The Impact Of Platform On Global Video Game Sales

This paper examines video game sales by platform in the global market from a period spanning 2006 through 2011.  As the home video game industry has rapidly matured and become established as a forefront facet of interactive entertainment in the home, we seek to determine what aspects of the video game market have the greatest impact on sales.  This question is particularly poignant, as the maturation of the video game industry has witnessed efforts at both vertical integration and horizontal expansion on the part of the top game publishers and developers in hopes of solidly grounding the industry.  This study employs a Kruskal-Wallis test to compare eight different gaming platforms.  The results indicate Nintendo’s Wii was the top selling global platform; Nintendo DS was the second tier; Xbox 360, Sony PlayStation 3, and the personal computer (PC) are in the third tier; the fourth tier consists of Sony PlayStation 2 and Sony PSP; and the retired sixth generation Nintendo GameCube is the lowest sales tier

Can Nintendo get its crown back? : examining the dynamics of the U.S. video game console market

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, System Design and Management Program; and, (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, Technology and Policy Program, 2007.Includes bibliographical references (p. 121-125).Several generations of video game consoles have competed in the market since 1972. Overall, the entire market shares many similar characteristics, such as network effects and switching cost, which are found in other network-based markets. However, on closer examination, the video game console industry experienced several generations of technological change with each generation bringing a different competitive environment and different set of competitors from the previous one. Consistent with the Schumpeterian market model, both new and later entrants have competed successfully with their strong portfolios of technological innovations. Yet, some firms with dominant market position and strong complementary assets were not able to extend their advantage to the next generation. The dynamic cause and effect relationships associated with the multi-generation video game console industry makes an intriguing subject for economic research. This thesis provides a conceptual framework for analyzing the elements and dynamics of the competitive video game console market. Using qualitative findings and empirical data found in recent research literature on market competition and innovation, a historical analysis of the video game console market was performed. In addition, a system dynamics model was created to validate and support the analysis of the industry. The results from the simulation of the model under various competitive scenarios not only confirm some of the findings from established studies done in this area but also provide us with new qualitative insights into the dynamics operating in the market.by Samuel W. Chow.S.M

The Effects of Commercial Video Game Playing: A Comparison of Skills and Abilities for the Predator UAV

Currently, Predator unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) are operated by pilots and navigators experienced with manned combat aircraft. With a projected increase in UAVs, more combat pilots will be needed to operate these aircraft. Yet, if the current operational tempo continues, the supply of combat pilots may not be able to meet the demand. Perhaps alternative pools of Air Force personnel could be considered for UAV duty to meet operational requirements. Because the Predator UAV is a software-driven aircraft, video game players (VGPs) already possess and use many skills that may be similar to those of Predator UAV pilots. A variety of games can add situational awareness skills that a player/airman can bring to a new situation. This research examines the applicability of video-games-based skills to the operation of the Predator UAV. Nine people were interviewed to determine the overlap between piloting skills, UAV-specific skills, and skills gained and developed from gaming. The results indicate that frequent VGPs have the confidence and the consistent ability to obtain and retain new skills, many of which are related to operating the Predator UAV in a 2-D environment while not relying on the visual and nonvisual cues of the manned aircraft pilot

Bonsai : um editor de programação gráfica para o motor de jogos Unity 3D

Monografia (graduação)—Universidade de Brasília, Instituto de Ciências Exatas, Departamento de Ciência da Computação, 2013.As pessoas estão cada vez mais imersas no mundo virtual dos jogos eletrônicos. Celulares, tablets, computadores, televisores são alguns exemplos de dispositivos que comportam esta mídia. Lojas de distribuição digital (como Apple Store, Google Play, Steam, etc) permitem que jogos eletrônicos possam ser facilmente comercializados em todo mundo. Além disto, existem inúmeras ferramentas gratuitas, ou de baixo custo, para desenvolvimento de games. Este cenário fomenta um crescente número de novas empresas, e pequenos grupos, na indústria de jogos eletrônicos. Entretanto, o desenvolvimento de jogos eletrônicos não é uma tarefa trivial, exige-se um forte conhecimento técnico na área de computação. Neste contexto, esta monografia apresenta o software Bonsai, um plugin de progra- mação gráfica para o motor de jogos eletrônicos Unity 3D que dispensa a necessidade de conhecimento de programação. O objetivo é possibilitar a rápida produção de jogos, principalmente por grupos que não possuem uma equipe de programação, de uma maneira simples e intuitiva, através da criação e determinação de comportamentos de objetos via interface gráfica. O Bonsai fornece uma abstração do código específico do jogo em forma de árvore, que permite configuração em tempo de execução, visualização dos passos de execução, criação de novas estruturas via programação e reutilização de comportamentos em outros objetos e projetos. _______________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACTPeople are increasingly immersed in the virtual world of video games. Cell phones, tablets, computers, televisions are examples of devices that enable this media. Digital distribution stores (like Apple Store, Google Play, Steam, etc) allow electronic games to be easily marketed worldwide. Moreover, there are numerous free, or low cost, tools for game development. This setting fosters a growing number of new companies and small groups in the game industry. However, game development is not a trivial task, it requires a strong expertise in the field of computing. In this context, this work presents the Bonsai tool, a visual programming plugin for the Unity 3D game engine which does not require programming skills. The main goal is to enable rapid production of games, especially by groups that do not have a programming team, in a simple and intuitive way, by creating and determining object’s behaviour with a graphical user interface. Bonsai provides an abstraction of the game’s specific code as a tree structure, which enables run-time configuration, visualization of execution’s steps, programmatically creating new structures and reuse of behaviors in others objects and projects