Impact of Digitization and ConvergenceVIDEO GAMING

Have you heard of :• Magic the Gathering

• PlayStation Vita

• Facebook

How about:• Internet

• Handheld

• Multiplayer

• Those are the names in video gaming industry that gather popularity thanks to implementation of digitalization and convergence

• Let’s start with basic concepts

Digitization

Digitization is a process of converting analog information into digital format

Digitization

• Manovich (2002) describes ‘when new media objects are created on computers (through the process of digitization), they originate in numerical form’ and ‘old media objects can be input into the computer to become digitized’

• Few examples of games possible thanks to digitization from analog form

Digitization made possible

“Magic the Gathering”

From Analog To Digital

Digitization made possible

“Risk”

From Analog To Digital

• Thanks to implementation of digitization, video gaming became an environment that is enriched with variety of board and dice games as well as games based on books and comics

• Let’s talk about technology

Convergence

• Technological process of bringing together multiple different elements and features of other technologies within the same device

Convergence

• Jenkins (2001) “we are entering an era where media will be everywhere, and we all will use all kinds of media in relation to one another”

Convergence

• Ip (2008) suggest that ‘digital convergence entails the fusion of any combination of technologies to allow more services and/or products to become available to consumers via a wider range of digital devices

Features of many different technologies converged in one

• Wi-Fi

• OLED touchscreen

• Internet connection

• Motion sensor

• Camera

• Multiplayer

• GPS

• And many more

Why those things matter so much for video gaming?

• In 2012 consumers spend on games 20.77 Billion dollars

• In US average household has at least one gaming device

• In Australia alone retail game sales reached 1.14 billion dollars

• Video game industry is worth 76 billion dollars

• Video gaming is the fastest growing and the biggest entertainment industry in the world

• References• Ip, B. (2008). Technological, content, and Market Convergence in

the Games Industry. Games and Culture, 3(2), 199-224.

• Jenkins, H. (2004). The Cultural Logic of Media Convergence. International Journal of Cultural Studies, 7(1), 33 -43.

• Jenkins, H., Li, X., Krauskopf, A. & Green, J. (2009). If It Doesn't Spread, It's Dead: Creating Value in a Spreadable Marketplace, Convergence Culture Consortium, retrieved from http://www.convergenceculture.org/web...

• Manovich, L. (2002). The Language of New Media. P. 28, 2001. The MIT Press. P. 28

• Sources of statistics:• www.theesa.com/facts/pdfs/esa_ef_2013.pdf?

• http://au.playstation.com/psvitasystem/

• http://www.igea.net/2014/02/retail-sales-of-video-games-hold-steady-and-digital-sales-exceed-expectations/

• http://www.reportlinker.com/ci02073/Video-Game.html

• Credits for media used:

• Cabeza2000 (2004) Game Options and Map Setup.[Screenshot]. Retrieved from http://www.mobygames.com/game/windows/risk-ii/screenshots/gameShotId,62794/

• Dyer, Jonathan (2008). Magic: the Gathering. Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/wallydyer/2854809948/sizes/m/in/photostream/

• Read, Derek (2013). Risk Night [Image]. Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/vancouverizer/9204203578/sizes/m/in/photolist-f2kX49-PFAAR-PFA22-PELD1-bgMxar-b77jwX-ZTHPd-e7RN8-4y4jDW-4y4i6b-4xZ74n-4xZ3bK/

• Credits for media used: (cont.)

• Teamxbox (2011) Magic: The Gathering – Duels of the Planeswalkers. [Screenshot]. Retrieved from http://screenshots.teamxbox.com/screen/99458/Magic-The-Gathering-Duels-of-the-Planeswalkers-2012/

• TheVitaLounge (2013) PlayStation Vita Outsells Wii U in Japan Despite Mario Bump. [Screenshot]. Retrieved from http://thevitalounge.net/playstation-vita-outsells-wii-u-in-japan-despite-mario-bump/

Created by Wiktor Mertyn for Web207 RWMC Curtin University

2014

• This work is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Australia (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0)

• http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/au/deed.en