First things first. The video gaming industry is

Huuuge!

Just look at these numbers over the last 20 years!

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So we can all agree that there is a ton of money in this market that doesn't appear to be slowing down. In the laws of supply and demand the supply is increasing because of a massive and increasing demand. One of the biggest reasons for the massive increase in the gaming business is the mobile device you undoubtedly have in your hand, on the table in front of you, or in your pocket. Take a look at this graphic to see just how much mobile gaming has increased the market.

Click on the image to view full screen

Over half... HALF... of gaming revenue in 2020 is mobile. 85 Billion dollars. That is a lot of money to be had. But...

• Where does all of that money come from?
• Where does it go?
• How much should you care?

So, let's dig into some aspects of the business of gaming

A common question you will hear about, or more than likely ask yourself is: What kinds of jobs can you get in game design? Furthermore that will move into whether you should work for a game studio or with an indie studio? What are the main differences between these environments including required skills, work environments, availability, etc. Listen to this audio clip to get my take on these questions and others.

A third "type" of way to work in game design is to do freelance work. This could be as a freelance designer that consults or works with studios or other groups. Or, it could be to build games yourself as a complete independent designer/developer and work alone. There are pros and cons with this. Listen to this audio clip to get my take on freelance

In general working as an artist, no matter what discipline you work in, has its challenges. A famous quote you will here is "You can't rush art." I know I heard this first in Jerry's Game (Pixar animated short). However, there is also the adage that "Time is money." Both of these sayings have truth to them, but creates an interesting paradox for the artist trying to make a living. Listen to this audio clip to get my take on business and art.

I have given you my impressions and opinions based on my experience in entertainment and art as a professional. There are however a lot of things I have not experienced, nor do I have the only opinions about the world of business and gaming. Take a look at these videos for some different impressions about the gaming business. It's not all sunshine and butterflies as you can see, but its also not all bad either.

As an artist


As a player/consumer
As an employee of a large studio

I'm not gonna lie. There are some really bad reports about folks working for studios. While I am sure there are a lot of folks who might disagree with the overall impressions given, I would say that the warning signs of the industry are a concern and something that shouldn't be ignored. There are concerning things all over the place... but I find it is best to educate yourself and make your own decisions. I won't share a specific video, but if you google something like "Dark side of gaming industry" You will see what I mean.

Overall you should take opinions, and especially online video ones, for what they are. There are tons of ways to "Do work with games" even if you aren't specifically making games for entertainment, or for a AAA studio. Lot's of cross-discipline to consider. Do your homework as you learn the craft and chart your path. Who knows. Maybe you will be an agent of change. Heaven knows we need that everywhere.

This week's assignment is simple, yet somewhat complex. Welcome back from Spring Break!

What I want you to do is to brainstorm some ways that you and others could approach the game industry as agents of change for designers and developers while meeting the unsatiable demand for new and amazing entertainment by ravenous consumers. What Things can be done?

1Take your ideas and either write them down in a word document or record an short video of you describing what those change elements might be.

2 Submission: Once complete please save the Word Document with a file name matching this format. Replace 'Lastname-Firstname' with your actual name.
'Lastname-Firstname'_Assignment8.docx
(Example: Swardson-Brad_Assignment8.docx)

Or

Submission: Once complete please save the video file as a compressed mp4 movie and name matching this format. Replace 'Lastname-Firstname' with your actual name.
'Lastname-Firstname'_Assignment9.mp4 or .mov
(Example: Swardson-Brad_Assignment9.mp4)

3 Click on Assignment 9 in the UNM Canvas Assignments Listing.

4 Scroll down to Assignment Files and Browse Local file to select the file you created and attach it to your submission for this assignment.

Please make sure you also complete the other requirements in your todo list like discussion post and quiz. Don't forget those.