Ethical and professional complications in the construction of multi-developer hobbyist games.

The modern availability of powerful video game development frameworks has resulted in something of an indie renaissance. Within this blossoming of small scale development are numerous hobbyist developers who build games for their own inherent satisfaction rather than with the expectation of any financial remuneration. While many of these individuals labour in isolation, some have undertaken projects of sufficient scale and complexity to require the recruitment of multiple developers over long periods of time. The lack of direct payment for volunteered efforts in such environments creates numerous interpersonal issues that must be considered?these relate to aspects of intellectual property ownership and the treatment of developers, as well as to the expectations of those players who may invest their time in a hobbyist title. The nature of recruitment for such projects is such that formal experience in software development or games design cannot be assumed, and the management complexities this paradigm introduces are of sufficient complexity that few tools are available to ensure the coherent development of a game. This paper is a reflective analysis of the issues that emerged through the development of one such game. The observations contained within however are applicable to all multi-developer projects where financial compensation for contributions are likely to be non-existent

Modelos de negocio emergentes en la industria del videojuego

La industria del videojuego está viviendo un proceso de transformación en su manera de crear valor, debido al éxito de los juegos casuales y a la consolidación de nuevas plataformas de juego, cuales las redes sociales, los teléfonos inteligentes, las tabletas y los sitios de juego on line. A consecuencia de estos fenómenos, surgen nuevos modelos de negocio. Posteriormente al estudio del volumen de ingresos generados por los videojuegos distribuidos por canales digitales y de los hábitos de consumo de los usuarios, este trabajo aporta una descripción de los modelos de negocio emergentes en la industria del videojuego. Finalmente, se observa que, frente a la actual situación, las principales compañías del sector diversifican su negocio y las pequeñas empresas aprovechan la multiplicación de los canales de distribución. Mientras que, los usuarios se inclinan por los videojuegos comercializados mediante modelos de negocio que permiten personalizar el consumo y establecer relaciones sociales

Digital disruption

1 online resource (124 leaves)Includes abstract.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 118-123).The proliferation of ebooks and ebook readers is causing a digital disruption in the publishing industry as consumers alter their reading and purchasing behaviours. This research paper attempts to determine if those same consumers are being fairly served by the current pricing practices for ebooks. It also looks at the “invisible hand” of economist Adam Smith to see if there are sufficient checks and balances to create a fair and competitive environment for consumers. The thesis revolves around four fundamental questions for the book publishing industry. Is it possible to have a state of utility maximization under the current economic conditions? Are there sufficient competitive mechanisms to sustain such a state? What is the right pricing model – or models – for ebooks? More broadly, is the current publishing industry sustainable