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Friday, January 23, 2004
Hot Gaming Trends in 2003
Game Informer, a computer and video games magazine, covered
the hottest trends in gaming and entertainment in its January
issue. Game Informer's latest issue also
recaped everything from the Top 50 Games of the Year to
Steven Spielberg's involvement in a film version of horror
game Fatal Frame.
"Video games have expanded well beyond the simple toys they
were 20 years ago, and our Year in Review shows the effect
this evolution is having on the world at large," said Game
Informer Editor-in-Chief Andy McNamara. "Bashing myths
that games are for kids, the average American gamer is
now 29 years old, and a lot of those gamers are women.
Whether it's investors recognizing this expanding demographic
or Hollywood working with the game industry to entertain
audiences in new ways, video games are shaping our cultural
landscape."
Game Informer's Top 10 Gaming Trends for 2003
- Gamer Guys Getting Older ... and They Have Company
When Nielsen's November TV ratings report showed a dramatic drop of
male viewers in the 18-34 demographic, many analysts pointed to the
video game industry, and with good reason. This August, The
Entertainment Software Association released a study showing that the
average age of U.S. gamers is now 29. The study also reported that
men over 18 still held down the fort, making up 39 percent of the
nation's gaming public. Women gamers surprised everyone by coming in
second at 26 percent, ahead of boys aged 7-15.
- Hollywood Is Hot for Games
With exclusive footage filmed specifically for the game, the
Wachowski brothers' simultaneous release of film The Matrix Reloaded
and video game counterpart Enter the Matrix set a new standard for
cooperation between the motion picture and game industries. Steven
Spielberg's DreamWorks SKG made waves with the announcement of its
film version of the horror title Fatal Frame. Several other motion
picture studios announced plans to make Hollywood magic of games,
with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson slated to star in the film version of
Spy Hunter, Christian Slater signed on for Alone in the Dark, and
many other games licensed for movie production.
- Making Profit and Cutting Losses
Prices for Xbox, PlayStation 2 and GameCube all dropped, but not as
much as expected. Publisher Capcom dropped 18 games in development,
but charmed critics with its latest hero, Viewtiful Joe. While
Nintendo posted its first losses since going public in 1962 and
Microsoft's Xbox division reported a $348 million loss for the last
quarter of 2002, Xbox sales continued to increase and Nintendo's The
Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker broke records, pre-selling more than
560,000 copies in the United States alone.
- Legislation from Michigan to Thailand
Governments around the world introduced game-related legislation:
Michigan legislators passed (and later overturned) a bill outlawing
the sale of M-rated games to people under 17; the European Union
instituted a 17 percent value added tax on subscriptions for online
games; and Thailand placed a curfew on online gaming, blocking
access to foreign game servers from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
- Music to their Ears
In addition to pop songs showing up in games from Amplitude to Tony
Hawk's Underground, musicians got in on the game. Hip-hop label Def
Jam placed its artists in wrestling game Def Jam Vendetta, punk icon
Henry Rollins provided the voice for Black Label Games' Mace
Griffin, and American Idol landed its own game featuring the voices
of Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell.
- Games are a Higher Education
A University of Rochester study found that men who played action-
oriented video games were better at tracking objects and quickly
processing visual information. Southern Methodist University made
gaming scholarly by adding a game development program to its
curriculum.
- Celebrities Seek Justice
Even after Acclaim dropped BMX superstar Dave Mirra's name from
their adults-only BMX XXX title, Mirra filed suit against the video
game publisher, alleging the company continued to use his name and
likeness to promote the project. Former Deee-Lite front woman Lady
Miss Kier brought charges against Sega, and retired wrestler Maxx
Payne filed against Rockstar Games; each cited misappropriation of
their likeness in the companies' hit games.
- Religion and Gaming Intersect
Microsoft's Kakuto Chojin was recalled from shelves in February
after concerns the game featured content potentially offensive to
Muslims. Meanwhile, new age multimedia gurus at The Wild Divine
Project announced a computer game designed to take gamers on a
"spiritual journey."
- Online Gaming - Some Live, Some Kicking
Despite predicted success and a Newsweek cover story, Electronic
Arts' The Sims Online was left struggling for an audience with only
82,000 registered users in its first month. On the flip side,
Microsoft surprised skeptics in March with the announcement that
350,000 gamers had registered for its new Xbox Live service.
- Handheld Gaming Hot and Cold
Nintendo's backlit Game Boy Advance SP was hot even before it hit
shelves this March, but gaming newcomer Nokia got the cold shoulder
from gamers when it launched the N-Gage to dismal sales in October.
Retailers responded by dropping N-Gage prices just weeks after its
release.
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