Toxic Jam

Week Four Task

Looking at the standard of current games is a scary thing to do. In three years time my work is going to have to be up to that quality or better, very scary...
As gaming moved into the late 1990's to 2000 the methods of funding and developing changed. Originally developers would fund there own projects and when the game was complete they would look for publishers to fund things like distribution. It was not hard to find investors. The costs of producing a game now means that developers have to find investors early on in the production of a game. There is an obvious trend in the increase of the cost of games development and production, which suggests a continuing increase in the future.
When the first games started to be released, they were more like hobby's for enthusiasts, people did not bother to copyright there work because the potential of the industry was not obvious at this point. Now new technologies are protected by the most powerful copyright laws. The Gaming industry is now a very serious one, and the maximisation of profit is an essential element. Though the industry has become serious, I do not think the fun has gone out of it. I would like to think that games developers still enjoy what they do, there is a great amount of pressure involved with there jobs, but they are the ones who can remain original, while the investors concern themselves with the profits.
There are so many elements that go into the production of a game now, and there isn't really room for mistakes. The amount of people on a team has increased greatly, which means communication is an important part of production, also producing an accurate specification is essential, not just for ensuring smooth development, but for obtaining investment as well.
The gaming industry is an oligopoly, so it is important to be up to date with the latest technologies and stick to deadlines. The market is extremely competitive, advertising has become increasingly important, and now there are many methods of doing this. Release dates are also important, to ensure a maximum number of sales. It is also essential to be aware of what your competitors are doing. Games are becoming more realistic, one way in which this realism is achieved is to stimulate the senses. At the moment games are limited to sight, sound and feeling (rumble packs), but research and development is taking place to enhance the gaming experience to bring smell into games by a company known as Digiscents. Digiscents have produced a device called iSmell which plugs into a USB port and releases appropriate vapors. In the future the best games will take advantage of all the senses to enhance the gaming experience. The developments that are taking place are causing the games industry to expand, resulting in an increase in jobs available, and an increase in specialist areas. Another increasing popular element of gaming are Modifiers, add-ons and the ability to customize your games. This also will potentially increase the revenue gained from the game.

"When it comes to the future, there are three kinds of people: those who let it happen, those who make it happen, and those who wonder what happened."
- John M. Richardson, Jr.