Chapter 14: The Video Gaming Industry
Video games have been around for as long as any of us can remember, but they did not just arrive as one grand invention. Over time, many different products have been made that have to lead up to the video games we know today. In 1931, the first coin-operated pinball machine was introduced by David Gottlieb. In the 1940s, a “cathode ray tube amusement device” was invented, in which players can, “use knobs and buttons to simulate firing a missile on a screen.” From there, more games begin to be displayed on video-screens, the first handheld game being invented in the 1970s, and arcade games such as Pac-Man coming onto the scene in the mid-80s. Nintendo also released their entertainment system video game console in the US in 1985, and the Game Boy in 1989. In 1995 the Sony PlayStation was then released, and the Microsoft Xbox and Nintendo Wii in the early 2000s. As time has gone on, video games have become more and more popular, and have also developed more controversy. Women do not appear often enough in video games, and when they do they are known to be displayed quite sexually. The video game industry has also been known to glorify violence, as well as play into racial stereotypes.
In the 1930s, games were designed to be cheap distractions from the economy dip as well as the wars taking place at that time. The PinBall machine, was a penny to play which made it easy and accessible for anyone to play. In the late 1940s, Thomas goldsmith created his first arcade game to capture the attention of younger children. As video games developed over the years, so did their target audience. Video games now are targeted to older children due to the graphic content they contain. Many games like Grand Theft Auto are played by a younger audience than the game is rated. The prime audience for video games tends to be men who are in their 20’s or 30’s. According to the Entertainment Software Association, “the average male gamer is 33 years old and the average female gamer is 37 years old” and “17% of men 10% of females between ages 18 -35 in the U.S. play video games”(WEPC). Entertainment Software Association also points out that “women make us 48% of the gaming population while men come in at 52%”(WEPC). The target audience for games also depends on the type of game you are playing. Different people may take interest in a different type of game and various devices.
Video gaming is one of the world’s favorite types of entertainment and is a billion-dollar industry. In 2013, the ESA recorded that “consumers spent $21.53 billion on video gaming”(WEPC) which includes accessories, hardware, and content. In more recent years, the gaming industry saw an 18% jump in total revenue from 2018. The NPD Group released that “the industry made $43.4 billion in the United States alone whereas, in 2017, the total rounded out to be $36.9 billion dollars”(WEPC). “In 2009 digital downloads represented 20% of sales, whereas in 2013 it had increased to 53%”(Turow, 404). Now in 2019, “the digital downloads are credited to 83% of video game sales”(Statistica). This massive increase is due to the convergence of the videogame industry with multiple devices and how much Millenials and Gen Z uses a variety of devices.
The wide array of gaming systems and gaming programs allow gamers to take their games with them wherever they go. The term ‘hardware’ refers to the devices on which the video games are played. Hardware can be a computer, a phone, a console, handheld games, and so many more. “In 2011, Americans spent about $8.2 billion on hardware and accessories for the hardware”(Turow, 404). In 2018, “The NPD Group stated that only $7.5 billion was spent on hardware and it’s peripherals”(Shieber). Most people already have the devices that pair with the games and most of the industry revenue comes from the games themselves. Gaming consoles are used primarily for their speed and graphics that many gamers look for. Consoles, unlike computers or desktops, don’t have the software for that already built into them, which leads to spending more money to download those features to that device. “The PwC commented on the fact that convergence has deeply impacted the design and functionality of video game consoles”(Turow, 405). Consoles used to be the only way in which gamers could game but now that multiple devices can be used, the consoles are more obsolete. Handheld game devices are portable games gamers can take on the go. In 2010 the most popular device was the Nintendo DS which outsold the PlayStation Portable. According to BBC, “53% of gamers play games on their smartphones” (Gittleson). This shows the development of the games over the years from larger consoles to on the go devices.
Video games come in many different genres to appeal to a variety of audiences. Content creators usually have a specific genre they like to follow. Action games present challenges that have an emphasis on violence including being captured or killed. “Many focus on shooting games in a dangerous environment, competitive fighting, or platform games which are running and jumping in order to upgrade between levels”(Turow, 410). Strategy games are very similar to action games except the focal point is the assessment of the situation to win a competition rather than fighting to get there. Adventure games are those that are centered on exploration within a story. According to the textbook, this genre peaked in 1193 with the release of Myst. Casual games or social games don’t require commitment and are easy to get into. These games are categorized as puzzles, card games, board games, or wordplay games. Simulation games are player’s creation of a whole world such as Mindcraft or SimCity. The last most used genre of game is sports games. Sports games could fall under action games but most distributors and exhibitors think of them as their own category because it’s main focus is playing the sport or managing the sport.
Before 2009, video games were targeted towards younger men who overwhelmingly dominated the field. In 2009, social gamers, such as women and older players, began to take part in the gaming world and become a major influence in the audience. In 2018, 48% of players are women and 51% are males changing the perspective audience. Many advertisers now go by the type of game and the demographic that specific game has. Many companies use embedded ads which are ads that are interactive within the game so they have to use the product being advertised as they are playing. This allows for a player to keep playing as well as the company reaching its target audience. One example would be “The Century 21 real estate company used a mobile app called WeCity to have them watch an advertisement and in return would receive an award in the game”(Turow, 412). This was a way for gamers to want to watch the ad in order to get ahead on their game. Another example would be a race car game where one of the billboards is an advertisement for a real product. These embedded ads are great for advertisement companies, players, and gaming companies.
Distribution of the games varies depending on the software the game takes. Mobile applications used on smartphones have the software already embedded and all it takes in the downloading of the application itself. Games that require consoles or hand-helds and sometimes PC’s can be found at wholesale stores such as Walmart or specialized stores such as Gamestop. Specialized stores will carry a wide variety of games and titles. Video games can be rented at certain stores, or bought through the internet. Part of the process includes getting to the prospective player through the specific software the player is using. “Companies such as Microsoft, Halo, and sometimes companies with specific financial interests in an operating system will have exclusive rights to certain game software”(Turow, 412). In summary, this means that certain game companies have contracts with the type of software they use such as Xbox, or Playstation.
With every media industry comes controversy, and the video game industry is no exception. Content, privacy, and self-regulation are the three main concerns of this industry. The content of advertisements in video games has brought about a few different concerns. Many critics have complained about certain commercial messages that are integrated into video games aimed at children, “who might not have the critical abilities to distinguish between a work of storytelling and a piece of propaganda for a company” (Turow 415). These children are too young to understand that these logos in their videogames are endorsements, and displaying logos or products from companies that create junk or fast food can cause these children to remember this brand and want to buy this food. Another concern for the content of videogames is how they depict women. Games such as Tomb Raider or Grand Theft Auto display women with athletic bodies, and sometimes dressed quite provocatively. These depictions of women give young girls an unrealistic expectation of the female body and what it should look like. Not only that, but these female characters seem to be there to fulfill the fantasies or desires of men, and nothing more than that. Lara Croft, a character in the popular game Tomb Raider, is a good example of this. “The Guinness Book of World Records calls her ‘the most recognized female video game character.’ She has many admirers who point out that she is athletic, strong, and proactive–which they claim is a great image for women in a video game” (Turow 415). This shows that many males who are playing this game are looking at her as a sexual object and nothing more. They want to see her with an athletic build in revealing clothes.
Although there are some well known female characters in video games, they do not appear as often as many people think they should. The video gaming industry is very male-dominated, and male creators use this as an excuse for not putting women in their games unless of course, it is with a lack of clothing. “‘The message from the industry is that men come first,’ says Jayd Ait-Kaci, a gamer from Canada who started the hashtag #womenaretoohardtoanimate, which was picked up widely. ‘#womenaretoohardtoanimate when you throw all your efforts into putting them in situations where their clothes are strategically ripped off” wrote @emilyrwanner’” (Gittleson). Since the 90s, the percentage of females shown in video games has been just 15%, and little has changed since then. There are so few females represented in this industry, and the few times that they are present in games, it is in such an objectified, sexual manner and is skewing the way women should be looked at and treated.
The objectification of women is not the only way in which ethics comes into play in the video game industry. Grand Theft Auto is a great example of a game that has raised many concerns. Its violent and sexual content has angered parents and advocacy groups, such as in 2005 when these people skewered Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas as morally bankrupt (Turow 415). This is one of the most controversial video games in history, with people saying that it teaches players how to do a crime spree and that it played into stereotypes, making specific racial groups such as Cubans or Haitians belong to criminal gangs. Video games like these have also been said to glorify violence, specifically in teens. “In the aftermath of the Columbine High School shooting in 1999, the games Doom and Quake moved to the center of a renewed a nationwide debate about the possible harmful effects of violent video games” (Turow 415). Some people believe the sexist, violent, or racist depictions in video games are reflections of the attitudes or beliefs of the people who play these games, and that these images encourage violence as the solution to problems and give a negative connotation to certain racial groups. One reason for this problem could be that there is not enough racial or gender diversity in the game-making industry.
You may not realize it, but many video games can collect and store information about you while you are playing. Companies such as Zynga can access things like your name, your profile picture, your email, your friend’s public data, and even the location of you and your devices when playing on your web browser or a social networking site. (Turow 416). However, this tracking is not unusual. Most publishing and marketing departments of companies collect and use people’s data online for informational purposes. They create their own databases with the data they learn about their customers, called transactional databases. This could be a problem for users or it could not be, depending on how much they care about this information being exposed.
The controversies that exist in video gaming are largely due to the lack of regulations that exist in the industry. The video gaming industry is based on self-regulation. This means the producers of a game rate their content based on the ESRB rating scale. This scale includes six categories: Early Childhood, Everyone, Everyone +10, Teen, Mature, and Adults Only. This approach to the media has been criticized by many seeking to reduce the risk of children exposed to inappropriate video games. Seen through the actions taken to limit the sales of violent video games, “in 2011 the US Supreme Court considered the issue in Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association, concluding that the First Amendment fully protects violent speech, even for minors” (American Psychological Association). The content of games is often disputed, but “government regulators don’t want to censor games out of concern that they would be overriding the firms’ freedom of speech” (Turow 419). Others in the industry approved the current method of regulations, claiming the ESRB rating scale is a very effective way to categorize games today because it benefits the firms allowing the most possible amount buyers.
Overall, as technology advances the video game industry grows. But with this increase in gaming content comes more responsibility for consumers and producers. Consumers must be aware of the media they consume, even as children. Video games are becoming more and more graphic, violent, sexual, and explicit. The industry must also be aware of the images and lifestyles they are promoting through their games. The video game industry has developed into a huge influence on our society and continues to impact our lives every day.
Works Cited
American Psychological Association. (2015). Resolution on Violent Video Games. Retrieved from: http://www.apa.org/about/policy/violent-video-games.aspx
Gittleson, Kim. “Why Does Sexism Persist in the Video Games Industry?” BBC News, BBC, 13 June 2014, www.bbc.com/news/technology-27824701.
Gottlieb, David. “History Of Video Games.” They Create Worlds, videogamehistorian.wordpress.com/tag/david-gottlieb/.
Hoggins, Tom. “Grand Theft Auto V Is Designed Deliberately to Degrade Women.” The Telegraph, Telegraph Media Group, 4 Oct. 2013, www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-life/10355275/Grand-Theft-Auto-V-is-designed-deliberately-to-degrade-women.html.
Shieber, Jonathan. “Video Game Revenue Tops $43 Billion in 2018, an 18% Jump from 2017.” TechCrunch, TechCrunch, 22 Jan. 2019, techcrunch.com/2019/01/22/video-game-revenue-tops-43-billion-in-2018-an-18-jump-from-2017/.
“U.S. Computer and Video Game Sales – Digital vs. Physical 2017.” Statista, www.statista.com/statistics/190225/digital-and-physical-game-sales-in-the-us-since-2009/.
“2018 Video Game Industry Statistics, Trends & Data – The Ultimate List.” WePC.com, 22 July 2019, www.wepc.com/news/video-game-statistics/.