Intrinsic Values: This Gaming Life

As I listened to a Bungie podcast whilst soaking in the tub (yes, I take proper baths), I really started to think about the gaming world that gamers live in and how it compares to other hobbies that people have. There are certainly more people that just play games and maybe pick up magazines to read about what's coming out, but the world is so much deeper than that and I suspect that there are not many others like it. The following is my grasp on this world and what I believe to be the state of our union.

The industry is comprised of many things: developers, publishers, the console makers, and the media. It's like the music industry with less glamor and more nerds. But gaming came from the computer/software world where there are huge press conferences spanning days where the media looks at the year to come as showcased by the game makers and console manufacturers. Developers get together and theorize and hypothesize about gaming technology and human interaction at developer conventions. There are small groups that fit in garages that make games many never see (and really should) as well as big companies that make games that everyone sees (and probably shouldn't).

The big dogs in the developer world are the publishers. EA is probably the biggest today. They are the Microsoft of the game software world. Like recording houses in the music industry, publishers gobble up developers (the musicians) and offer them the ability to publish their games (the albums). The developers, in turn, get better advertising, better quality control (supposedly), and better paychecks and budgets. But they also might get 18-hour work days coding and the possibility of their games being manhandled by suit-types who just want higher profits. Recently, the gaming monopolies are under fire by everyone from journalists to developers themselves. But gaming as a business is alive and monstrous. Big budget movies and fast food chains get video games for marketing. The Army develops for training and recruiting. And games are blamed for school shootings and dysfunctional families.

Then there is the media. Journalists that couldn't get enough of games and had a knack for writing made it in print and on the web. Gamers have their favorite magazines, blogs and even writers. We trust them too much to decide what games are going to be good and where we should spend our hard earned cash. Recently, stories about bad games have gotten people fired because those publications also solicit advertising from those developers and publishers. As critics, some follow them blindly and others barely glance (but glance at least) at their written drivel. But their insight into the gaming world is intriguing and captivating at times. Today developers now keep blogs and community sites. They produce and record rss-feed audio and video podcasts with themes and programmed content.

The console makers are in a battle to differentiate themselves. Never before have a group of companies been so closely matched to win the "console war". Historically the market was dominated by just one console until Sony's Playstation 2 met competition from Microsoft's Xbox and Xbox 360 and Nintedo's Wii. Nintendo took the first step with the Wii to peel away a huge layer of gaming market for themselves with their radically designed console, leaving Microsoft and Sony to spar over the traditional gamer market. With console makers, the battle for sales dollars lies solely with the developers to make games that push the hardware. Games drive the market. That's why even the console makers develop and publish games, hoping to carve their market niche with custom content.

And lastly, the public. We have die-hard fans of practically everything: games, developers, consoles, etc. You can probably search for anything game related and find a Google Group for it. While you mom is at home with her Wii bowling the night away, a 20-year-old is dressed up as her favorite Dead or Alive fighting character posing for cameras at video game music concert. Gaming is becoming as popular (or moreso) than going to the movies. As the diversity in the community increases, video games now have a presence in politics and culture.

After seeing what the whole big picture is, it's hard to see any comparison in another market. Music and movies are all very one-sided, one trick ponies. Complex, but only on one dimension. Video games have become not only a pastime, but a way to communicate with other people and the outside world. They act as not only an art form, but as a cultural mirror to reflect on humanity and our state of awareness. If you ever thought video games were a waste of time, there is a whole world to discover and learn about. And most likely you'll learn a lot more than you bargained for.

At first, this post wasn't going to be an "Intrinsic Values" post, but I realized that there is value inherent in being immersed in a subject that offers so much to learn from. I just hope writing it conveys that mindset that I feel I've gained from it.