Chapter 9 "Video Games"

1. Chapter 9
Video Games

2. Each of us makes a difference.
It is from numberless acts of
courage and belief that
human history is shaped.
Robert F. Kennedy

3. I. Introduction
A. Accelerating the Five Trends
Reshaping Mass Communication
B. Timeline
C. Crowdsource Possibilities

4. II. A Short History Of Computer
And Video Games
A. First Arcade Games
1. 1931 – Baffle Ball
2. 1947 – Humpty Dumpty

5. B. Today’s Games Emerge
1. 1961 – Spacewar
2. 1972 – Atari is founded
3. 1972
a. Odyssey
b. Pong

6. C. Rapid-Fire Developments
1. Cartridge-based games
2. Handheld devices make use
of LED and LCD screens
a. Pac-Man
b. Donkey Kong

7. 3. CD-ROM based games
(LANs - Local Area Networks)

8. III. Games And Their Players
A. What Is a Video Game?
B. Who Is Playing?
1. 190 million Americans
2. Average age is 31
C. Using Games for Good

9. IV. Scope And Nature Of The
Video-Game Industry
A. $15-Billion Spent Annually
B. Video Games vs. Films
C. Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo
Dominate Industry

10. 1. Third-party publishers
2. Game software concentration
3. Escalating costs
a. production technology
b. musical scores
c. 50% failure rate

11. V. Trends And Convergence In The
Video-Game Industry
A. Convergence Everywhere
1. Gaming access
a. cable providers
b. multiuser dimension (MUD)

12. c. massively multiplayer online
roleplaying (MMO)
2. Technology
3. Comfort with technology
B. Smartphones, Tablets, and Social
Networking Sites

13. C. Hypercommercialism
1. Introduction
a. demographics
b. "sticky"

14. 2. Product placement
a. product placement benefits
i. product's brand lasts forever
ii. product can't be skipped
iii. product's brand has an
emotional connection

15. iv. game's cost may be reduced
v. product placement is
effective
vi. game ads can be updated

16. b. side effects to placement
i. adds realism
ii. cross-promotion occurs
iii. games may be bartered
3. Freemium games

17. 4. Advergaming
a. brand-specific websites
b. unaffiliated game sites
5. Advocacy gaming
D. Are Games Good or Bad?

18. VI. Using The ESRB Ratings
A. Six rating levels
B. Content description
1. Not all content specifically
revealed
2. Rating system enforcement

20. We first make our habits,
then our habits make us.
John Dryden