As we move further into the 21st century, it’s clear that the future of entertainment is one in which computer and video games play an increasingly important role in our society - one in which they change the way people live,work and play.
In fact, the years 2001 and beyond are shaping up to be watershed years in the history of interactive entertainment. Leading analysts forecast that video and computer game software sales alone will soon surpass $10 billion, and that the next generation of video game consoles may achieve household penetration rates approaching 70 percent, making them nearly as commonplace in American homes as video cassette recorders.
What an astonishing development for an industry once viewed as a niche business for teenage boys.
Looking forward, the new age of interactive entertainment promises a period where computer and video game worlds will be more realistic, where we will see characters capable of engaging our emotions, of making us laugh and cry, of triggering great empathy.
Games will do an even better job of creating the illusion of interacting with real people rather than inanimate characters.
They will present music and sound not just as background noise, but as devices to create tension or other effects.
We will witness the arrival of games where actions are controlled not by joysticks and mouses, but by our own words.
Games will soon give players the ability to touch, feel, and even smell real life human sensations while engaged in play.
It all adds up to a future in which the industry will only grow in its capacity to capture the imagination of players with games that involve and engage them, with games that come closer and closer to fully immersing players in their worlds.
The State of the Industry report that follows offers an in-depth look at the computer and video game industry through an overview of current trends, alook back at the industry’s history, and a review of the latest statistics and industry initiatives.
All of these elements taken together give us a clear picture of where computer and video games are today, and what the future of entertainment will look like tomorrow.
In fact, the years 2001 and beyond are shaping up to be watershed years in the history of interactive entertainment. Leading analysts forecast that video and computer game software sales alone will soon surpass $10 billion, and that the next generation of video game consoles may achieve household penetration rates approaching 70 percent, making them nearly as commonplace in American homes as video cassette recorders.
What an astonishing development for an industry once viewed as a niche business for teenage boys.
Looking forward, the new age of interactive entertainment promises a period where computer and video game worlds will be more realistic, where we will see characters capable of engaging our emotions, of making us laugh and cry, of triggering great empathy.
Games will do an even better job of creating the illusion of interacting with real people rather than inanimate characters.
They will present music and sound not just as background noise, but as devices to create tension or other effects.
We will witness the arrival of games where actions are controlled not by joysticks and mouses, but by our own words.
Games will soon give players the ability to touch, feel, and even smell real life human sensations while engaged in play.
It all adds up to a future in which the industry will only grow in its capacity to capture the imagination of players with games that involve and engage them, with games that come closer and closer to fully immersing players in their worlds.
The State of the Industry report that follows offers an in-depth look at the computer and video game industry through an overview of current trends, alook back at the industry’s history, and a review of the latest statistics and industry initiatives.
All of these elements taken together give us a clear picture of where computer and video games are today, and what the future of entertainment will look like tomorrow.