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Definition Gaming
consoles have proved themselves to be the best in digital entertainment. Gaming
consoles were designed for the sole purpose of playing electronic games and nothing
else. A gaming console is a highly specialised piece of hardware that has rapidly
evolved since its inception incorporating all the latest advancements in processor
technology, memory, graphics, and sound among others to give the gamer the ultimate
gaming experience. WHY GAMING IS SO IMPORTANT
TO THE COMPUTER INDUSTRY Research conducted
in 2002 show that 60% of US residents aged six and above play computer games.
Over 221 million computer and video games were sold in the U.S. Earlier research
found that 35% of U.S. residents surveyed said that video games were the most
entertaining media activity while television came in a distant second at 18%.
The U.S. gaming industry reported sales of over $ 6.5 billion in the fiscal year
2002-03. Datamonitor estimates that online gaming revenues will reach $ 2.9 billion
by 2005. Additional research has found that 90% of U.S. households with children
has rented or owned a computer or video game and that U.S. children spend an average
of 20 minutes a day playing video games. Research conducted by Pew Internet and
American Life Project showed that 66% of American teenagers play or download games
online. While 57% of girls play online, 75% of boys reported to having played
internet games. This has great impact on influencing online game content and multiplayer
capability on websites. The global computer
and video game industry, generating revenue of over 20 billion U.S. dollars a
year, forms a major part of the entertainment industry. The sales of major games
are counted in millions (and these are for software units that often cost 30 to
50 UK pounds each), meaning that total revenues often match or exceed cinema movie
revenues. Game playing is widespread; surveys collated by organisations such as
the Interactive Digital Software Association indicate that up to 60 per cent of
people in developed countries routinely play computer or video games, with an
average player age in the mid to late twenties, and only a narrow majority being
male. Add on those who play the occasional game of Solitaire or Minesweeper on
the PC at work, and one observes a phenomenon more common than buying a newspaper,
owning a pet, or going on holiday abroad.
Why are games so popular? The answer to this question is to be found in real life.
Essentially, most people spend much of their time playing games of some kind or
another like making it through traffic lights before they turn red, attempting
to catch the train or bus before it leaves, completing the crossword, or answering
the questions correctly on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire before the contestants.
Office politics forms a continuous, real-life strategy game which many people
play, whether they want to or not, with player-definable goals such as 'increase
salary to next level', 'become the boss', 'score points off a rival colleague
and beat them to that promotion' or 'get a better job elsewhere'. Gaming philosophers
who frequent some of the many game-related online forums periodically compare
aspects of gaming to real life-with the key difference being that when "Game
Over" is reached in real life, there is no restart option.
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