DOCSLIB.ORG

The Game and Paths to Market

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Game and Paths to Market Business Planning Fall 2018 Housekeeping • Changing Assignment 4 to optional / extra credit • Possibly just one more class session remaining for in class extra credit presentations Business Planning Mission: Core purpose, values To help focus studio and business over time Business Model • Traditional game, Free to Play, Subscription ‒ Consider different project structure (slim down scope, identify game extensions via DLC, IAP, updates) • Develop game, determine business model later ‒ Self publishing, publisher • Work for hire / contract work Business Focus • Think about areas where you can excel ‒ May be art, tech tasks, audio, test, localization, other • Kinds of games, platforms, scale, timelines • Consider diversification ‒ Project contracts along with passion projects • Staffing ‒ Solo, small dedicated team, distributed/contractors, office/no office ‒ Team terms – cash, rev shares, deferred compensation, bonus structures Business Focus • Game focus ‒ Style of game – genre, mechanic, creative lead / style ‒ Platform(s) – e.g. mobile, specific console • Flexibility ‒ “Pivot” Platform Planning Key Platform Considerations Platform “fit” for game project Platform environment • Style of game • State of platform • Audience • Competitive environment • Base size • Distribution channels • Multi-platform plan Key Platform Considerations Additional factors • First party support • Exclusivity • Multi-platform plan Exclusivity Console first parties periodically offer incentives for windows of exclusivity on their platforms • This refers to console platform exclusives – typically PlayStation, Xbox ‒ Not desktop, mobile platforms ‒ With timed exclusive, other console platforms can come after specified window • Incentives can include funding contributions as well as co-marketing commitments • Developers can assess pros and cons of exclusivity in exchange for narrower availability First Party Programs PlayStation Pub fund • You are the publisher and own the game’s IP rights • Incentive based program intended to support platform-defining content on PS3, PS4, PS VR and PS Vita systems • Guaranteed royalties upon release of the Game in exchange for limited platform exclusivity • Additional Co-Marketing support on PlayStation channels • Factor in restrictions too https://www.playstation.com/en-us/develop/ Platform Launch Window Strategy Pros Cons Early mover advantage Risk – particularly if it’s new platform – that it may never get traction Visibility through association with new system Challenges in selecting viable platform Fewer competitors Small installed base in early period of platform Early adopters (usually less price sensitive) need content Higher likelihood of co-promotion with platform holder – spotlights on great content that show off system Pioneers are often the ones with arrows in their backs https://www.gdcvault.com/play/1024609/-Job-Simulator-Postmortem-VR https://www.magicleap.com/grant-program Mass Platforms • Desktop, Mobile • Approaching ubiquity • While sizable installed bases, not all owners play games Multiplatform Strategies Simultaneous Multi-Platform Plan Staggered Platform Plan Maximize potential audience for launch campaign Co-marketing/other benefits through exclusivity Varying prices per platform considerations Optimizing game for each platform Limited resources Can be more challenging generating interest for later platform releases (perceived as after market “ports”) If staggered release plan, consider varying features for later platforms – levels, features, etc “Pivot” Additional Considerations • Original IP, Licenses, Series ‒ Along with entertainment licenses, license can include brands (e.g. car brands for a racing game) • Tech ‒ Build your own vs off-the-shelf ‒ Multi-platform Additional Considerations • Business operations ‒ QA, localizations, administration, financial management (payroll, taxes, banking, business systems) • Forming company ‒ Sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation/LLC • Cash flow ‒ Factor in distribution channel participation fees and lag time between sales and payments (up to 60 days) Initial costs • Incorporation: $500 (Varies by location, does not include attorney fee) Equipment (per workstation) • at least $800 per PC • $150 per monitor (you need 2 monitors per person) • $20 per mouse • $20 per keyboard • $100 per desk • $80 per chair • roughly $1800 in software licenses • Total: $3120 per person Plus • $1,000 or more for a company laptop • $200 for a printer/scanner • $80 for business cards • $3000 for miscellaneous stuff (paper, ink, router, tools, air conditioner, gaming peripherals, etc) http://www.polygon.com/2014/7/31/5949433/the-cost-of-a-game-studio Ongoing costs • Rent/electricity: $776 per month • Cellphone/internet access: $180 per month • Bank fees: $20-40 per month • Insurance: $250 per month • Salaries: about $3250 per employee per month Other costs • Participation at PAX East: About $8,000 total • Legal fees: About $3,000 per year • Accountant fees: About $3,000 per year • Music: About $150 per song, prices vary greatly • Sound effects: $10 per sound effect, prices vary greatly • Marketing/PR outsourcing: $1000 and upwards per campaign • Travel expenses (not counting PAX): About $2000 per trip, depends on location and timing • Started by Guillaume Bocher-Vidal, Quebec in 2011 • First position: Activision, QA (20 years old) • Start up ‒ $20K personal savings ‒ $16K Kickstarter ($2K cost) ‒ Team’s own PC equipment ‒ Bank loan ‒ 5 guys, 86 square foot office space in founder’s apartment ‒ Years 1 through 3: ~$80K total cost ($35K debt) ‒ Then, publishing agreement for second game (Bandai Namco) http://www.polygon.com/2014/7/31/5949433/the-cost-of-a-game-studio http://www.ninedotsstudio.com/ • Year three ‒ Game two ‒ 7 person team ‒ Office ‒ $40K/month burn rate ‒ Secured rights from publisher for second game ‒ Funding of $750M from Canada Media Fund Experimental Stream Program • Five year anniversary ‒ First game free ‒ One week 50% off promo ‒ “We'll be here for years to come.” • Year Seven - August 2018 update ‒ Signed with publisher Koch media for upcoming game Outward https://blog.thimbleweedpark.com/budget1 Business Plan • Particularly relevant for investor/partner pitches, and for guiding business in general ‒ Business plan for studio/business, beyond single game • Map out goals, objectives, fundamentals ‒ Product plan(s), timelines, including post launch/post game 1 ‒ Market assessment ‒ Financials – expenses, income, budget needs https://www.rocketlawyer.com/form/business-plan.rl Pro Forma ROI Income – Cost of Income Cost of Income Funding • Self Funding / Bootstrap ‒ Including loans, savings • Private investors / Angel investors / game funds / incubators / VC • Crowdfunding • Partners / publishers • Other ‒ Competitions ‒ Grants http://www.develop-online.net/analysis/how-to-fund-your-game/0214272 http://www.develop-online.net/analysis/73-game-funding-tips/0214332 Funding 73 Tips • Assess actual/potentially hidden costs of different funding options ‒ Preparing financial statements (accountant), fulfilling physical rewards for crowdfunding, your team’s time in pursuing different avenues, etc • Determine conditions of fund source and impact on project flexibility ‒ Approvals needed for feature changes, milestones/meetings, matching, etc • Consider if game project is aligned with funding source specs • Investigate possible funding from emerging technologies • Carefully evaluate cost/payback terms of funding ‒ Rev shares, terms, IP ownership • Impact of prototypes http://www.develop-online.net/analysis/73-game-funding-tips/0214332.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Semi-Annual Report
    SEMI-ANNU A L REPOR T MARCH 31, 2021 KEY FUND STATISTICS 2 MARKET ENVIRONMENT 5 MARSICO FOCUS FUND Investment Review 7 Fund Overview 10 Schedule of Investments 11 MARSICO GROWTH FUND Investment Review 12 Fund Overview 14 DEAR SHAREHOLDER: Schedule of Investments 15 Enclosed is your semi-annual report for each portfolio of The Marsico Investment Fund (the “Marsico MARSICO 21ST CENTURY FUND OF CONTENTS TABLE Funds”), encompassing the six-month fiscal period from October 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021. Investment Review 16 Fund Overview 18 The purpose of this report is to provide a review of the Marsico Funds’ six-month investment results Schedule of Investments 19 by discussing what we believe were the main areas that impacted performance – including the macroeconomic environment, sector and industry positioning, and individual stock selection – as MARSICO INTERNATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FUND compared to the Funds’ performance benchmark indices. Investment Review 21 Fund Overview 23 For updated information regarding the market environment and each Fund’s overall investment Schedule of Investments 24 positioning and performance, please refer to the Funds’ most recent monthly fact sheets and quarterly investment updates, which are available in the Investor Resources section of the Funds’ MARSICO GLOBAL FUND Investment Review 27 website at marsicofunds.com.(1) Fund Overview 29 Schedule of Investments 30 Note: Effective December 21, 2020, James D. Marsico became co-manager of the Marsico Growth APRIL 2021 Fund with Thomas F. Marsico, Brandon A. Geisler, and Peter C. Marsico. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 32 NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 42 EXPENSE EXAMPLE 47 CONSIDERATION OF INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENTS 48 OTHER INFORMATION 51 (1) The references to the Marsico Funds website (marsicofunds.com) included throughout this semi-annual report do not incorporate the website’s contents into this report.
    [Show full text]
  • The Economics of Exclusivity
    Decision Support Systems 50 (2010) 79–92 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Decision Support Systems journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/dss Platform-based information goods: The economics of exclusivity Ravindra Mantena a, Ramesh Sankaranarayanan b,⁎, Siva Viswanathan c a Simon Graduate School of Business, CS-3-318 Carol Simon Hall, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, United States b School of Business, U-1041, 2100 Hillside Road, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, United States c Robert H. Smith School of Business, 4313, Van Munching Hall, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20185, United States article info abstract Article history: This paper explores the role of exclusive contracting between vendors of platforms (such as video game Received 1 December 2008 consoles) and vendors of complements (such as video games). The main questions of interest are: When do Received in revised form 2 July 2010 we observe complement exclusivity, and what is the impact of exclusive contracting on prices, profits and Accepted 14 July 2010 efficiency? We answer these questions by developing a model of competition between platforms in an Available online 19 July 2010 industry with indirect network effects, and deriving some insightful analytical and numerical results. While complement vendors have natural incentives to be available on all platforms, we establish conditions under Keywords: Exclusivity which they can be contracted for exclusive supply on a single platform. Exclusivity eases competition in the Platform competition platform market and can significantly help increase a platform's adoption. However, exclusivity choice Complements presents a key trade-off for the complement vendor—a larger platform offers access to a larger market, but Indirect network effects also more competition, as compared to a smaller platform.
    [Show full text]
  • Openbsd Gaming Resource
    OPENBSD GAMING RESOURCE A continually updated resource for playing video games on OpenBSD. Mr. Satterly Updated August 7, 2021 P11U17A3B8 III Title: OpenBSD Gaming Resource Author: Mr. Satterly Publisher: Mr. Satterly Date: Updated August 7, 2021 Copyright: Creative Commons Zero 1.0 Universal Email: [email protected] Website: https://MrSatterly.com/ Contents 1 Introduction1 2 Ways to play the games2 2.1 Base system........................ 2 2.2 Ports/Editors........................ 3 2.3 Ports/Emulators...................... 3 Arcade emulation..................... 4 Computer emulation................... 4 Game console emulation................. 4 Operating system emulation .............. 7 2.4 Ports/Games........................ 8 Game engines....................... 8 Interactive fiction..................... 9 2.5 Ports/Math......................... 10 2.6 Ports/Net.......................... 10 2.7 Ports/Shells ........................ 12 2.8 Ports/WWW ........................ 12 3 Notable games 14 3.1 Free games ........................ 14 A-I.............................. 14 J-R.............................. 22 S-Z.............................. 26 3.2 Non-free games...................... 31 4 Getting the games 33 4.1 Games............................ 33 5 Former ways to play games 37 6 What next? 38 Appendices 39 A Clones, models, and variants 39 Index 51 IV 1 Introduction I use this document to help organize my thoughts, files, and links on how to play games on OpenBSD. It helps me to remember what I have gone through while finding new games. The biggest reason to read or at least skim this document is because how can you search for something you do not know exists? I will show you ways to play games, what free and non-free games are available, and give links to help you get started on downloading them.
    [Show full text]
  • Desarrollo De Un Prototipo De Videojuego
    UNIVERSIDAD DE EXTREMADURA Escuela Politécnica Máster en Ingeniería Informática Trabajo de Fin de Máster Desarrollo de un Prototipo de Videojuego Ricardo Franco Martín Noviembre, 2016 UNIVERSIDAD DE EXTREMADURA Escuela Politécnica Máster en Ingeniería Informática Trabajo de Fin de Máster Desarrollo de un Prototipo de Videojuego Autor: Ricardo Franco Martín Fdo: Directores: Pablo García Rodriguez y Rober Morales Chaparro Fdo: Tribunal Calicador Presidente: Fdo: Secretario: Fdo: Vocal: Fdo: Dedicado a mi familia i ii Agradecimientos Quisiera agradecer a varias personas el apoyo y ayuda que me han prestado en la realización de este Trabajo de Fin de Máster. En primer lugar, agradecer a mi director Pablo García Rodríguez por per- mitirme realizar este proyecto y recibirme con los brazos abiertos cada vez que he necesitado su ayuda. También quiero agradecer a mi codirector Rober Morales Chaparro por conar en mí y proporcionarme una de las fases profesional y educativa más importantes de mi vida. Por último, agradecer a mi familia y amigos, que sin su apoyo, no habría llegado tan lejos. En especial, darle las gracias a mi hermano José Carlos Franco Martín que ha realizado y proporcionado algunos recursos artísticos para el proyecto. ½Muchas gracias a todos! iii iv Resumen Este Trabajo de Fin de Máster (en adelante TFM) trata sobre todo el proceso de investigación, conguración de un entorno de trabajo y desarrollo de un prototipo de videojuego. Analizaremos la tecnología actual y repasaremos algunas de las herramien- tas más relevantes utilizadas en el proceso de desarrollo de un videojuego. Seguidamente, trataremos de desarrollar un videojuego. Para ello, a partir de una idea de juego, diseñaremos las mecánicas y construiremos un prototipo funcional que pueda ser jugado y que reeje las principales características planteadas en la idea inicial, con el objetivo de comprobar si el juego es viable, si es divertido y si interesa desarrollar el juego completo.
    [Show full text]
  • TIGER KRX Game K-New Deal ETF to Increase 24% in 2020 and 17% in 2021
    [Korea] October 8, 2020 TIGER KRX Game K -New Deal ETF (364990 KS) Three positives in 2021 : N ext -generation consoles, new title releases, and contactless trend Mirae Asset Daewoo Co., Ltd. Chang-kwean Kim [email protected] HeeSeok Lim [email protected] 20 21 to mark an inflection point Gaming is at the heart of the entertainment industry ’s future for the gaming industry In 2021, the era of gaming anytime, anywhere will begin in earnest. Despite COVID-19 and the uncertain economic outlook for 2021, we expect the gaming industry to perform strongly, as: 1) the industry is inherently resilient to economic downturns; 2) gaming is rising in popularity among older adults; and 3) IT technologies are continuing to advance. In terms of investment strategy, we recommend focusing on new platforms and/or new title momentum. Key events in 2021 include: 1) the release of next-generation consoles; 2) the full- fledged deployment of cloud gaming; and 3) new title releases by major companies. New growth opportunities amid Key drivers of the domestic and global gaming markets: N ext -generation consoles, e- the pandemic sports, and mobile games We expect Korea’s console gaming and e-sports markets to expand at CAGRs of 12% and 9% through 2024, respectively. We estimate the global console gaming and e-sports markets will expand at CAGRs of 7% and 14% through 2024, respectively. In Nov. 2020, Sony and Microsoft are due to release next-generation game consoles for the first time in eight years. Tech giants (e.g., Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and Apple) are launching cloud gaming services in 2020.
    [Show full text]
  • Videogames & the Animation Industry
    VIDEOGAMES & THE ANIMATION INDUSTRY How the animation industry can enrich their IP with an interactive experience. [email protected] A publication of: Happy Volcano www.happyvolcano.com © Happy Volcano BVBA, 2017. All rights reserved. The information in this document is subject to change without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, for any purpose, without the express written permission of Happy Volcano BVBA. Happy Volcano BVBA assumes no liability for any damages incurred, directly or indirectly, from any errors or omissions of the information contained in this document. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY THE PROBLEM Video games have never been more popular. In recent years, the total revenue of the games industry has eclipsed the combined income of the film and music industry. Despite the financial growth and diversification of the medium, culturally video games remain the odd one out. The process of video game creation is largely unknown and few people outside of the industry really understand what video games are all about. Even to the animation industry, where similar technology is used on a daily basis, the games industry is a perfect stranger. THE SOLUTION This whitepaper aims to shed light in the darkness. Starting out with a brief look at the history of licensed video games, we point out the costs and benefits of enriching your animated property with a video game. We highlight the differences between the two industries, as well as the similarities and argue that the world of animation and video game creation exist closer to each other than you might think.
    [Show full text]
  • The Free-To-Play Game in Its Connective Commodity Form
    SMSXXX10.1177/2056305115621932Social Media + SocietyNieborg 621932research-article2015 SI: Social Media Public Space Social Media + Society July-December 2015: 1 –12 Crushing Candy: The Free-to-Play Game © The Author(s) 2015 DOI: 10.1177/2056305115621932 in Its Connective Commodity Form sms.sagepub.com David B. Nieborg Abstract The goal of this article is to add a complementary perspective to the study of social network sites by surveying how the political economy of social media platforms relates to the structure of free-to-play games in their commodity form. Drawing on the theory of multisided markets and critical political economy, this article surveys the political economy of game apps and investigates how it is symbiotically related to the technological and economic logic underlying connective platforms operated by Google, Apple, Facebook, and Amazon. These social media platforms operate app stores that sustain the transformation of games as fixed, physically distributed products that follow a transaction logic, into digitally distributed, freely accessible, or “free-to-play” apps. Through a case study of the popular casual game Candy Crush Saga it is contended that the connective properties of social media platforms affect the form and format of game apps as cultural commodities. Candy Crush Saga developer King Digital Entertainment has been able to attract hundreds of millions of players and build a business model that combines the commodification of virtual items, connectivity, user attention, user data, and play. It is argued that the free-to-play commodity form comprises three commodity types: the product commodity, the “prosumer commodity,” and the player commodity. Furthermore, Candy Crush Saga’s commodity form is structured by a platformed modality of cultural production and circulation and therefore embedded in the political economy of its host platform.
    [Show full text]
  • Consumer Perceptions & Video Game Sales: a Meeting of the Minds
    Illinois Wesleyan University Digital Commons @ IWU Honors Projects Economics Department Spring 4-23-2010 Consumer Perceptions & Video Game Sales: A Meeting of the Minds John Sacranie Illinois Wesleyan University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/econ_honproj Part of the Economics Commons Recommended Citation Sacranie, John, "Consumer Perceptions & Video Game Sales: A Meeting of the Minds" (2010). Honors Projects. 108. https://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/econ_honproj/108 This Article is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by Digital Commons @ IWU with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this material in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/ or on the work itself. This material has been accepted for inclusion by faculty at Illinois Wesleyan University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ©Copyright is owned by the author of this document. Consumer Perceptions & Video Game Sales: A Meeting of the Minds John Sacranie Advisor: Dr. Robert Leekley Illinois Wesleyan University, 2010 Abstract: This paper examines the determinants of video game software sales. What literature currently exists points to an array of factors, ranging from which hardware a title is released on to the game’s genre. This paper incorporates several of these variables, but adds in a new one: quality. Literature up to this point has not addressed the effect that a game’s quality has on its eventual sales, yet one would logically expect this to have a strong positive impact.
    [Show full text]
  • The United States Federal Government Should Enforce Antitrust Regulations on Technology Giants
    Resolved: The United States federal government should enforce antitrust regulations on technology giants. OVERVIEWS/FRAMING/INDICTS/GENERAL ARGS A2 AI good A2 AI bad I2 Wyman/FB killzone study Implementation cards DOJ Antitrust enforcer Facebook Tech giant definition card A2 PRO A2 Implementation arguments A2 Consumer harms bad standard A2 Price regulation/utilities A2 Warren’s plan A2 General arguments A2 Monopolies bad A2 Price hikes A2 Climate change A2 Past enforcement worked A2 EU enforcement A2 AT&T created innovation A2 Suing Microsoft created Google A2 Hurts competition A2 Innovation spam A2 Startups A2 Patents A2 LT Econ growth A2 Wages A2 Small businesses A2 Job creation A2 Democracy A2 Free speech A2 News aggregators A2 Data privacy A2 Company-specific arguments A2 Google - Preinstallation A2 Google - Vertical search A2 Amazon - Worker abuse A2 Amazon - Climate change A2 Amazon - Whole Foods A2 Amazon - Military tech A2 FB - Instagram A2 FB - Genocide (Myanmar) A2 FB - Polarization A2 CON A2 Implementation arguments A2 Data regulation solves A2 Expanded company enforcement A2 Restrict to consumer welfare A2 General arguments A2 Spreading internet A2 Economy A2 Recession (tech bubble) A2 Stock market A2 Low prices A2 Job creation A2 Natural progression solves A2 Alternative is brick-and-mortar A2 Spotify! A2 Innovation A2 Biotech A2 Buyouts good A2 National security A2 Chinese company takeover A2 5G networks A2 Company-specific arguments A2 Subsidiaries/private labels create competition A2 Amazon - Platform for small businesses A2 Amazon - Not a monopoly OVERVIEWS/FRAMING/INDICTS/GENERAL ARGS A2 AI good 1. Delink - AI is dead. In the squo, MIT in 2019 reports AI can’t make changes in businesses that are more than incremental.Chopra in 2018 reports that recent years have seen no new breakthrough research in artificial intelligence due to insurmountable barriers between those programming and the creation of AI that can behave/think like a human due to our lack of knowledge about how the brain actually works.
    [Show full text]
  • UCLA Law Review
    U.C.L.A. Law Review Derivable Works Joseph P. Fishman ABSTRACT From sequels and spinoffs to physical merchandise, copyright and trademark law together give a creative work’s owner exclusivity over a range of derivative products. It is often said that this enhanced appropriability encourages firms to spend money producing the underlying works. Less discussed, however, is what kinds of works it is encouraging them to spend money on. How, in other words, does providing control over a work’s derivatives affect the direction of creative firms’ investment? This Article offers a theory. Granting originators exclusivity over derivative works and their related merchandise can enable marginal investment to tilt toward what I call derivable works: works that, from the owner’s ex ante perspective, are most likely to generate marketable derivatives. Derivable works should be at the center of derivative-rights analyses because those rights selectively raise expected values for the subset of works from which derivatives predictably flow. By making ownership of rights in a derivable work often the most feasible entryway to derivative markets, IP law raises the opportunity cost of producing a standalone project. The more valuable the derivative markets become, the less attractive standalone projects look in comparison. I examine this phenomenon through a case study of the U.S. film industry. Changing economics have increased the private value of protectable content that is best positioned to generate more protectable content. Filmmakers today are spending more to produce derivative films than before, and consumers are likewise spending more to see them. Studios are racing to launch new franchises and extending existing ones, while standalone films face new challenges to profitability.
    [Show full text]
  • The Corporate Sociotechnical Imaginary of Cloud Game Streaming
    University of Calgary PRISM: University of Calgary's Digital Repository Graduate Studies The Vault: Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2019-08-16 “One Place for All the Ways We Play”: The Corporate Sociotechnical Imaginary of Cloud Game Streaming Willett, Sean R. M. Willett, S. R. M. (2019). “One Place for All the Ways We Play”: The Corporate Sociotechnical Imaginary of Cloud Game Streaming (Unpublished master's thesis). University of Calgary, Calgary, AB. http://hdl.handle.net/1880/110744 master thesis University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission. Downloaded from PRISM: https://prism.ucalgary.ca UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY “One Place for All the Ways We Play”: The Corporate Sociotechnical Imaginary of Cloud Game Streaming by Sean RM Willett A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS GRADUATE PROGRAM IN COMMUNICATION, MEDIA, AND FILM CALGARY, ALBERTA AUGUST, 2019 © Sean RM Willett 2019 Abstract Labeled ‘the future of gaming’ by platform owners and members of the enthusiast press, cloud game streaming is an emerging technology that is drawing investment from companies such as Google, Amazon, and Microsoft. While cloud gaming would benefit these companies by giving them more control over their platforms, the technology has a vulnerability to infrastructure failure that is absent in traditional methods of playing digital games.
    [Show full text]
  • VR/AR Innovation Report
    VR/AR Innovation Report Presented by Welcome to the second annual VRDC VR/AR Innovation Report. The data in this report was gathered from surveying over 600 professionals involved in the development of virtual, augmented, and mixed reality experiences. The wealth of data it contains is intended to offer useful insight into a rapidly growing and diverse industry. Some of the many interesting findings from this survey include a clear rise in the popularity of the HTC Vive and the Oculus Rift among industry professionals, an increasing interest in developing platform-exclusive experiences, and an understanding that most devs believe VR is a profitable, sustainable industry — but only in the mid- to long-term. This data was collected, organized and presented by the UBM Game Network, which runs the Virtual Reality Developers Conference (VRDC) as well as the Game Developers Conference (GDC) and Gamasutra.com. VRDC's next event will take place in San Francisco from March 19-20, 2018, bringing together creators of immersive experiences for games and entertainment. 1 What Kinds of Experiences are VR/AR/MR Developers Making? Given the broad scope of possibility in VR/AR/MR development, we thought it would be informative to survey industry professionals on what sorts of experiences they’re focused on making. When we asked survey respondents about the focus or focuses of their current or potential work in VR/AR/MR development, the majority (78 percent) said Games/Entertainment. What is the focus of your current/potential work in VR, AR, or mixed reality? Game/Entertainment 78% Training/Education 27% Branded Experiences 19% Industrial/Product Design 15% Medical/Healthcare 14% Retail/Commercial 11% Travel 7% Real Estate 6% Other 13% The second most popular response proved to be Training/Education, which was selected by 27 percent of respondents.
    [Show full text]