Notes

Videos Games Come of Age

Video games are here to stay. Video games are the latest form of entertainment that has gained a lot of popularity and have finally achieved the same level of acceptance as films.



It's an inevitable side effect of commercial success. Within the first 24 hours following its release in the month of March, Modern Warfare 3, the most recent entry within the Call of Duty franchise, broke records in sales, netting more than $US400 million in US and Britain in the United Kingdom alone.



Gaming has officially arrived and the industry is expanding rapidly. Cinema has a long track record of improvement and innovation, but that has slowed down in recent years. Gaming however, is constantly creating new ideas.



Every year, expectations are exceeded and new standards set. It's an exciting time to be a gamer.



The gaming landscape is complex but three companies decide where it is heading: Microsoft, with its Xbox 360; Sony, with the PlayStation 3; and Nintendo with the Wii and DS.



In their efforts to tap into the same market, there has been rivalry between Sony and Microsoft. Minecraft Skins Watch the other major publishers try to catch up after a lucrative idea is revealed.



The best illustration of this is Nintendo's Wii, the motion-control-based console. Nintendo hit an untapped nerve with Wii.



Sacrificing the processing power of the other consoles for sophisticated motion controls and an appealing design, it was targeted at casual gamers.



Microsoft and Sony followed suit with the Kinect and PlayStation Move, respectively. Both devices were well-received, but neither was able to match the Wii's phenomenal success.



Away from the ongoing battle between gaming Goliaths, but by no means less important is the indie developer. Although there was no market for smaller, self-published games the rise of the internet and digital download services like Steam has allowed indie games to make a comeback.



Indie games are a boon to an industry that is easily lured into rehashing sequels and resting on laurels.



Now with the creativity and budgets that permit the possibility of experimentation, new downloadable games like Minecraft (which recently sold more than 4 million units) finally have a platform that can support them.



With Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network now selling these games, newer developers have a chance to show their projects to a far wider audience and to encourage creativity in the industry.



The future is uncertain. Virtual reality has been a goal since the beginning of time and 3D gaming headsets, though not as commercially popular as a 2D TV, do exist.



The rise of the independent developer could signal a return-to-basics approach, and the growth of games on social networks like FarmVille seems to continue unabated. It is likely that Microsoft and Sony are working on sequels to their popular consoles and who knows what it might bring?



Gaming is in the game for the long haul. No longer (just) the realm of greasy shut-ins. It will only get better.


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