The Video Game Research

The Structure of the Video Game Industry is quite simple;

- Developer
- Publisher
- Marketer
- Distributor
- Hardware
- Retail
- Consumer

I got this structure from this website:
http://www.slideshare.net/cigdemkalem/the-games-industry-industry-structure

Another website that explains a bit more in the fields of Computer Game Publishers, Computer Game Developers, Distributors and the Hardware Manufacturers is:
http://www.obscure.co.uk/articles-2/industry-overview/


The 5 most important games ever

Wii Sports is a sports game developed and published by Nintendo as a launch title for the Wii video game console (and the first title for this console), and part of the Touch! Generations. The game was first released in North America along with the Wii on November 19, 2006, and was released in Japan, Australia, and Europe the following month. It was included as a pack-in game with the Wii console in all territories except Japan, making it the first game included with the launch of a Nintendo system since Mario's Tennis for the Virtual Boy in 1995. Wii Sports is now available on its own as part of the Nintendo Selects collection of games and is no longer a pack-in game for the Wii. Overall, Wii Sports has been well received by critics and received awards from the gaming press and entertainment community. It is the best-selling video game of all time as of 2009, having outsold the previous best-seller, Super Mario Bros., also published by Nintendo. As of March 2012, 79.60 million copies of the game had been sold worldwide. The game has become a popular means for social gatherings and competitions among players of varying ages. It was followed by a sequel, Wii Sports Resort, in 2009.

The Sims is a strategic life-simulation video game developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. Its development was led by game designer Will Wright, also known for developing SimCity. It is a simulation of the daily activities of one or more virtual persons ("Sims") in a suburban household near SimCity. In 2002, The Sims became the top-selling PC game in history. As of February 7, 2005, the game has shipped 16 million copies worldwide. Critics praised it with positive reviews. It has been a success in many ways - attracting casual gamers and female gamers (the latter making up almost 60% of players). Open-ended gameplay has been done before in games, such as the farming-based simulation series Harvest Moon, but The Sims has certainly gained popularity for this particular style of gameplay. In March 2009, Electronic Arts announced that The Sims, as a franchise, has sold more than 110 million copies.

Space Invaders is an arcade video game designed by Tomohiro Nishikado, and released in 1978. It was originally manufactured and sold by Taito in Japan, and was later licensed for production in the United States by the Midway division of Bally. Space Invaders is one of the earliest shooting games and the aim is to defeat waves of aliens with a laser cannon to earn as many points as possible. It was one of the forerunners of modern video gaming and helped expand the video game industry from a novelty to a global industry. When first released, Space Invaders was very successful. Following its release, the game caused a temporary shortage of 100-yen coins in Japan and grossed US $2 billion worldwide by 1982. The game has been the inspiration for other video games, re-released on numerous platforms, and led to several sequels. The 1980 Atari 2600 version quadrupled the system's sales and became the first "killer app" for video game consoles. Space Invaders has been referenced and parodied in multiple television shows, and been a part of several video game and cultural exhibitions. The pixelated enemy alien has become a pop culture icon, often used as a synecdoche representing video games as a whole.

Call of Duty is a first-person and third-person shooter video game series franchise. The series began on the PC, and later expanded to consoles and handhelds. Several spin-off games have also been released. The earlier games in the series are set primarily in World War II. They then move on to Modern Warfare, set in modern times. The series has shifted focus away from World War II. “Modern Warfare” was followed by “Modern Warfare 2”, set in modern times, and “Black Ops”, set during the Cold War. The Call of Duty games are published and owned by Activision and published for Apple OS X by Aspyr Media. Most have been developed primarily by Infinity Ward and Treyarch. As of November 11, 2011, the Call Of Duty series have sold over 100 million copies. As of March 31, 2012 there are 40 million monthly active players across all of the Call of Duty titles, with 10 million “Call of Duty: Elite” users and 2 million paying annual members. Over 1.6 billion hours of online gameplay have been logged in the latest game in the series, “Modern Warfare 3.”

Grand Theft Auto (commonly abbreviated GTA) is a video game series created in the United Kingdom by David Jones and Mike Dailly then later by brothers Dan and Sam Houser, and game designer Zachary Clarke. It is primarily developed by British developer Rockstar North (formerly DMA Design) and published by Rockstar Games. The name of the series is derived from grand theft auto, a term referring to motor vehicle theft. The series has won multiple awards. The series is set in fictional locales heavily modelled on American cities, while an expansion for the original was based in London. Gameplay focuses on an open world where the player can choose missions to progress an overall story, as well as engaging in side activities, all consisting of action-adventure, driving, occasional role-playing, stealth, and racing elements. The subject of the games is usually a comedic satire of American culture, but the series has gained controversy for its adult nature and violent themes. The series focuses around many different protagonists who attempt to rise through the ranks of the criminal underworld, although their motives for doing so vary in each game. The antagonists are commonly characters who have betrayed the protagonist or his organisation, or characters who have the most impact impeding the protagonist's progress.

One upcoming game for around Christmas; Halo 4

Halo 4 is the fourth direct sequel into the Halo series with multiple spin-off's being made.

343 Industries, who have taken over development of the main Halo series from creators Bungie, have described Halo 4 as being darker and more story-driven than other games in the series. It sees Master Chief and Cortana crashing on a mysterious Forerunner planet and battling against mechanical enemies known as the Prometheans. These guys can toss back plasma grenades, protect themselves with hardlight shields, and deploy turrets. After years of fighting the Covenant, it'll be good to test our Halo skills against a new foe. Much of the story is shrouded in mystery, but the antagonist is rumoured to be Didact, a great Forerunner general that fans of Halo's expanded universe may remember from Halo Legends.


The changing of the Video Game Industry

The video game industry is changing due to new advances in technology; Instead of being purely console based, the video game industry is changing as around 50% of people prefer playing on their mobile devices using games on app stores such as Apple or Android.

This website explains the changing of the video game industry as described above;
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/video-game-industry-continues-shift-122000746.html