their image of a gamer.
To attract the audience, professional League of Legends streamers should develop such qualities and skills as persistence, creativity, and strategic thinking in order to develop their careers. The reason is that the profits of streamers depend on their popularity among the viewers. From this point, professional streamers need to contribute to developing their image. The business strategies used for improving the brand or name recognition and for gaining the customer loyalty are usually adapted by streamers playing League of Legends in order to expand their viewers’ base (Hope 89). Hollist states that in the sphere of live-streaming, the successful career can be expected by the most active gamers who demonstrate “stability” in broadcasting and the quality of playing in order to increase the number of subscribers who are ready to follow the streaming on a daily basis (830). As a result, the majority of streamers cannot demonstrate the required dedication in order to gain more than 2,000 viewers, and such streamers cannot build the successful careers in the industry. Therefore, it is possible to note that those streamers who have no required attributes to succeed as individual gamers can work as team members.
The launch of Twitch.tv in 2011 put the emphasis on the development of the new industry and career area. Today, the number of professional streamers who play League of Legends and other games while focusing on live-streaming is constantly increasing. This business area develops actively, and more viewers and subscribers are expected to pay for live-streaming of the high quality. As a result, those streamers who chose to play the online games try to work hard in order to attract more viewers and increase their revenues. The tendency is rather new, but it is possible to predict the appearance of more career opportunities in the sphere of online platforms similar to Twitch.tv.
Edge, Nathan. “Evolution of the Gaming Experience: Live Video Streaming and the Emergence of a New Web Community.” Elon Journal of Undergraduate Research in Communications 4.2 (2013): 1-2. Web. 2015.
Hollist, Katherine. “Time to Be Grown-Ups about Video Gaming: The Rising eSports Industry and the Need for Regulation.” Arizona Law Review 57.1 (2015): 823-870. Print.
Hope, Alex. “The Evolution of the Electronic Sports Entertainment Industry and its Popularity.” Computers for Everyone 1.1 (2014): 85-89. Web.
Lee, Donghun, and Linda Schoenstedt. “Comparison of eSports and Traditional Sports Consumption Motives.” ICHPER-SD Journal of Research 6.2 (2011): 39-44. Print.
Quiring, Tyler. “From Voxel Vistas: Place-Making in Minecraft.” Journal for Virtual Worlds Research 8.1 (2015): 1-19. Web. 2015.
There are four major issues in this case study. The first two major issues are directly related to the case. The third and fourth issues are indirectly related to the case. The first major issue is the need for the Video Game Company (“VGC”) to incorporate Digital Rights Management (“DRM”) software to all the products manufactured by the said firm. The purpose of the said DRM software is to protect the intellectual rights of the company. The second major issue is the right of Brian to receive purchased goods that are safe and have relative value. The addition of the DRM software rendered the product untenable and almost useless from the point of view of the customer.
The third major issue is not directly related to the problem of the DRM glitch. The third major issue is the perceived benefit of piracy when it comes to sharing of information to promote innovation, creativity, and improvements on products purchased through a legitimate process. The fourth major issue is the encompassing goal of the VGC to end all types of piracy.
The objective that Leads to a Solution
The primary objective is to help Brian navigate through the anti-piracy software without resorting to unethical solutions. The secondary objective is for VGC to provide quality service to the customer without violating the rules and regulations of the company.
Although it is important to resolve Brian’s ongoing problem, it is also imperative to look into the future and determine the long-term effects of piracy laws. Without a doubt, anti-piracy laws are needed to protect the interest of business owners, inventors, and creative people. However, there is a need to eradicate impractical laws that stifle the sharing of ideas.
Alternatives Contemplated
Brian was confronted with two choices. The first one was to download a “cracked” copy of the game. The “cracked” copy contains all the installer data needed to run the game minus the DRM software. Going through the said path is comparable to a journey through an ethical minefield. The act of downloading a “cracked” game is considered piracy from the point of view of VGC.
A secondary solution to the problem is to continuously monitor the progress of VGC’s support staff and wait for the delivery of the software patch that will hopefully solve the DRM issues. This is not a practical approach based on the progress made and the actions that were done to rectify the problem.
The third alternative is to establish an online community comprised of members who felt that they were victims of unscrupulous business strategies in relation to impractical anti-piracy initiatives. The main goal of the online community is to pressure VGC to provide high-quality service to its customers. The secondary purpose of the online community is to pressure government officials to come up with more practical laws regarding online piracy.
Alternatives Selected
Brian’s purchase of the video game from a legitimate source does not justify the illegal acquisition of a “cracked” game. On the other hand, VGC’s financial woes due to the effect of online piracy do not justify the company’s lackluster attitude regarding the need to fix the DRM issue. At the same time, VGC cannot afford to shift the blame to the online pirates. The company has a moral and legal responsibility to provide quality service to its customers.
Brian must comply with existing laws. However, this mindset should not prevent him from creating an online community to create some form of a multiplier effect in order to enhance his capability to pressure VGC. The second initiative must be directed to government officials because there is a need to overhaul current anti-piracy laws, specifically those that are related to intellectual property.
Implementation of Proposed Solution
An integrated presentation of personal values and beliefs with regards to anti-piracy laws
Brian must establish an online community because there is strength in numbers. Based on the answers given by the customer service representative of VGC, the company has taken him for granted. This assertion is based on the fact that Brian’s problems constitute only a fraction of the complaints registered at the company’s customer support center. Thus, Brian has to develop some form of leverage in order for VGC to either give him a refund or develop the appropriate patch that will solve the said software bug.
The secondary objective to pressure government officials to overhaul the current anti-piracy laws, specifically those that are related to Intellectual Property. In the past, the copyright to a particular creative work is only less than 40 years. In the present time, a video game’s copyright remains active 90 years after its creation.
Government officials and government regulators must examine the spirit of the law. In this particular case, the copyright laws were created to provide financial rewards for the inventor or the creator of a particular idea or product. The financial reward must be integrated into the said laws in order to encourage people to develop solutions to everyday problems. It is impossible to imagine Thomas Edison working hard and not rewarded handsomely for his efforts. On the other hand, it must be made clear that these inventors benefited from the work of other people. It is preposterous to say that Edison did not benefit from the works of Greek philosophers and ancient mathematicians who came before him. In other words, it is important to create a system where ideas can be shared freely.
The proliferation of open-source software is an example of how ideas must be shared to foster growth and innovation. Linux, the primary competitor of Microsoft is the brainchild of Linus Torvalds. This man created something great. He had the right to make money from his inventions. But he did not hide behind copyright laws. He decided to give away his invention.
