Interactive entertainment has definitely arrived. Television and cinema are no longer the sole media for entertainment - the Internet, computers and video games have clearly joined these older passive forms at the center of popular culture today. Where in the past, people gravitated toward linear forms of entertainment, today’s mainstream media environment revolves around the theme of interactivity.
People today enjoy entertainment they can control, and experiences in which they are fully involved. In fact, computer and video games have been delivering just this type of entertainment to consumers for more than 25 years, and with today’s new technologies, the possibilities for interactivity are endless.
Interestingly enough, as computer and video games continue to permeate popular culture, there is more and more crossover with other entertainment genres, such as movies, television and music. Games provide the basis for popular movies such as "Pokemon," "Super Mario Brothers," "Final Fantasy," and "Tomb Raider." Likewise, movies, such as "The Matrix," "Time Code" and "Run Lola Run," use the structure and aesthetics of games to construct compelling story plots.
Television has also joined the clamor for interactive entertainment, allowing viewers to participate in shows online and determine plot points and outcomes – similar to the experience of navigating a computer or video game.
The sound, lights and feel of the enormously successful television show "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" clearly are drawn from the video game world, and the game based on the show has proven popular as well.
The year 2000 affirmed the durability and maturity of the computer and video game industry.
Coming off 1999, a record-breaking year of double digit growth, the industry remained stable during what has become widely known as a "transition year." Unlike previous transition years during which sales have plummeted, sales in 2000 were flat at $6 billion, a strong indicator of the industry’s inherent strength. Furthermore, video game rentals also rose in 2000, generating $919 million compared to $880 million in 1999.
The following historical sales figures illustrate the fact that the computer and video game industry has grown at a strong and steady rate, and will undoubtedly continue to do so throughout the next decade.
People today enjoy entertainment they can control, and experiences in which they are fully involved. In fact, computer and video games have been delivering just this type of entertainment to consumers for more than 25 years, and with today’s new technologies, the possibilities for interactivity are endless.
Interestingly enough, as computer and video games continue to permeate popular culture, there is more and more crossover with other entertainment genres, such as movies, television and music. Games provide the basis for popular movies such as "Pokemon," "Super Mario Brothers," "Final Fantasy," and "Tomb Raider." Likewise, movies, such as "The Matrix," "Time Code" and "Run Lola Run," use the structure and aesthetics of games to construct compelling story plots.
Television has also joined the clamor for interactive entertainment, allowing viewers to participate in shows online and determine plot points and outcomes – similar to the experience of navigating a computer or video game.
The sound, lights and feel of the enormously successful television show "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" clearly are drawn from the video game world, and the game based on the show has proven popular as well.
The year 2000 affirmed the durability and maturity of the computer and video game industry.
Coming off 1999, a record-breaking year of double digit growth, the industry remained stable during what has become widely known as a "transition year." Unlike previous transition years during which sales have plummeted, sales in 2000 were flat at $6 billion, a strong indicator of the industry’s inherent strength. Furthermore, video game rentals also rose in 2000, generating $919 million compared to $880 million in 1999.
The following historical sales figures illustrate the fact that the computer and video game industry has grown at a strong and steady rate, and will undoubtedly continue to do so throughout the next decade.