Report on the Video Game Industry: History, Technology, and Culture

This report provides a comprehensive overview of the video game industry, tracing its development from early innovations like the cathode ray tube to the modern era of virtual and augmented reality. It details the evolution of gaming technology, including the impact of mainframe computers, the golden age of arcade games, the rise of home computing, and the advent of 3D graphics, internet gaming, and mobile platforms. The report further examines how societal, cultural, and economic factors influence game development, highlighting the shift from AAA games to indie games, the role of in-game purchases, and the growing demand for educational games. Consumer expectations are also analyzed, emphasizing their central role in product development across various game genres. The report also briefly touches upon the Watchdogs game series, outlining its gameplay and setting. The report provides insights into the dynamic nature of the video game industry and the various factors that shape its evolution and influence.

Games In
Context

Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY ..................................................................................................................................3
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................3
P1 Discussion of momentous development of the video game industry......3
P2 Assessment of technological innovation within the video game industry
.....................................................................................................................4
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................5
P3 Impact of societal, cultural, technological and economical elements on
development of video games.......................................................................5
P4 Analysis of relationship between consumer expectation and product
development.................................................................................................5
TASK 3............................................................................................................................................6
P5 Effect of culture society and technology on the video game watchdog. .6
P6 Evaluation of relationship between video game marketing and social
and cultural elements...................................................................................6
TASK 4............................................................................................................................................7
P7 Presentation of research analysis and conclusion...................................7
P8 Theories of contemporary game development .......................................7
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................9
REFRENCES ................................................................................................................................10

INTRODUCTION
The video game industry is one of the fastest industries in the world. This industry is
involved in construction, marketing and generating income from sale of video games. This report
focuses on the video game industry and provides and its historical development. Technological
innovations which contributed to the progress of this industry along with current technology used
in this sector are also provided in this report. The ways in which societal, cultural and
economical factors affect the video game industry is also given in this report along with relation
between consumer expectations and product development. The impact of cultural and technology
on action adventure game watchdogs is mentioned in this report. The relationship between video
game promotion and social and cultural elements is evaluated in this report. Apart from this,
theories and practices utilised in the video game industry for game development are provided in
this report.
MAIN BODY
TASK 1
P1 Discussion of momentous development of the video game industry
The invention of cathode ray tube which is the same technology used in television helped
in development of early versions of video game in the 1940’s and 1950’s. the main similarity
between video game of this era and the current video games was that it enabled interaction
between the player and the machine such as Bertie the brain and Nimatron. Spacewar is one of
the first known examples of video games which was developed by Harvard and MIT employees

in 1962. Technological development in the form wide usage of main frame computers and easy
programming languages such as BASIC made a significant contribution to development of the
video game industry. The time period of 1970 to 1983 marked the golden age of video arcade
games. The early years of this era were dominated by Pong, a game developed by Atari Inc. This
was the first financially successful video game as it and introduced the use of coin based operator
in gaming industry. This game included multiplayer tennis with two dimensional graphics and
could be played with single hand. This enabled the players to interact with each other during
usage of the arcade machine and resulted information of culture surrounding the game.
Development of first video game console Magnavox Odysey which visually displayed video
games and came with a controller which allowed the player to interact and play the game
contributed to the development of the videogame market. Launch of space invaders was another
milestone for the arcade video game sector as it resulted in widespread demand of arcade games
from shopping malls to convenience stores (Bosman, 2019). The 1980’s introduced 8 bit home
computing which helped in development of hand held video games such as the game boy. Hand
held video game system changed the video game industry as they introduced a technology which
allowed the consumers to play their video games from any place due to the small size of such
systems. This increased the popularity of video games on a global scale and expanded the video
game industry as international organization from Europe and Japan entered this industry. The
1990s saw the development of 3D graphics which are the current norm in the industry along with
the usage of CD storage. Widespread usage of internet and miniaturization of mobile technology
started the trend of internet gaming and mobile gaining which are currently the most popular
gaming platforms of the video game industry. This technological development lead to formation
of affordable video games and enhanced the global reach of the video game industry to
developing economies. Cultural impact of this technology is still seen today as it caused the rise
of competitive gaming and e-sports (Rogers, 2016). The 2010 was the decade which increased
the popularity of e-sports which increased the desirability of gaming skills and created a
professional industry surrounding gaming.
P2 Assessment of technological innovation within the video game industry
The gaming industry has been continuously improving due to technological
advancement. Construction of easy programming language was the initial technological
development which helped in progress of the video game industry. This along with the
development of 2D graphics was the main contributor to success of initial commercial games
such as Pong, CD based storage and rise of personal computers paved the way for development
of the gaming industry as it enabled easy distribution. It was not until the rise of mobile gaming
and introduction of smartphones that the consumer base for the video game industry reached
billions. The launch of apple application store frothier products and subsequent release of goggle
play store for android devices enabled the video game industry to reach billions of consumers.
Increase in online gaming is also attributed to the widespread usage of smartphones. This was
highly advantageous for the video game industry as it helped the industry reach emerging
economies (Kerr, 2017). Online gaming created professional industry surrounding gaming and
assisted in development of gaming as a mainstream sports.
Current technology impacting the video game industry includes Virtual reality and augmented
reality technology. Virtual Reality games include interactive hardware and software which are
used to interact with 3D objects in an artificial world. Players can explore this artificial world
through this technology and gain an immersive and realistic experience of this artificial world.
The gaming industry is using this technology to transform the user experience of consumers.

This technology is constructed through VR headsets with head modulated display and give the
user an immersive an interactive experience with the gaming world. This technology is
beneficial for video game firms as it allows construction of creative games which appeal to
professional as well as casual gamers. VR technology is also advantageous for consumers as it
digitally extends reality anywhere and enhance gaming experience by taking players into games
in real time. The main difference between Augmented reality and Virtual Reality is that
augmented reality provides additional information over the reality of the user. AR technology
tracks the surrounding of the user and overlays additional information on front of the user. AR is
utilized in the video game industry to build games which create playing field within the existing
environment of the player (How Virtual Reality is Transforming the Gaming Industry, 2019)..
The main merit of AR games is that it adds diversity of real world environment in games. This
technology can also be created through smartphones which is not possible in the case of Virtual
technology. Pokémon Go is an example of successful AR game which gained huge popularity as
it could be accessed through a smartphone. AR and VR have transformed the gaming industry
and are the main contributors in future development of this sector.
TASK 2
P3 Impact of societal, cultural, technological and economical elements on
development of video games
Economical elements have a huge impact on video game development one of the major
economical aspect which has resulted in shift from AAA games to indie games is the rising cots
of game production. The AAA games are distinguished from other games by their huge
marketing and production budgets. This is an economical element affecting reduction in
purchase of AAA games and shift of consumers towards indie games which produced by
individual developers free from interruption from large corporations. Indie games are developed
with the aim of constructing experimental and innovative games which reach a large number of
consumers upon their discovery. Apart from this, the growth of large game corporations is
attributed to in game purchase. This activity refers to purchase and sale of points or other items
present in the game which allow the player to enhance their game character or player experience
by exchanging such items an activity in the game. This activity includes power up or character
design change which enhances player experience. Game corporations earn huge profits with the
help of this practice which fuels their continuous growth despite disinterest of the consumer in
AAA games ( Bateman, 2021).
Technological advancements inform video game development. Technological up
gradation in the field digital distribution services for video games are the main contributors in
growth of indie game developers. Distribution of video games for personal computers completed
through CD storage which required high investment for large scale game distribution. This
limited indie developers from reaching a wide audience. Growth of digital distribution services
through platforms such as steam, origin, uplay and many others have helped indie distributors
reach a wide amount of consumers without the need of high financial investment. This
distribution service is simple, swift and provides a platform to indie game developers alongside
large game corporations.
The main cultural factor impacting game development is the increasing demand of
educational games. The rise in demand of educational games is attributed to increase in cultural

acceptance of games as tools for education and learning. Game developers are focusing on
creating games with the purpose of learning as it can be utilizes in educational institutions and
workplace for training purposes. Game based learning has various advantages such as increasing
students engagement. Games based learning creates environment which challenges students to
find answers themselves and helps in skill transfer (The rise of game-based learning, 2016). In
addition to this games which are designed to help students learn reduce their fear of failure as
they gain knowledge while playing game. Another advantage of educational games is that the
game which is also the learning material can be customized for each student which is not
possible in conventional learning procedures. This is especially helpful for students which have
mental illness or learning disabilities
P4 Analysis of relationship between consumer expectation and product development
Consumer expectation informs product development in relation to the video game
industry. Consumer expectations are at the center of development of successful game. The video
game industry constructs game in various genres such as Role playing games, education based
games, open world games which have to meet different consumer expectations in order to gain
success in this highly competitive industry. Game developers develop their products with certain
target consumers base in mine such as professional gamers, time killing games for interactive
players, VR games to create an immersive experience and many more. Every part of the product
development from construction of initial game mechanics to gameplay and promotional content
used by the company is based on the expectations of the target consumer base. Large game
corporations conduct research to understand the need of their target consumer base such as
construction of safe online gaming experience or better graphics and build games on the basis of
the expectations of this consumer base.
TASK 3
P5 Effect of culture society and technology on the video game watchdog
Watchdogs is a set action adventure video game published by French video game
company Ubisoft. This game series includes three games which take place in fictionalized
version of real world locations of Chicago, San Francisco and London.
Gameplay: This genre of this game is an open world game in which players can freely
interact with the fictional world of the game unlike a linear game. Players can utilize weapons
and auto-mobiles of their games freely and death of a player results in the player spawning at
their last location in the game. The player can control various hackers who can hack various
gadgets connected to ctOS. This can be used by the player to solve puzzles or gain entertainment
by getting Non player characters arrested through fake evidence (Yoo, and Eastin, 2017). The
gameplay revolves around completing mission and side quests while remaining undetected by
the antagonists. The player has to kill all the enemies if they are detected by any enemy character
during their missions. Driving, shooting, stealth and role play are the main components of this
gameplay.
This game displays the concerns related to government usage of technology for collecting
information on their citizens and captures real life fears associated to cyber-crimes such as
hacking. Cyber-crime cases which include revolve around stealing personal data of the
consumers such financial information or sensitive private data have increased over the years as

everyone utilizes digital technology to some extent. These fears related to current technology
have been highlighted in the game.
The current culture of high social media usage which displays private information of
consumers permanently on the internet is also present in the game. In addition to this misuse of
technology to control public property which is another fear of the present culture is also
highlighted in this video game.
The societal transformation created by the usage of AI technology and threats associated
with this technology are also present in this game. In addition to this, the growing control of
private corporations on daily life of public through data mining technology and the usage of
social media to form public opinion is also showcased in this game. This game has successfully
depicted current social cultural and technological scenarios through gameplay and setting.
P6 Evaluation of relationship between video game marketing and social and cultural
elements
Ubisoft utilized creative ways to market watch dogs which included content marketing.
Content marketing is a type of promotional activity which is utilizes various digital content such
as blogs, videos, images and many other content. The main focus of content marketing is to
create consumer interest about the product rather than directly marketing the product to the
consumer. Ubisoft created a video series in which it tricked some visitors to a phone into
believing that they had control of various traffic lights around the city, in store lights and ATM.
This video reached millions of users and helped the company market the concept of their video
game effectively. Another video which was a part of the content marketing strategy of the
respective company showed a live version of stunt present in the game which was performed by
professional parkour players.in addition to this the respective organization also developed a
series focusing on hacking elements present in the game. The promotional elements used by
Ubisoft to promote their products depicted various cultural concerns related to usage of
technology and the ability to hack digitally connected gadgets. All of these elements reflect the
current cultural situation where personal information of any digital user can be stolen by cyber
criminals and public property can be easily hacked and controlled to cause serious damage.
TASK 4
P7 Presentation of research analysis and conclusion
The video game industry and concept of game development is constantly changing in
order to reflect the current cultural context. Initial games were developed as a way of
entertainment and gave players entertainment value through innovative gameplay. The current
game development process emphasizes the need to reflect cultural reality of the real world
through innovative and stylized gameplay (Muriel and Crawford, 2018). Open world gameplay
has been used by various game development firms and indie game creators to construct a world
which depicts a fictionalized version of the current cultural scenarios. Ubisoft is a French game
development firm which utilized open world game style in their game watch dogs. This game
captured the current cultural context by showcasing technological concerns surrounding hacking
to commit cyber-crimes. This game was able to depict the current cultural situation of private
organizations gaining access to private data of digital users as the main antagonist of this game is
a private corporation which has created a system which has access to private data of every citizen

and is controls public property such as traffic lights. This system allows the users to hack public
property and plant fake evidence which is also a threat caused if a firm or government institution
has full access to private data of consumers and their electrical gadgets. Video games are capable
of depicting cultural conditions of our society and help the players indulge in a fictionalized
world which reflects real life societal conditions.
P8 Theories of contemporary game development
Game design theory is one of the contemporary theories of game development. This
theory divides the process of game development into three elements which are mechanics and
systems, gameplay and user experience. Mechanics and structures of a game refers to rules and
objects of the game . the gameplay is considered as the interaction between the user and the
mechanics of the game. The user experience is defined as the feeling gained by the player during
playing the game. Game theory is the academic field which revolves in the area of game design,
players and their role in society. This research conducted under this theory answers various
questions of the video game industry such as the characteristics of a good video game (Aktaş,
and Orçun, 2016). The research conducted to identify the factors which result in development of
a good video game such as innovation and player engagement, easy to play, provide educational
information or gives the player a novel experience while playing the game. The games studies
under the game theory have well defined mathematical properties as it is study of strategic
decision making. These games need to contain certain elements which include players of the
game, data provided to each player, actions of each player at every point of the game and payoffs
of each outcome of the game (Gregory, J., 2018). This theory has helped various game
development corporates and indie game developers create successful games which help of this
theory. These games are successful in attaining their purpose which include providing
entertainment, education or reflecting current situations of the society.

CONCLUSION
From the above report it is concluded that the video game industry has developed at a
swift rate to become of the lucrative industry in the current corporate world. The process of game
development is affected by various cultural, technological and societal elements. Technological
up gradation, cultural factors such as increasing use of educational video games are key factors
affecting the process of video game development. In addition to this economical factors also play
role in video game development. Gameplay, style and marketing activities related to a video
game are main elements which help in construction of a video game which reflect social cultural
and technological reality. Game theory is one of the most widely used theory in contemporary
game development which assist in construction of effective games.

REFRENCES
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Bateman, C. ed., 2021. Game writing: Narrative skills for videogames. Bloomsbury Publishing
USA.
Bosman, F.G., 2019. Gaming and the Divine: A New Systematic Theology of Video Games.
Routledge.
Gregory, J., 2018. Game engine architecture. crc Press.

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