Wii Encore Case Analysis Since 1983Nintendo has continued to introduce game consoles to the gaming market starting with Famicon in 1983 and more recently the Nintendo Wii in 2006. They have focused on keeping the platform prices low but also offering the consumer high game quality as well as image quality. Nintendo has been associated with popular games such as Super Mario Brothers (1985), The Legend of Zelda (1987), and Metroid (1987). Since the release of the Nintendo Wii in 2006, famous for the introduction of motion-censoring controllers, Nintendo continued to outsell its two competitors, Sony PlayStation and Microsoft Xbox. It was not until 2010 that both of Nintendo’s competitors launched their version of motion sensing controllers.
Popularity of Video Games American entertainment today is drastically different from the past. Today more than half of Americans interact with video games in some way or fashion. Whether it be a console from Microsoft, Sony, or Nintendo; PCs or cell phones, the fact is clear; videogames are popular and here to stay. Despite its popularity among Americans, videogames are not common workplace or household discussions among people of the age 25 or older. Videogame participation has seen leaps and bounds in popularity, due to improved technology, and the wide array of interests that can be addressed within their stories.
This is not to say the content does not play a role on the effects of video game play on the human mind, but rather there is another important piece to understand how cognition is affected by video games. A problem with video game research, as often with information technologies, is the quick evolution of the media over the years. Video game research is only a few decades old but meanwhile its object has changed a lot. The games that people play today have diversified and evolved in numerous directions. The change from penny arcade video games to networked personal consoles and home computers modified our relation to virtual play.
Aside from its numerous technical problems it has garnered great success in the video game industry. But even with this success, Microsoft’s Xbox 360 was lacking in innovation. Not long after the release of the Xbox 360, Sony released their PlayStation 3. Compared to the Xbox 360 the PlayStation 3 was a video game console full of innovation. And although expensive at the time, Sony offered a game console with a front loading blu-ray disk drive, wireless internet connectivity, an HDMI input, motion control built into their standard controller, and a hard drive.
We move on to Xbox that has an overwhelming advantage for being in the online gaming business since 2002. This long history of development with examples like Xbox Live gaming service that allows a subscription base platform for multiplayer gaming puts Xbox in the forefront. However the weakness lies in its heavy competition with Playstation, GameCube, and Nintendo Wiki. They are also seeing competition from cell phone users that can download online games to their cell phones. As for Barnes and Noble the shift of sales from the lower priced Kindle is always a playing factor in its demise.
The competitors worked in different segments: Sony in top-price segment (price 299$), segmented on professionals and their children, whereas Nintendo was targeting the middle-price segment(199$) mostly children. The industry is marked by massive growth and opportunities led by technological innovation. However, this industry depends a lot on complementary resources especially the console dependency on the video games and its exclusivity. Also, the industry’s success depends on the compatibility with older versions of the console and the ability of adapting evolutionary strategy rather than a revolutionary one. In addition, in this industry the ability to turn lead-time into a cost advantage is a key aspect of the innovator’s advantage.
Smartphones today are the center of your pop culture. Pop culture is more of a personal liking from one person to another were as the dictionary states general mass of people. It is each as own. Although not used in our lexicon back then - modern pop culture (as we know it) began with the baby boomer generation and "buying power." As boomers came of age with their disposable incomes - that influence led the pop culture revolution.
As these games get more complex they also get more interesting and appealing. Video games are no longer just a diversion from work or a thirty minute escape from reality. They are quickly becoming an artistic form of expression for the programmers and developers, and a serious pastime activity for the players. One somewhat new game that shows this radical advancement and complexity of video games is “The Sims 3” by Electronic Arts, or EA. Physicist Willy Higinbotham was the first to create a video game in 1958.
------------------------------------------------- Justin Bakker Research Paper ENG 1010 March 15, 2012 Video games and there effects on social interactions Video games have been a growing industry since the late 70’s, but researchers say that video games are more than just a trend; they may be a problem to. “Desensitization- Through repetitively committing violent acts, a person can begin to have less of a negative reaction to them. The theory is that in video games, particularly as they become more realistic, violent, and interactive, a person can undergo the same process of desensitization as if they are committing the acts” (personal.georgiasouthern.edu). This raises questions of whether there is or is not a link between changes in social behavior with video games. A major reason for this is that studies show that, for a young child, “Part of the increase in aggressive behavior is linked to the amount of time children are allowed to play video games.
For example have played a major impact with the rise in crime rate with adolescents. Lastly video games have been linked to the rise in obesity rate in adolescents. First , a positive attribute that video games have on adolescents are that they allow adolescents to strengthen their hand and eye coordination. Video games consoles such as the Nintendo Wii, helps in the strengthening of hand and eye coordination because it allows users to interact with the game as if they were actually in the game instead of pushing buttons continually. “Engaging the child in an interactive experience, developing hand-eye- motor skills, giving the child a sense of accomplishment, keeping the child off the streets and just encouraging having fun are all judged by many parents to be valuable.”(Tapscott) This quote explains how parents value hand-eye-motor skills, and keeping kids off the streets as importance and video games help in accomplishing these ideas based by parents.