A timeline of Important Game Industry events that have occurred in the 2001-2010 timeframe.
Created by jchavez088 on Jan 26, 2011
Last updated: 02/16/11 at 07:36 PM
Question 1: What were the details of the event?
Body Sensing technology, which allows the player to use their body as the controller.
Question 2: Why was the event important to the industry? How would the event affect you as a Game Designer or Developer?
The Kinect takes gaming to a whole ne level. Where the wii took console controls into the future, the Kinect comes back from a future way beyond that and says “Thanks Grand-Pa”. This is where I had envisioned games would eventually end up. As an aspiring designer, which is to say I would play games and improve upon them in my head, I always wanted to be in the game. The Kinect allows gamers to do just that. This one innovation will have a major impact on the industry for years to come. Designers have an entire new medium with which to play, not just in the console arena but also for the PC.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn19065-innovation-microsofts-kinect-isnt-just-for-games.html
Question 1: What were the details of the event?
World of Warcraft reaches 12 million active subscribers, proving that a video game can continue to attract new players if done right.
Question 2: Why was the event important to the industry? How would the event affect you as a Game Designer or Developer?
The fact that a video game can attain that number of players is amazing, that they can do it at one time awe-inspiring. WOW goes to show, that if done right a video game can continue to produce revenue year after year. It also shows the increase in the number of people worldwide that are playing video games. It’s not just kids anymore, those kids have grown up and their kids have grown up, and their kids are now playing. Gaming is no longer a thing of a secluded few crowded around arcade machines; it has permeated nearly all aspects of life. As a developer you have to find that niche or spin that will allow you to integrate into that society.
http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/10/07/world-of-warcraft-reaches-12-million-players/
Question 1: What were the details of the event?
The Wii Remote, propelled console gaming into the future with it’s innovative control system.
Question 2: Why was the event important to the industry? How would the event affect you as a Game Designer or Developer?
No longer would gamers sit or stand in one place while their fingers did all the work. With the Wii Remote, you could now be a part of the game itself. The device is also a hand-held pointing instrument that detects your movements in real time. It was the next step in the evolution of gaming. Developers and designers can now incorporate what they had only dreamed of before, games in which the players could fight real duels with virtual foes. This also lead to the creation of the wii fit and a new trend in in-home workouts.
http://theviewspaper.net/nintendo-wii-an-innovation/
Question 1: What were the details of the event?
The fiancé of an EA programmer, blogged about the unfair work conditions at EA, leading to a class action lawsuit and shedding light on the video game industry work practices.
Question 2: Why was the event important to the industry? How would the event affect you as a Game Designer or Developer?
It was important because until then, the video game industries work practices were hidden from the general public. Not that they were secret, it’s just that most people felt that working in that field was above them and they wouldn’t understand it. When the fiancé of a programmer at EA complained about it on her blog, it set off a media storm that lead to several class action lawsuits. The result of which was EA paying over $14 million in unpaid overtime to former and current employees. As a developer, you have to remember that your employees are the heart of the project, treat them well and they will exceed your expectations.
http://ea-spouse.livejournal.com/274.html
Question 1: What were the details of the event?
Hidden adult content scenes discovered in GTA: San Andreas game causing a large media blow-up involving consumers and politicians.
Question 2: Why was the event important to the industry? How would the event affect you as a Game Designer or Developer?
The resulting lawsuit, investigations and bad publicity from the Hot Coffee incident, allowed politicians to get a firm grip in the gaming industry. Stricter policies were placed on developers, and higher ESRB ratings were enforced. As a designer, It pays to be aware of what your employees are doing at all times with regard to your game. A little harmless easter egg is fine, but when your dealing with young gamers playing mature games it pays to be careful.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/11/technology/11game.htm?
Question 1: What were the details of the event?
Nintendo release the first reliable wireless controller, the Wavebird.
Question 2: Why was the event important to the industry? How would the event affect you as a Game Designer or Developer?
Although many other companies had dabbled with wireless technology for game controllers, Nintendo was the first to get it right. Wireless controllers allowed for freedom of movement for gamers. A cable to the game console no longer tethered players. This innovation was more for comfort than actual game play, or game design/development . Although it was another example of how controllers seem to revolutionize the game industry every few years. An improvement like this also helps boost whichever company creates it, until someone else comes up with something better.
http://gear.ign.com/articles/361/361933p1.html
Question 1: What were the details of the event?
G4TV Launches on April 24th 2002.
Question 2: Why was the event important to the industry? How would the event affect you as a Game Designer or Developer?
G4TV was originally created to be an MTV type channel for the videogame crowd. The first producer envisioned a channel where game developer’s created most of the content, much like musicians created videos that were played on MTV. What G4TV has become today, is the place for all things related to the videogame industry. From games to gadgets to the coverage of E3, G4TV has it all. Getting a mention on G4TV is crucial for game developers today, and I’m not just talking about paying for an airtime commercial.
http://g4tv.com/
Question 1: What were the details of the event?
Blu-Ray Discs were officially named in February of 2002. They were the same size as conventional CDs and DVDs but were capable of storing up to 50GB of data.
Question 2: Why was the event important to the industry? How would the event affect you as a Game Designer or Developer?
This event was important to the industry because games were getting more complex, yet were limited to the same to CD storage limits (740MB) and later DVD limits (1.4GB). With the new capacity on the Blu-Ray Discs, developers could create bigger games. The question that arises with this technology is, “Is bigger better?” Sometimes story line is the most compelling way to get your point across, in that instance the extra space could go to multimedia elements that enhance your story.
http://www.blu-raydisc.com/en.html
Question 1: What were the details of the event?
27 game companies announce that they will take advantage of the high-speed broadband, capabilities of the X-Box, which releases later that year in November.
Question 2: Why was the event important to the industry? How would the event affect you as a Game Designer or Developer?
The significance of this event to the industry was quite important. First off, most of the biggest developer’s put their stamp of approval on the X-Box before it even launched due to the broadband capabilities. Broadband would revolutionize the console world allowing players to participate in and enjoy multiplayer games at the same level of immersion that PC gamers had been enjoying until then, to include communication.
As a game designer, I wouldn’t even be able to conceptualize the MMORPG that I envision, if this kind of connectivity had not been introduced to the industry. Although singe-player games can be quite fun to play, the introduction
http://www.digitalmediafx.com/E3/xboxbroadband.html
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