Ten of the events since 2001 that have have helped shape the video game industry today.
Created by admendenhall on Apr 17, 2011
Last updated: 04/20/11 at 11:10 PM
Question 1: What were the details of the event?
Notorious iPhone hacker George Hotz, with the aid of the hackers at Fail0verflow, succeeded in bypassing almost every security and anti-counterfeiting measure build into Sony’s Playstation 3. After releasing this information freely on the internet, Sony filed a lawsuit against those involved. Though George Hotz settled with the corporation outside of court, many lingering questions have arisen and remain unanswered regarding consumers’ rights.
Question 2: Why was the event important to the industry? How would the event affect you as a Game Designer or Developer?
This lawsuit could have redefined what consumers were allowed to do to their consoles and hardware. Hardware hacking and modification is becoming more widespread. After an event such as this, the next generation of consoles must have more sophisticated built-in security that can be upgraded through firmware if manufacturers hope to prevent future issues.
As a designer or developer, an event such as this would make me biased to designing games for consoles with higher security. The last thing I would want to do is spend years working on game only to watch it fail because many people are playing pirated copies instead of official copies.
Reference:
Westbrook, Logan. (2011, January 12). Sony Breaks Out the Lawyers Over PS3 Hacks. The Escapist. Retrieved on April 14, 2011, from http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/106865-Sony-Breaks-Out-the-Lawyers-Over-PS3-Hacks
(Photo by George Hotz)
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/106865-Sony-Breaks-Out-the-Lawyers-Over-PS3-Hacks
Question 1: What were the details of the event?
In March 2010, Jason West and Vince Zampella left Infinity Ward, the company they founded, after Activision refused to pay them bonuses from the November 2009 release of Modern Warfare 2. Shortly after, most of the other employees at Infinity Ward left and joined in the lawsuit citing the same reasons.
Question 2: Why was the event important to the industry? How would the event affect you as a Game Designer or Developer?
Infinity Ward was one of the most profitable and successful developers at the time West and Zampella left. This event highlighted the responsibilities of a publisher, even as large as Activision, to a developer after the delivery of a game.
As a designer, if these accusations were true, I would be leery about working with a company, like Activision, that has a reputation of not paying employees. This is a case where contracts need to be paid careful attention and thoroughly dissected before signing.
Reference:
Pklepek. (2010, April 27). UPDATE: 38 Infinity Ward Employees File Lawsuit Against Activision Over Royalties, Alleges Devs Held “Hostage”. G4TV. Retrieved on April 17, 2011, from http://www.g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/704273/update-38-infinity-ward-employees-file-lawsuit-against-activision-over-royalties-alleges-devs-held-hostage/
(Photo from Joystiq.com)
http://www.g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/704273/update-38-infinity-ward-employees-file-lawsuit-against-activision-over-royalties-alleges-devs-held-hostage/
Question 1: What were the details of the event?
Tiring of losing revenues from used software sales, Electronic Arts initiated its “Project Ten Dollar” program. This program give the purchaser of a new video game a one-time use code for downloadable content for free. Typically this content is required to get the full experience of a game. A consumer who purchases this game used will have to pay a ten-dollar fee for the same content and experience.
Question 2: Why was the event important to the industry? How would the event affect you as a Game Designer or Developer?
This project as so far been one of the more successful ways publishers can cash in on the used software market. As a designer, this would give me a much better idea of the actual sales of a game instead of estimating so a number of used sales. In turn, I would know how big my audience is and whether the game was more, or less, successful than initial reports.
Reference:
Edwards, Cliff. (2010, February 10). Electronic Arts: Lost in an Alien Landscape. Businessweek. Retrieved on April 14, 2011, from http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_08/b4167064465834.htm
(Picture from LifeCultureGeek.com).
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_08/b4167064465834.htm
Question 1: What were the details of the event?
Starting in 2007 and culminating in the release of Spore in 2008, Electronic Arts secretly installed a program called SecuROM during the normal installation of one of their games. This program was intended to allow EA to track unauthorized copies of game installations, but the program tended to cause performance issues once installed. The program could not be removed without a full reformatting of the hard drive. Angered by this, consumers filed lawsuits for not being informed at any point, including the End-User License Agreement.
Question 2: Why was the event important to the industry? How would the event affect you as a Game Designer or Developer?
This event began to draw the lines of how a publisher may add additional programs during the installation process. When a publisher adds a program as vicious as SecuROM there is little to differentiate the publisher from a basic hacker. Unfortunately, there is little to separate the publisher from the developer in the minds of the basic consumer. Because of this, it is important as a developer to make certain there are legal contracts in place with the publisher specifically regarding these issues.
Reference:
GamePolitics. (2008, November 8). New Class-Action Suits Target EA, SecuROM, The Sims, Spore Creature Creator. GamePolitics. Retrieved on April 15, 2011, from http://www.gamepolitics.com/2008/11/08/new-class-action-suits-target-ea-securom-sims-amp-spore-creature-creator
(Image by Penny Arcade)
http://www.gamepolitics.com/2008/11/08/new-class-action-suits-target-ea-securom-sims-amp-spore-creature-creator
Question 1: What were the details of the event?
After several years of filing lawsuits against video game publishers, developers, designers, and anyone else who caught his attention, Jack Thompson was finally disbarred by the state of Florida. Though his disbarring stemmed from the unprofessional and harassing way in which he performed, including toward his peers, it was indirectly a monumental victory for the video game industry.
Question 2: Why was the event important to the industry? How would the event affect you as a Game Designer or Developer?
Using God and religion, Thompson attacked any video game company that did not adhere to his ideals. His disbarring finally allowed developers and publishers their First Amendment rights without fear of constant and immediate persecution.
As a developer, I could breathe a sigh of relief knowing a game’s release would not be hindered by a lawsuit. Since most of Thompson’s lawsuits were dropped before they went to court, this event would put an end to at least one unneeded headache in the final stages of development.
Reference:
Fahey, Mike. (2008, September 25). Jack Thompson Disbarred. Kotaku. Retrieved on April 12, 2011, from http://kotaku.com/#!5054772/jack-thompson-disbarred
(Photo from MaximumPC)
http://kotaku.com/#!5054772/jack-thompson-disbarred
Question 1: What were the details of the event?
After battling for several years with Sony’s Blu-ray technology for high definition disc superiority, Toshiba conceded defeat. Through this Sony was able to claim absolute dominance for the next-generation home video format.
Question 2: Why was the event important to the industry? How would the event affect you as a Game Designer or Developer?
Determining the format for HD graphics could hold insights to the graphics of future games. While some companies had products that felt immediate effects, such as the Xbox 360’s HD DVD peripheral, the long term effects may not be felt until the next generation of Blu-ray friendly consoles is introduced.
As a designer, I would be thrilled for a standard HD format to be decided. As a Blu-ray disc can hold 50 gigabytes of data, video games could be much more detailed and larger while still staying on one disc.
Reference:
Diaz, Jesus. (2008, February 19). Toshiba Kills HD DVD, Official. Gizmodo. Retrieved on April 18, 2011, from http://gizmodo.com/#!357957/toshiba-kills-hd-dvd-official
(Photo from Dvice.com)
http://gizmodo.com/#!357957/toshiba-kills-hd-dvd-official
Question 1: What were the details of the event?
Surprising the video game industry, publishers Vivendi Games and Activision announced that they were merging to form Activision Blizzard. This move allowed the newly formed company to claim the title of the second-largest publisher after Electronic Arts.
Question 2: Why was the event important to the industry? How would the event affect you as a Game Designer or Developer?
Both successful in their own right, neither Vivendi Games nor Activision needed to consider a merger for their continued success. This merger ensured the survivability of both publishers for many years to come while also forging a power capable of rivaling Electronic Arts.
As a developer, it is can be advantageous to build a steady relationship with a publisher; especially if they are particularly large and well-financed. Though ethics count for a lot, a large publisher can ensure a project will come to fruition instead of falling apart when it nears completion.
Reference:
Carless, Simon. (2007, December 3). Breaking: Activision, Vivendi Games Merging To Create Activision Blizzard. Gamasutra. Retrieved on April 19, 2011, from http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=16457
(Photo from Mediafreak's Blog)
http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=16457
Question 1: What were the details of the event?
For the game Resistance: Fall of Man, Sony Computer Entertainment recreated the interior of the Manchester Cathedral in photo-realistic detail without obtaining the permission of the Church of England. The Church feared this game would escalate an already growing gun-crime problem in Manchester and represented the cathedral in a way they did not want.
Question 2: Why was the event important to the industry? How would the event affect you as a Game Designer or Developer?
This was one of the first major issues with photo-realism becoming more prominent in video games. It reinforced the need to secure locations for use in games similar to how they are in the film industry.
As a developer, I would ensure location releases are secured. Since games are a much more controllable medium than film, if these releases are not possible, it would be very easy to change the levels enough to make it similar but not exact.
Reference:
BBC News. (2007, June 9). Cathedral row over video game. BBC News. Retrieved on April 15, 2011, from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/manchester/6736809.stm
(Photo from Spong.com)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/manchester/6736809.stm
Question 1: What were the details of the event?
After the release of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, amateur hackers discovered a discarded mini-game where the protagonist can have sex with his girlfriends. Though it was initially brushed off as a mod and not intended content, the discovery of the mini-game in the Playstation 2 and Xbox versions proved that it was not a mod. Subsequently, the ESRB changed the rating of the game from “Mature” to “Adults Only” until publisher Rockstar removed the code and reissued the game.
Question 2: Why was the event important to the industry? How would the event affect you as a Game Designer or Developer?
This event highlighted the problems that can arise by leaving unused code on the shipped product. As a designer, this illustrates the problems that can and will come up as some consumers become more computer savvy. It is now imperative to ensure that nothing is left on the finished product that the consumer should not see or be made aware of, because someone will find it.
Reference:
Perry, Douglass. (2005, July 20). Rockstar Responds to GTA: SA’s AO Rating. IGN. Retrieved on April 11, 2011, from http://pc.ign.com/articles/635/635277p1.html
(Photo from Sandstorming.com)
http://pc.ign.com/articles/635/635277p1.html
Question 1: What were the details of the event?
After seven years of flooding the console market with a rapid succession of consoles and upgrades to consoles, Sega of America finally reached a point where it no longer found itself in competition. After the release of the highly-innovative Sega Dreamcast in 1999, it found a brief period of success until Sony released the Playstation 2 a year later. Christmas 2000 proved disastrous for Sega as their console could not appeal to consumers enough to capitalize on a huge Playstation shortage. Soon after, Sega pulled the plug on the Dreamcast and announced that it would be leaving the hardware side of the industry and focus solely on the software side.
Question 2: Why was the event important to the industry? How would the event affect you as a Game Designer or Developer?
This event marked the end of one of the powerhouses of the console manufacturers. Even though the system had a built-in modem, powerful graphics, and a strong library of games, it simply could not appeal to consumers. The biggest problem was that Sega did not try to help third-party developers understand the console, keeping the nuances of its capabilities a secret.
Sega burned many bridges when it abandoned the Saturn to release the Dreamcast. Coupled with this fact, and not aiding third-party companies learn the console, it appears that Sega does not care about their consoles if they cannot control both sides of the market. I wound be hesitant to want to design for them when my project could be rendered obsolete two years into development if Sega released a new console, again.
Reference:
IGN Staff. (2001, January 30). The Death of Dreamcast: Sega Confirms Price Drop, Inventory Reduction, and More. IGN. Retrieved on April 11, 2011, from http://dreamcast.ign.com/articles/090/090854p1.html
(Picture from SuperCheats.com)
http://dreamcast.ign.com/articles/090/090854p1.html
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