September 1, 2008 6:38 PM PDT

Video game 'megatrends' and the necessity of internet connectivity

by Dave Rosenberg
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Pascal Luban, the general manager of The Game design Studio is writing a series about "megatrends" in gaming. It's interesting to see how much Internet connectivity has brought to the world of gaming and how so much of the future is based on the need to be connected.

Megatrend I - The necessity of increasing the commercial life span of games
At the core of the capability to increase commercial lifespan is Internet connectivity. The ability to download new content or play against others online extends the lifespan and the potential audiences.

Megatrend II - The emergence of fast gaming, and games relying on micropayments
Fast gaming aligns with casual gaming wherein the player is making a minimal investment for immediate return. Think flash games or widgets.

Regarding micropayments, I'm not convinced anyone has entirely figured out how to deal with them. There is no PayPal for video games, and while some social applications have been successful with micropayments such as buying friends on Facebook, it's not clear that users want or need the function delivered in that manner.

Megatrend III - Increasingly believable universes
Luban points out several areas where we'll see innovation. I would suspect that the immediate limitations are on the consoles/PCs themselves at the moment. Though it's hard to say how much more graphic power will be available over the next few years.

Included will be real-time impact of atmospheric effects, automatic integration of character animation with the environment, and completely interactive environments.

Overall, there are some interesting trends emerging as video games continue to blur the online/offline world of game play and interaction.

Dave Rosenberg dishes up "Software, Interrupted" with nearly 15 years of technology and marketing experience that spans from Bell Labs to multiple start-up IPOs to open-source enterprise software companies. He is co-founder of MuleSource and currently serves as the general manager of Hardy Way. He is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure. You can contact Dave via e-mail at softwareinterrupted@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @daveofdoom.
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About Software, Interrupted

In "Software, Interrupted," Dave Rosenberg discusses disruption in the software market, as well as the products and services that keep business technology norms in perpetual flux.

With nearly 15 years of technology and marketing experience spanning from Bell Labs to multiple start-up IPOs, Dave co-founded open-source software company MuleSource and now serves as general manager of Hardy Way. He also happens to be a U.S. patent holder and a workaholic. Technology is his best friend and mortal enemy.

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