Video Game Summit Future Trends in Gaming David Walsh, Ph.D. National Institute on Media and the Fam

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Video Game SummitFuture Trends in
GamingDavid Walsh, Ph.D.National Institute on
Media and the Family
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The You-Tube Effect

• The transition from game consumption to game
  production.
• Non-commercial gaming.
• Player driven game development will create new
  issues for intellectual property, ratings, age
  verification, parent education, supervision.

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On-line purchase/subscription

• Downloadable content
• PC desktop versions of games available for
  download online with credit or debit card. Just
  put in birthday as age check. (example FEAR)
• Impact for retailers, ratings

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Downloadable Episodic Games

• New games made episode by episode available for
  downloads online similar to TV shows.
• Allows developers to make creative changes month
  to month
• Maintains revenue stream
• Allows for user feedback generating more
  interaction with gamers. (example Telltale)
• Downloadable episodes to handhelds and cell
  phones.

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MMPORGs The proliferation of broadband will
accelerate the growth of this segment.
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Video Game Addiction

• The South Korean experience.
• Forty government sponsored clinics for Internet
  and video game addiction.

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Maturation of the Genre

• From action to plot.
• Artificial Intelligence.
• Voice recognition.

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Trends in Research

• Brain based research
• Mirror cell research

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Future Trends in Ratings, Education and Policy
Will Be Explored in the Panels and Working Groups