There is no doubt that as technologies develop, older mediums not only seem inconvenient but also redundant. This elimination is not simply the new replacing the old, but the convergence of our daily media desires and necessities. As Jenkins suggests, “…convergence represents a cultural shift as consumers are encouraged to seek out new information and make connections among dispersed media content.” (Jenkins, 2006, p3). In other words, the more of our desired and required interests and tools that can be accessed by one device, the better. There is no doubt that most new technologies aim to enhance or combine the features provided by previous mediums. So how does convergence benefit a game designer? In ways you could never imagine. Not only does it allow them to take advantage of new, powerful media platforms to create games in conjunction with the recent social networking phenomenon, but also allows them to market games to people who may perceive gaming as a niche pastime without them even knowing. Convergence offers two critical components that make these feats possible; social networks and technology. With “all aspects of institutional activity and social life…increasingly conducted in this interactive digital media environment…” (Flew, 2008, p22), there is no longer anywhere to hide; and game developers love it.
The game industry has come a long way since its humble beginnings in arcades and chunky home consoles. This advancement is not only measured by graphical power, affordability and accessibility, but also its ability to cooperate with our day-to-day online social life. Games have become more than the stereotypical (and outdated) solitary pastime. They have begun to seep into our daily social networking, be it through intentional methods or competitive. It is true that services such as Xbox Live and the Playstation Network have intentional convergence of voice chat and player interaction to create more immersive and social experiences, however it was never anticipated that they could make their way into the world of social networking with such ease. Perhaps the best example of this is the Facebook phenomenon FarmVille. The game must be played through Facebook, allowing the player to create a farm in which they can plant and harvest crops and do all you would expect on a farm. However, the main appeal to the game is the ability to help your friends on Facebook manage their farm. As ludologist Jasper Juul suggests,
“there is a reason why people are playing these games, and it’s not a mystery: It’s nice to grow things. It’s nice to do things with your friends. It’s nice to give and receive gifts. It’s nice to play a game that allows you to schedule your playing time. And so on.” (Juul, 2010, Online)
The fusion of our real and online social lives with games has made it more of a casual and above all acceptable pastime. However, game development isn’t limited to the convergence of our online social networks, instead extending into our real day to day lives thanks to technological advancements.
As Flew makes clear, “ morphing of devices… [result in] multi-purpose conduits for a range of activities involving digital media.” (Flew, 2008, p23) Devices such as the Iphone provide a number of services for their owner; internet, social networking, a music player, countless applications and most importantly; social games. The world of technology has made the practice of gaming significantly easier and, let’s face it, fun to do when bored. A new breed of pick up and play, intuitive games are being perfected and played by millions around the world at any moment; a far cry from the humble arcade in the nineteen eighties.
This is the best picture I could find to demonstrate what you can do with your average smart phone these days.
So far it is has been made clear that financial gain is highly achievable as a game designer, however that is not the true extent of a game designer’s power. Convergence in the future may not only find itself combining technologies and games…but blurring the line of reality. Already there are games that award you for completing tasks placed in your organiser for the day…so how far will it go? When will our yearning for media content be accommodated so well by convergence of technologies, that our lives will be a game balanced carefully between the real and virtual world?
Only time will tell. I, for one, am happy I will not only be able to be part of this exciting time, but also be able to help create it.
Jesse Schell's speech at DICE proves my theory; game designers will rule the world.
References:
Jenkins, Henry (2006). Convergence Culture Where Old and New Media Collide. NYU Press, United States.
Flew, Terry (2008). New Media: An Introduction (3rd Edition). Oxford University Press, New York.
Jull, Jasper (2010). The Video Games of Video Games: Prejudices against Social Games verbatim copies of Prejudices against Video Games. The Ludologist, Online - http://www.jesperjuul.net/ludologist/?p=1093
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