Gaming in flux…
Nice article from Dean Takahashi from GamesBeat following a speech from Rich Hilleman, Chief Creative Officer for Electronic Arts. One part to really focus on: “… Hilleman talked about the changes he has seen in more than 25 years at EA, which he joined as employee No. 39 in 1983. The audience is moving beyond males. The platforms are becoming mobile, social and online-connected. And the play style is moving from hardcore to casual. The business models are in flux as well.” (Emphasis is mine.)
It’s no surprise to anyone who has been engaged in the video game business that change is afoot, but I think the difference between “change” and “flux” is that change is directed, flux isn’t.
Interactive entertainment is quite different than non-interactive – watching a movie on a small screen, on a large screen, etc. is still fundamentally the same experience – it’s just different levels of quality. Not to belittle that, but playing a video game on a small device vs. a large device is fundamentally different. I think the same thing holds true for the connected entertainment device – playing a game against the computer vs. others is a very different experience. Additionally, the opportunity to dynamically add in more content is different – while you can download additional episodes of a TV show, it’s still a serial experience. Interactive is user driven – so adding in new content is more fundamental to enhancing the experience (or completely changing it).
So, while I see “change” in the industry related to video, music and books, I see “flux” in the video gaming space. I see a dramatic opportunity over the next few years to totally transform the experience from the 1983 video game idea (albeit higher quality graphics, physics and audio) of today towards a more immerse, connected, dynamic and growing experience for tomorrow. Just like the Internet opening opportunities for emergent companies to take hold (think Amazon, EBay and others) it also opens up a lot of competition and ways to expand revenue.
I can’t wait…
