Known:
- The gaming industry started out very rocky and for a while it seemed only a passing fad.
- Eventually, however, the popularity of video games hit an upshot and the industry has as of yet seen no sign of stopping.
- The gaming community is extremely divided on certain points regarding the growth of the industry, especially with concerns of a rise in unnecessary complexity of consoles, and too many extraneous peripheral devices being thrown into the mix, e.g., the Xbox's Kinect, or the new tablet system of the Wii U.
Unknown:
- When--if ever so far--has the popularity of gaming hit its peak?
- What incident(s) caused the first uprising of the gaming industry?
- What are the most divisive points of discussion among gamers?
Specific topics of interest:
- The Console Wars
i.e., the constant "battle" of sorts going on between the three biggest competitors in the gaming industry: Microsoft, Sony & Nintendo. I am interested in this topic, as are many others, to see if a true "leader" in the industry can be determined by the companies' levels of success and popularity with gamers. As a gamer I am, personally, largely impartial in regards to a favorite company. However, I know that many others are die-hard fans of one company or another. The ebbs and flows of the general opinions toward the companies are certain to have massive effects on their decisions, and thus the future of the industry over time. As such, this is a topic relevant to practically anyone with a stake in the gaming industry, whether that is simply the consumers of game products or anyone up to the executives of the companies themselves. - The March of Technology
As computer systems grow more and more powerful over time, game & console developers have been able to create more intricate and enjoyable experiences for their consumers. It has yet to be seen--as far as I am aware, at least--where this trend will stop. But is there a point where the tech gets to be too much? With so much potential for slapping peripheral devices onto consoles now, some gamers may object that developers are over-complicating the industry and perhaps straying too far from gaming's original roots. As an aspiring game designer and programmer, my stake in this topic is to get a good perspective on precisely how simple or complex a game system's design should be for an optimal user experience. This is an issue that affects, and is of interest to gamers to a degree, and especially to developers in the field. - How Did it Happen?
My knowledge of gaming's history seems to have a large hole in it: Particularly, how did gaming finally enter the mainstream? If my prior knowledge serves me well enough, I am aware that the first commercial games were not necessarily considered "successes". Despite this, at some point, the popularity of playing video games as a pastime grew immensely. What I am missing is the link between these two periods of time. Knowing what sparked the fire of gaming popularity could be a key element to predicting the future of the games industry. It may give clues and insight into what can be done in the event that the industry ever hits a vast downturn. Going by that logic, this topic is one of interest to, again, both fellow gamers and also developers.
