Console Wars

Author: Blake J. Harris
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0062276719
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 683

Book Description
Now a documentary on CBS All Access. Following the success of The Accidental Billionaires and Moneyball comes Console Wars—a mesmerizing, behind-the-scenes business thriller that chronicles how Sega, a small, scrappy gaming company led by an unlikely visionary and a team of rebels, took on the juggernaut Nintendo and revolutionized the video game industry. In 1990, Nintendo had a virtual monopoly on the video game industry. Sega, on the other hand, was just a faltering arcade company with big aspirations and even bigger personalities. But that would all change with the arrival of Tom Kalinske, a man who knew nothing about videogames and everything about fighting uphill battles. His unconventional tactics, combined with the blood, sweat and bold ideas of his renegade employees, transformed Sega and eventually led to a ruthless David-and-Goliath showdown with rival Nintendo. The battle was vicious, relentless, and highly profitable, eventually sparking a global corporate war that would be fought on several fronts: from living rooms and schoolyards to boardrooms and Congress. It was a once-in-a-lifetime, no-holds-barred conflict that pitted brother against brother, kid against adult, Sonic against Mario, and the US against Japan. Based on over two hundred interviews with former Sega and Nintendo employees, Console Wars is the underdog tale of how Kalinske miraculously turned an industry punchline into a market leader. It’s the story of how a humble family man, with an extraordinary imagination and a gift for turning problems into competitive advantages, inspired a team of underdogs to slay a giant and, as a result, birth a $60 billion dollar industry. A best book of the year: NPR, Slate, Publishers Weekly, Goodreads

Game Over

Author: David Sheff
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 0307800741
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 558

Book Description
More American children recognize Super Mario, the hero of one of Nintendo’s video games, than Mickey Mouse. The Japanese company has come to earn more money than the big three computer giants or all Hollywood movie studios combined. Now Sheff tells of the Nintendo invasion–a tale of innovation and cutthroat tactics.

Digital Play

Author: Stephen Kline
Publisher: McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP
ISBN: 9780773525917
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 388

Book Description
In a marketplace that demands perpetual upgrades, the survival of interactive play ultimately depends on the adroit management of negotiations between game producers and youthful consumers of this new medium. The authors suggest a model of expansion that encompasses technological innovation, game design, and marketing practices. Their case study of video gaming exposes fundamental tensions between the opposing forces of continuity and change in the information economy: between the play culture of gaming and the spectator culture of television, the dynamism of interactive media and the increasingly homogeneous mass-mediated cultural marketplace, and emerging flexible post-Fordist management strategies and the surviving techniques of mass-mediated marketing. Digital Play suggests a future not of democratizing wired capitalism but instead of continuing tensions between "access to" and "enclosure in" technological innovation, between inertia and diversity in popular culture markets, and between commodification and free play in the cultural industries. -- publisher description.

The Ultimate Guide to Classic Game Consoles

Author: Kevin Baker
Publisher: eBookIt.com
ISBN: 1456617087
Category : Games & Activities
Languages : en
Pages : 236

Book Description
The ultimate guide to retro game consoles, an ideal reference for collectors and enthusiasts.. Write ups, specs and pictures of over 85 collectible consoles and variant models from 1972 to 2000. From the Magnavox Odyssey right through to the Sega Dreamcast. Including the history of the evolution of electronic gaming and advice on how to collect classic consoles. A comprehensive database of collectible consoles. Written by fellow collectors and enthusiasts.

Cool Tech

Author: DK
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0756688345
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 146

Book Description
Connected is a thrilling journey through the physical side of the virtual world. Everyone is familiar with the internet and will check their email without a second thought, but who knows how the messages get from one place to another and what processes the data goes through during the trip? Imagine yourself as a digital bit-the basic unit of information-and join the other billions of bits as they race through cyberspace. Trace their routes under seas, across continents, and through space, zooming through beaches, buildings, roads, and pipelines as information crosses the globe. Marvel at the technology that keeps you connected, from the ships installing lines deep in the ocean, to the robots locating wire breaks, the satellites beaming signals across the earth, the teams retrieving and splicing lines together, and the servers directing and feeding internet traffic around the world. The book also takes a look back at the history of the internet, exploring the people and inventions that led to its creation. In this section, you'll tour a virtual museum to see how the technology has progressed over the years, changing the lives of ordinary people everywhere.

The Video Games Textbook

Author: Brian J. Wardyga
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 1351172344
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 806

Book Description
The Video Games Textbook takes the history of video games to another level, with visually-stimulating, comprehensive, and chronological chapters that are relevant and easy to read for a variety of students. Every chapter is a journey into a different era or area of gaming, where readers emerge with a strong sense of how video games evolved, why they succeeded or failed, and the impact they had on the industry and human culture. Written to capture the attention and interest of both domestic and international college students, each chapter contains a list of objectives and key terms, illustrative timelines, arcade summaries, images and technical specifications of all major consoles. Key Features Explores the history of video games, including the social, political, and economic motivations Facilitates learning of material with illustrative timelines, arcade summaries and images Highlights the technical specifications of all major consoles Illustrates the breakthroughs and trends of the gaming market

Video Games Around the World

Author: Mark J. P. Wolf
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 0262328496
Category : Games & Activities
Languages : en
Pages : 715

Book Description
Thirty-nine essays explore the vast diversity of video game history and culture across all the world's continents. Video games have become a global industry, and their history spans dozens of national industries where foreign imports compete with domestic productions, legitimate industry contends with piracy, and national identity faces the global marketplace. This volume describes video game history and culture across every continent, with essays covering areas as disparate and far-flung as Argentina and Thailand, Hungary and Indonesia, Iran and Ireland. Most of the essays are written by natives of the countries they discuss, many of them game designers and founders of game companies, offering distinctively firsthand perspectives. Some of these national histories appear for the first time in English, and some for the first time in any language. Readers will learn, for example, about the rapid growth of mobile games in Africa; how a meat-packing company held the rights to import the Atari VCS 2600 into Mexico; and how the Indonesian MMORPG Nusantara Online reflects that country's cultural history and folklore. Every country or region's unique conditions provide the context that shapes its national industry; for example, the long history of computer science in the United Kingdom and Scandinavia, the problems of piracy in China, the PC Bangs of South Korea, or the Dutch industry's emphasis on serious games. As these essays demonstrate, local innovation and diversification thrive alongside productions and corporations with global aspirations. Africa • Arab World • Argentina • Australia • Austria • Brazil • Canada • China • Colombia • Czech Republic • Finland • France • Germany • Hong Kong • Hungary • India • Indonesia • Iran • Ireland • Italy • Japan • Mexico • The Netherlands • New Zealand • Peru • Poland • Portugal • Russia • Scandinavia • Singapore • South Korea • Spain • Switzerland • Thailand • Turkey • United Kingdom • United States of America • Uruguay • Venezuela

Fundamentals of Game Development

Author: Heather Chandler
Publisher: Jones & Bartlett Learning
ISBN: 0763778958
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 408

Book Description
What is a game? -- The game industry -- Roles on the team -- Teams -- Effective communication -- Game production overview -- Game concept -- Characters, setting, and story -- Game requirements -- Game plan -- Production cycle -- Voiceover and music -- Localization -- Testing and code releasing -- Marketing and public relations.

The Evolution and Social Impact of Video Game Economics

Author: Casey B. Hart
Publisher: Lexington Books
ISBN: 1498543421
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 182

Book Description
Today, consumers of video games spend over $22.4 billion each year; using more complex and multi-layered strategies, game developers attempt to extend the profitability of their products from a simple one-time sale, to continuous engagement with the consumer. The Evolution and Social Impact of Video Game Economics examines paradigmatic changes in the economic structure of the video game industry from a media effects and game design perspective. This book explores how game developers have changed how they engage players in order to facilitate continuous financial transactions. Contributors look from the advent of microtransactions and downloadable content (DLCs) to the impact of planned obsolescence, impulse buying, and emotional control. This collection takes a broad view of the game dynamics and market forces that drive the video game industry, and features international contributors from Asia, Europe, and Australia.

Playing to Wiin

Author: Daniel Sloan
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 0470826932
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 265

Book Description
How Nintendo reclaimed its spot at the top of one of the world's most competitive industries Nintendo was once the dominant force in home video gaming--until Sony and Microsoft pummeled them with powerful new consoles. As those two giants battled each other for market share, Nintendo looked dead and buried. Then, true to its secretive, low-profile approach, Nintendo roared back into the market with its revolutionary Wii console and portable Nintendo DS system. Taking a completely different approach to gaming while embracing its creative roots, the company was back at the top of its game. But how did a struggling Japanese family company, with its origins in nineteenth-century playing cards, come to dominate a competitive, high-tech industry? Playing to Wiin details the key succession issue for Nintendo, the development of the DS and Wii consoles, and the creation of remarkable new gaming software. All these factors combined to drive Nintendo back to the top of the gaming world. Reveals the business strategy that led Nintendo back to the top of the gaming industry amidst fierce competition from bigger rivals An inspirational story of a stunning business turnaround and the hyper-creative minds behind it Written by an acclaimed financial and business journalist based in Tokyo Offering a fascinating inside look at a market-leading company once left for dead, Playing to Wiin is a must-read for executives and leaders interested in one of the greatest business turnarounds in history.