Gaming Sector Research Articles

Delivering creative clusters and stimulating local economic growth: Collaboration, leadership and addressing regional disparities in Coventry and Warwickshire

Creative clusters are attractive to regions for the same reason they are attractive to government: creative businesses are at low risk of automation and are experiencing significant growth — 6.5 per cent p.a. in Coventry and Warwickshire. Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership (CWLEP) wanted to stimulate economic growth for their diverse creative industries to continue their successful track record. This record, delivering more growth than any other LEP geography, was initially built on a focused strategy for a key sector with strong roots in the region. Within this strategy, there was a recommendation to deliver key skills in creative thinking and digital application for the automotive sector and its supply chain. This provided regional stakeholders with a springboard to stimulate wider growth of the creative industries. The first task was to adopt the tried and tested model for delivering growth by scoping existing creative businesses in the region and finding a focus. ‘Blueprint for Growth: Strengthening the Games Sector’ was the catalyst — using the games industry as a gateway for the wider creative sector. Creative businesses saw the potential benefits to their own industries in ‘Blueprint’. Business engagement with the creative sector significantly increased and clusters took shape. To showcase the diversity of creative industries in all their glory, common threads were sought. These threads not only ran through the creative sector, they also started to form bridges to other clusters — including automotive. The idea of creativity as a way of thinking and a tool for all sectors began to surface and advances in technology became cross-cluster opportunities. The fertile ground between clusters allows for the growth of supporting professional services and provides a foundation for culture and place to thrive. This delicate ecosystem requires continual nurture best delivered by those ‘on the ground’.

New frontiers in futures games: leveraging game sector developments

In the last decade, games have grown into a dominant and highly diverse form of media, characterized by a number of transformations in the game sector that offer new opportunities for games in a futures context. These developments include changes in the cultural presence, the production and dissemination of games, which in turn have led to changes in their content and forms. This paper investigates to what extend such game sector developments have been utilized by games in a futures context, and building on this analysis, where the key opportunities are to leverage game sector developments to advance the field of futures games. Connections are made between game sector developments on the one hand and alternate reality games, massively multiplayer games, experiential futures games, online video games, game design engines and game jams on the other. Key recommendations resulting from this analysis include researching new player bases, adapting existing games, blurring the lines between commercial games and futures games, developing new futures games design and dissemination infrastructure, integrating futures games and present action, and organizing new funding mechanisms for futures games.

‘A relationship of mutual exploitation’: the evolving ties between the Pentagon, Hollywood, and the commercial gaming sector

ABSTRACTThis article examines the close historical and contemporary ties between the Pentagon and Hollywood from the 1920s until today. Drawing on the US military as an in-depth case study, the article shows the extent to which key military actors view the conduct of war as an arena that stretches well beyond the actual battlefields and includes the production of war movies, film documentaries, computer simulations and first person shooter video games. The article begins with an examination of the ‘Military-Industrial Complex’ and its evolution into what experts have dubbed ‘The Military-Industrial-Media-Entertainment Network (MIME-Net).’ It then focuses on the military’s relationship with the filming industry, with the production of reality TV, and the commercial gaming industry. It thereby investigates, through in-depth interviews with key stakeholders, how this phenomenon has evolved over time and into new areas where games, simulators, and game technologies cross the boundaries between militaries, the defense industry, Hollywood and the commercial gaming sector. And it shows how the advent of digital new technologies have opened new platforms through which militaries seek to boost recruitment, to (re)write military history, and to influence the portrayal of the armed forces in the eyes of the public.

The long and winding road of digital distribution. Or: why the ECJ's UsedSoft decision is of no use to keysellers

The 2012 UsedSoft decision of the Court of Justice of the European Union (‘ECJ’) disrupted the digital distribution of computer programs. Since then, unauthorised sellers of product and game keys often try to utilise the UsedSoft ruling and its principles to justify the resale of key codes. Against this background, we will review the new developments in this area, taking into account recent court decisions in Germany, which are based on European Directives. Furthermore, the impact of the UsedSoft decision on the gaming sector, where game keys are often distributed in digital form only, will be examined. Since the ECJ in its Nintendo decision and the German Federal Supreme Court ‘BGH’) in its World of Warcraft I decision both considered video games to be hybrid products, we will discuss whether and to what extent the Software Directive 2009/24/EC and the InfoSoc Directive 2001/29/EC are applicable. We then apply the findings to the distribution models used in the gaming sector and examine their legality.

Factors Influencing Adoption of Mobile Social Network Games (M-SNGs): The Role of Awareness

M-SNGs represent a high-edge technological application that has been incessantly implemented in the electronic game sector on the international level. In the persuasion towards gaining a competitive advantage in markets, M-SNGs sponsored companies should consider factors that influence citizens’ behavioural intention to use M-SNGs as successful adoption of M-SNGs relies considerably on the level to which users are completely motivated to accept it. However, in addition to the very few studies on the international level, there is only one study that directly examined this topic within the context of Saudi Arabia. Therefore, this study aims to investigate factors that influence the adoption of M-SNGs within the domain of Saudi Arabia. As such, it examines the influence of UTAUT2 independent factors (i.e. performance expectancy, effort expectancy, hedonic motivation, price value, social influence, performance expectancy, and facilitating conditions) as well as awareness factor as independent factor over dependent factor i.e. behavioural intention. Also, it examines the impact of awareness on performance expectancy. Data was collected via field survey questionnaire distributed to a convenient sample of 355 participants. The findings indicated that all proposed hypotheses are accepted and the effect of awareness over performance expectancy was the highest followed by the effect of social influence over behavioural intention.

Perceptions of video gaming careers and its implications on parental mediation

Since its advent in the 1970s, the video game industry has superseded its film counterpart, sporting a growth rate quadrupling that of other media and entertainment sectors. In contemporary times, video gaming occupations — namely game designers, professional gamers and YouTubers — have gained prominence, bolstered by the support of the media industry and government agencies. Yet, little remains known about the perceptions of these careers from the standpoint of parents and young gamers. This dearth of knowledge thus provides an impetus for research since parents’ perceptions could arguably influence the management of their children’s video gaming consumption. Results yielded through qualitative interviews with 35 respondents revealed that parental mediation was practiced via ‘distant mediation’. This is characterised by parents ostensibly withdrawing or remaining remotely detached from their children’s video gaming whilst monitoring them from afar. When perspectives of gaming careers were further scrutinised through a comparative scope, the findings also reflected that parents and children shared accommodating attitudes toward vocations in the video gaming sector.

Consumer adoption of Mobile Social Network Games (M-SNGs) in Saudi Arabia: The role of social influence, hedonic motivation and trust

Mobile Social Network Games (M-SNGs) are highly upgraded technological applications which are used immensely within the electronic game sector. The proliferation of M-SNGs have triggered the necessity to understand factors that affect consumers' behavioural intention to use M-SNGs in order to gain a competitive advantage amongst companies in the market. However, there is no such literature that examines this topic in the Saudi Arabian context. Hence, the main purpose of this study is to identify the different factors which might impact on the intention to use M-SNGs amongst the Saudi potential users. As such, the influence of the independent factors of Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2) has been highlighted (i.e. performance expectancy, effort expectancy, hedonic motivation, social influence, facilitating conditions and price value). Moreover, the importance of ‘trust’ factor in impacting the behavioural intention of the Saudi citizens has also been evaluated; furthermore, the impact of social influence and hedonic motivation over trust has been discussed. Regarding methodology, data has been collected through a field survey questionnaire and a total of 386 participants responded through the convenient sampling technique. The findings indicated that all the proposed hypotheses were accepted with the greatest impact of social influence over trust (0.41) followed by the impact of performance expectancy over behavioural intention (0.29).

Entrepreneurial mindset in video gaming sector: evidence from Turkey

Video gaming is one of the fastest growing sectors in the global market. The international games market will reach USD $110 billion by 2017. Although the economic scale of video gaming is continually increasing in Turkey, the country has few gaming companies. Turkey has the ability to be a competitive player in the global video gaming market; however it faces a number of challenges. This article analyzes the current status of the Turkish video gaming sector, including examining its inherent problems and proposing some solutions. The findings are based on a national survey conducted in 2012. Turkey has a large youth population, presenting a good market for gaming companies. The paper finds that there is an urgent need to develop an entrepreneurial ecosystem within Turkey. Pre-incubation centers would play a central role in such developments.

The video gaming industry: From play to revenue

The game is constantly present in the life of a man and is needed both for the individual and the society, primarily because of the social connections that the participants of the game accomplish. The development of technology and the Internet has empowered the emergence of a new kind of game. Video games are increasingly replacing traditional games and have a direct impact on how internet users fill their free time. Availability of platform and game delivery technologies is an important factor in the emergence of massive interest in video games. The growing demand for video games opens a new industrial branch. The gaming industry, which involves creative professionals, in recent years, has become a leading one. The digital game sector remains very strong, even as other media industries suffer decline which represents a rapidly growing business branch and opens a broad platform of new businesses.

GENRES OF COMPLEMENTARY PRODUCTS IN PLATFORM-BASED MARKETS: CHANGES IN EVOLUTIONARY MECHANISMS BY PLATFORM DIFFUSION STRATEGIES

Platform and complementary products configure platform-based markets. This study focuses on the genres of complementary products in a platform-based market. We examine differences in the influences of mediating factors on the evolutionary mechanisms of genres, based on different diffusion strategies in the Japanese video game sector: Nintendo DS and PlayStation Portable. This study shows that a rapid platform diffusion strategy generates bandwagon effects in the evolution of genres, and, in turn, the excessive evolution of various genres negatively influences the sales distribution of software in the platform-based market, leading to a rapid decline of the platform. Additionally, this rapid decline results in an evolutionary failure of genres at a later stage in the platform’s lifecycle. Thus, we imply that a rapid platform expansion strategy may cause a rapid decline of the platform-based market and may exclude innovations based on undeveloped genres of complementary products.

Explaining urban governance in the midst of political transformation: The city of Macao

AbstractThis paper takes a close look at the urban governance and political culture of Macao, the world largest casino city. Macao has experienced spectacular economic growth since gaming liberalisation in 2002 and China's Free Individual Travel scheme launched in 2003. However, the booming gaming sector has crowded out other sectors of Macao. It has not only made the city's economy mono‐structured and consequently extremely vulnerable to external shocks and fluctuations but also induced serious social divisions and political controversies within the local community. By tracing the root cause of the ongoing dilemma and crisis in the mode of governance, the dynamic relationships between formal and informal institutions, consensus politics and the social group culture are intensively discussed in a historical context. In fact, the sustainable development of the former Portuguese colony has largely been hindered by its residents' passive attitudes toward political communication, non‐transparent urban governance, the absence of a middle class and the dominance of pro‐establishment social groups.

Churn prediction of mobile and online casual games using play log data.

Internet-connected devices, especially mobile devices such as smartphones, have become widely accessible in the past decade. Interaction with such devices has evolved into frequent and short-duration usage, and this phenomenon has resulted in a pervasive popularity of casual games in the game sector. On the other hand, development of casual games has become easier than ever as a result of the advancement of development tools. With the resulting fierce competition, now both acquisition and retention of users are the prime concerns in the field. In this study, we focus on churn prediction of mobile and online casual games. While churn prediction and analysis can provide important insights and action cues on retention, its application using play log data has been primitive or very limited in the casual game area. Most of the existing methods cannot be applied to casual games because casual game players tend to churn very quickly and they do not pay periodic subscription fees. Therefore, we focus on the new players and formally define churn using observation period (OP) and churn prediction period (CP). Using the definition, we develop a standard churn analysis process for casual games. We cover essential topics such as pre-processing of raw data, feature engineering including feature analysis, churn prediction modeling using traditional machine learning algorithms (logistic regression, gradient boosting, and random forests) and two deep learning algorithms (CNN and LSTM), and sensitivity analysis for OP and CP. Play log data of three different casual games are considered by analyzing a total of 193,443 unique player records and 10,874,958 play log records. While the analysis results provide useful insights, the overall results indicate that a small number of well-chosen features used as performance metrics might be sufficient for making important action decisions and that OP and CP should be properly chosen depending on the analysis goal.

Key factors in the triumph of Pokémon GO

The mobile app market, particularly the app game sector, is a multibillion-dollar space. This study conducted in-depth interviews and two large-scale surveys with a total 1,437 respondents to investigate the consumer behavior of mobile app game players. The app game Pokémon GO became a worldwide phenomenon not only as a social sensation but also as a high profitable business model. Taking the theoretical lens of telepresence theory and social capital theory, this develops a framework to explicate the success factors of Pokémon GO. The theoretical framework also provides guidelines for practitioners who plan to enter the lucrative app game market.

California Resident Motives for Gambling at Indian Reservations Versus Las Vegas

ABSTRTACTThe casino gaming sector has become a lucrative part of the hospitality industry. California Indian casinos have expanded to now compete with casinos in Las Vegas, but more California residents gamble in Las Vegas casinos. Little research has been conducted to reveal why California residents travel to Las Vegas to gamble at casinos when California Indian casinos are closer. Thus, this study focused on what motivates California residents to gamble at California Indian casinos as opposed to those who gamble at Las Vegas casinos. A total of 300 online surveys were used for data analysis. First, exploratory factor analysis was performed to find the underlying dimensions of casino motivations. Second, independent-samples t-tests were conducted to compare the perceptions the two groups have of casinos. Then, one-way ANOVA tests were implemented to find differences between casino motivation factors and six different demographic variables. This study will help both California Indian and Las Vegas casinos to assess their services and more effectively market to California residents.

Sony Playstation 4: Aim and Fire

Kazuo Hirai, president and group CEO of the Sony division charged with manufacturing the PlayStation, is faced with a strategic crossroads as he decides which functional elements and target demographics to focus on with the PS4. He reviews the history and dynamics of the video gaming industry—including the importance of first-mover advantage when it comes to new technology—in an effort to predict its future. What's next—both for gaming in general and for home game consoles in particular—and what place should Sony be vying for in the minds and pocketbooks of the gaming public? Excerpt UVA-S-0203 Rev. Nov. 4, 2014 SONY PLAYSTATION 4: AIM AND FIRE Kazuo Hirai, president and group CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (Sony), makers of the Sony PlayStation (PS), stepped off the Tokyo street into the crowded public arcade. He watched children, with their parents' help, plug in handheld adapters and begin swooping their arms to move characters on large displays—and he berated himself again for not having invested more resources in developing this type of technology before Nintendo had debuted the Wii. Sony had dominated the previous two generations of gaming systems with the PS and PS2, but was late to the game in incorporating comprehensive motion technology into its user experience for the PS3. Wii—with its family-oriented sporting and arcade-style action games—had already grabbed market share Hirai thought should belong to Sony. And Microsoft's Xbox 360 with Kinect had snatched up more of “his” customer base with its groundbreaking, full-body motion-sensor camera that allowed users to animate their own gaming characters using their bodies—sometimes in lieu of any controller at all. The next battle in the gaming console wars had begun and Hirai was anxious. How could he ensure that Sony was not an also-ran? Nintendo was the first to market with a seventh-generation machine, releasing the Wii U in November 2012. Microsoft debuted the Xbox One a mere week after Sony had released its PS4 in November of 2013. Not only did Hirai have to worry about Nintendo and Microsoft, but he also had the constant feeling that a newcomer could arise in the gaming sector at almost any time. Sony had itself sprung onto the scene as a newcomer in the mid-1990s and had been the clear winner in both the fourth and fifth generations of gaming systems. So why couldn't another player with a winning strategy and some new application of technology pull out ahead next? The first generation had been led by Atari; Nintendo had dominated the second generation; Sega and Nintendo battled for supremacy during the third generation, only to be upstaged by Sony in the next two generations. The last generation, the sixth, had seen Nintendo retake first place. . . .

Online Media Business Models: Lessons from the Video Game Sector

Today’s media industry is characterized by disruptive changes and business models have been acknowledged as a driving force for success. Current business model research manages only to grasp static descriptions while in reality media managers are struggling with the dynamics of the industry. This article aims to close this gap by investigating a new paradigm of online media business models. Based on three video game case studies of the massively multiplayer online role-playing game genre, this article explores a novel theoretical approach to explain the changes that can be made within business models. The article highlights the importance of changing processes within online media business models and emphasises that the video game sector is at the forefront of business innovation. Finally, it demonstrates that online media business model change is in a trade-off paradigm between capturing or offering potentially higher value per player vs. accessing a potentially larger player-base.

Online Sports Betting in Greece: An Empirical Investigation

JEL Classification: C21, L83, L86 1. Introduction Undisputable the development of communication technologies (ICT) brought with it new forms of online commerce. The advent of digital technology coupled with the enormous potential applications of the web, caused substantial changes in the global gambling industry. gambling constitutes one of the most dynamic, promising and rapidly changing businesses around the world. Despite the large volume of studies and internet databases on gambling there is almost nothing known empirically about gambling and its problems in Greece (Griffiths, 2009). Internet gambling is a relatively under-researched area (Griffiths and Parke, 2010). In its first part, the present study, reports some numerical features of the e-gambling commerce internationally and describes its current situation and future trends. At the same time, it presents an overview of the online gaming sector in Greece, highlighting critical legislative shifts and upcoming trends, which will definitely alter the gambling scene in the country. In the second part, the study examines the relationship between the characteristics of the internet sports betting sites and the sports bettors in Greece. The findings of the study, may guide key stake holders, including entrepreneurs, policy makers, regulators, researchers, treatment providers, and industry groups, in forming an appropriate response to internet sports betting in Greece. Data concerning punters' attitudes towards online sports betting, made available through links (banners) on relevant sports betting websites and forums accessible by active sports bettors in Greece. A recent survey showed that internet gambling is still a relatively low prevalence phenomenon (Wardle et al., 2007), making it difficult for someone to present an accurate picture of the characteristics of internet gamblers and their health. Most papers dealing with the gambling issue attempt to establish the active sportsbettors profile and shed light on their motivations, preferences and characteristics in the online sports betting field. 2. E-gambling categories and future trends The European Commission (2012) used the following definition for online gambling services: Online gambling services are any service which involves wagering a stake with monetary value in games of chance, including lotteries and betting transactions that are provided at a distance, by electronic means and at the request of a recipient of services. Due to its embryonic development, there have, and continue to be, several terminologies used to define digitized commercial gambling e.g. remote gambling, e-gaming, e-gambling, internet gambling, online gambling, online gaming, interactive gambling and virtual gambling etc. All these terminologies are assessed as equivalent under the scope of this research. Desktop computers, laptops, net books, smart phones, tablets, internet capable mobile phones, interactive televisions, video game consoles are included in a an expanding list of devices that can support e-gambling commerce or interactive gambling (News agents Association, 2011). According to KPMG (2010), the online gaming market is composed of a number of different types of games, with its own business models and technology. They include: Sports Betting, Poker, Casino Games, Bingo and Lottery. Although online gaming now accounts for only a small share of the total worldwide market, it has proven to be one of the fastest growing sectors over the past several years (Christian Capital Advisors, 2006). By the end of 1996 it is estimated that about 15 online sites accepted wagers, increasing to over 200 by the end of 1997, 650 by the end of 1999 and 1,800 by the end of 2002 (Schwartz, 2006). H2 Gambling Capital (2012) put the size of the online gambling industry at about 24.6bn [euro] in 2011, while the EU gambling market represented the 45% of the world market share (European Commission, 2012). …

Canada's First Nations and the State of the First Nations' Gaming Sector in Canada

Canada's First Nations and the State of the First Nations' Gaming Sector in Canada

Consumers’ Perception of Augmented Reality as an Emerging end User Technology: Social Media Monitoring Applied

Augmented reality (AR) is at a point where it is mature enough to be used in publicly available consumer applications. Nevertheless, the real commercial breakthrough of AR is still lacking. One reason for this is a deficit in consumer research regarding users’ perception, acceptance and attitude towards this technology. This paper remedies this lack by means of a novel social media monitoring method. Thereby, the population of 48,560 consumer comments published up until July 2013 on English speaking online community websites treating the topic AR, were extracted from the web and analyzed. The results indicate that consumers evaluate the technology positively and highly appreciate its idea and concept. Still, some obstacles need to be overcome before AR succeeds in becoming adopted by the mainstream user. Above all, there is a lack of consumer awareness, particularly regarding specific applications or products, in addition to technical, developmental and ethical problems. Nevertheless, AR technologies are on the rise and will become more important in the end user sphere, especially in the gaming sector and for information and knowledge transfer.

Software, animation and the moving image: what's in the box?

From its early use in the Oscar winning effects of The Matrix to its continuing use in films such as Hugo and The Dark Knight Rises, the feature length animations Rango and Epic, and games such as Journey, Autodesk Maya is pre-eminent amongst animation packages. It is used in the visual effects, advertising, and television industries, science visualizations and the games sector. Much insightful work exists on the creative opportunities image software offers filmmakers, but less attention has been paid to the software. This paper presents a study of Autodesk Maya informed by software studies, and explores what thinking through software adds to debates about digital images. The user interface of Maya is a hybrid space, the familiar spaces of objects coexisting with the more intangible spaces of software processes and procedures. The latter are visible through a range of materials: interviews carried out with animators working within different industrial sectors, as well as training and publicity materials. Critical approaches relying on photorealism and representational strategies draw digital entities into the world inhabited by humans, and discursively treat them as though they are a little like us. Exploring digital space in this way gives access to digital space as digital space. It is a space that is intangible and computational, and plays a structuring part in all kinds of ways.