Edmund Mcmillen: The Binding Of Isaac

Tom Bissell, in his essay, “Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter” has described video games and how they are unique and different from movies, books, or even interactive films. Bissell says “I came to accept that games were incompetent with almost every aspect of what I would call traditional narrative.” This is showing the readers that even though there is a plot and story line, as characters can control and alter the story line or outcome by what you do or see throughout the game.

Video games are an ever-growing franchise that is constantly undergoing change. Ever since the dawn of video games, new consoles, games, developers, and teams have come together, fallen apart, triumphed, and failed. What is it that has allowed some to thrive where others failed? Several different factors have changed and influenced the world of gaming, including the history that is continuously being written, the people who have built the games behind the scenes, and, of course, the actual video games themselves. Numerous video games have been more successful than others, but identifying what components set the successful apart from the unsuccessful is something definitely worth observing.

Video games are progressively becoming a crucial medium today, despite the light connotation of its initial categorization. Today they are a business that produces billions of dollars and employs engineers and artists alike in an art form connecting interactive games, to virtual societies where millions of people dwell. However, like all human products, our same emotion, flaws and injustice show in the games, with the impression of hatred, racism and stereotypes that are our everyday background. What are the creators of these video games real intentions in the desire they produce in the human?

As is the case with the music industry, one of the biggest shifts to happen in the Videogames industry is the increase in accessibility of the tools and knowledge required to both develop and release videogames. This has given rise to the ‘Indie’ game movement, which consists of studios that are usually self-funded, have very few people working as staff and have the goal of successfully creating and releasing videogames without the need for financial help from any of the established videogame publishers. As a result of this, there is now an increase in demand for people working in videogame development.

Our lives have become busier and therefore there is less time for complex gaming. Casual game use is on the rise as such games are simple and can be played quickly (“The Rise and Rise of Casual Gaming,” 2008). Jesse Schell (2010) observes games are becoming an extension of our real life, for example, fitness trackers and Wii fit, ‘brain exercising’ apps to ward off dementia, good driver apps that are provided by car insurance companies, point systems for shopping rewards and weight watchers. We can even compete with others in these games using leader boards. In the future there may be reward systems for brushing your teeth or using public transport (Schell,

The market for board games has seen annual increases of 10-20 per cent over the last decade, leading some to suggest we are in a “board game renaissance” (Carlson, 2013).

Tom Bissell presents an article in 2010, to college students of which is “Why Video Games Matter.” Bissell isn’t intending for the argument to be about video game criticism, the history of the gaming, or an assessment of anything. On the contrary, he wants to articulate his own opinions and thoughts on what playing games feels like, why he plays them, and the questions they make him think about. Being a gamer myself, I have also endured the struggles of what being obsessed with a video game feels like. It is understood that when first purchasing a video game, all one thinks about is getting home and popping it in the console, disregarding everything else that is happening in the vicinity.

James Anderson’s short essay “Just One More Game…: Angry Birds, Farmville, and Other Hyperaddictive Stupid Games” claims that society is addicted to digital games and since the technological advancement in the last decade or so, games are so much easier to distribute to every individual who owns a smartphone. He also stated the iPhone has filled our free time with mindless games as well as a way of gamification. Before reading this essay, I would have never considered the overall view of the gaming industries and the effect on society. James Anderson captures the reader’s attention by examining many of the unfortunate side of games from Tetris to Angry Birds, only to contradict his own thesis. Anderson also uses history, facts, statistics,

To make a game, let alone a good game, you must understand what makes a game rewarding. If a game is rewarding, then the chances are

MGI’s team has diverse talents: Igor and Roman are accomplished musicians. Sasha has a keen business and finance acumen, Alex has substantial experience in music and business, Dav is software developer and an MBA student at MIT, Dana is a finance and banking major and currently a HBS MBA grad while Henry is an investment banker, has experience in business development and is currently also an HBS MBA graduate student. MGI’s product is a critical success but a commercial failure. The founders wish to market it as a game while the student team believes it should be used as an

Sometimes it seems like the computer game industry is dying, crushed to death by its own bulk. Every year more and more gaming companies get gobbled up into huge conglomerates like Electronic Arts, companies that mostly put out trash that is technically and visually impressive, but devoid of concept and content. However, there are some small gaming companies that buck the trend. While mostly just small groups of programmers and artists, some are huge unions of fans who, irritated with the dropping quality of computer games, have decided to use the power of the internet to get together and to produce games tailor-made to their personal preferences.

Video games in today’s society have become very popular. Every new game that comes out to be played and conquered by the average gamer has its own category. There are several other types of genres of games that people play but because of big hit titles and the new popular game systems like the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, people become more interested in a game that is well known than a game they have never even heard of before. Every game has its own storyline and own way of how it unfolds and where the game ends according to game play. Some of the biggest reasons people sway to certain genres of games is because of the game titles released under them and the demand of people who want a good game under that category. The top three most

Hawkins said “I wanted to help the world transition from brain-deadening media like broadcast television to interactive media that would connect people and help them grow.” Electronic Arts (EA), one of the leading companies in the gaming world, was founded by Trip Hawkins in the year 1982 and is headquartered in Redwood City, California. The company’s corporate governance is constituted by a board of nine directors including Larry Probst (Chairman) and Andrew Wilson (CEO). Hawkins envisioned EA as a publishing company that would be known for its quality and professionalism, working with the best independent talent to make the gaming industry equivalent to movies, books or music. Consumers, employees and shareholders are the main stakeholders in the company. EA hopes to build lifetime players by relentlessly improving quality. It is known that Hawkins wanted to properly credit and compensate the talent that developed games, giving them the same respect that artists in other media enjoyed. Ever since it became public at $8 per share in the year 1990, EA keeps its shareholders well informed about crucial information such as investor kits, conference presentations, stock prices etc.

* Instead of focusing on one particular target segment (18 to 35 year-old male gamers with above average-education and high degree of comfort with new technology) further target segments should also be focused (e.g. women, children, occasional gamers and non-gamers). Some of the further customers require games which are easy to play because they have a low degree of comfort with new technologies. Furthermore some of them don’t want to invest a significant amount of their time to learn and play these games because of their busy lives.

Alphabet games need to supply customers with a quality product and service is the primary culture value. The case study shows that more than good looks are needed to make great video games, this shows that quality is very important and strive to stay ahead by investing in developments to advance their products. An example of this is also shown again in the case study; As video games have become more life-like, the company has pursued the concept that the games world may also react in a realistic manner. The work hard play hard culture will have a positive effect on the management approach at alphabet games. The case study shows that the need to align to the principals and ethos at Alphabet games has been a primary concern when requiting, but the underlying need for passion and quality has always been a minimum requirement in staff. This type of culture is characterised by high levels of activity, employees are motivated by the lower risk decisions and fast feedback on their performance.