Abstract: This lecture introduces and outlines the structures of the series. The overall focus is to provide an overview of game technology trends and directions for single player games, casual games, local-area network games, massively multiplayer games, and mobile games, over the next 3-5 years. This is to help identify emerging markets, game and game technology development opportunities, as well as challenges in game development and deployment in the years ahead.
Abstract: This lecture builds from Lecture 1 by focusing on industry needs and expectations associated with developing future games, future game play experiences and interfaces, and future game play venues. It also introduces issues associated with the advent of new game technologies such as multi-core processors and camera-based devices. This will include examination of the combination of online games with Web-based virtual worlds and social networking (or online community) Web sites/services.
Abstract: This lecture builds from Lecture 1 by focusing on industry needs and expectations associated with new ways to produce, develop, and deploy future games, game experiences and interfaces, and future game venues. This will include examination of traditional and alternative ways of developing game software and content (in-game character appearance and behavioral capabilities, levels, game play mechanics, etc.). It will also address community-based development methods and deployment techniques. Last, it also introduces game software development issues associated with the advent of new game technologies such as multi-core processors and heterogeneous user interface devices.
Topic: Online Game Development Planning 1
Abstract: This is the first of two lectures focusing on ways and means to plan for online game development. Emphasis is directed at how best to plan for conceiving, prototyping, play testing, marketing, deploying, (community) managing, and maintaining future online games, in the presence of future game technology.
Topic: Online Game Development Planning 2
Abstract: This is the second of two lectures focusing on ways and means to plan for online game development. Emphasis is directed to how best to plan for conceiving, prototyping, play testing, marketing, deploying, (community) managing, and maintaining future games, in the presence of new ways and means for orchestrating small versus large game development teams, single-site versus multi-site development teams, and globally distributed game development communities.
Topic: MMORPG Online Game Development Planning
Abstract: This lectures focuses on how best to plan for the development of a Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG), as well as other kinds of MMOGs (for example, MMO action games or MMO science learning games). MMOGs pose different kinds of game development issues and challenges, as well as community management issues, compared to single-player or casual games. MMOGs will also move to game play experiences that move across different media or devices (for example, from networked PCs to Web sites to cell phones, and possibly to broadcast television). .
Topic: Casual Online Game Development Planning
Abstract: This lecture focuses attention to the concerns arising in the production, development, deployment, and support for casual online games. Casual games may be (a) deployed over the Web, (b) associated with particular business or game play venues (for example, retail shopping stores or entertainment theme parks), or (c) associated with mobile devices like cell phones and ultra-mobile personal computers. The development costs, schedules, and risks associated with casual game are modest when compared to other online games. However, casual games have often been limited to interactive board games or parlor games, though this is not required. Future casual games will go beyond board or parlor games to serve as online media for learning, training, and new product promotion in topic areas not traditionally associated with games.
Topic: American Online Game Market Approach--User’s Perspective-
Abstract: This lecture focuses attention to the concerns of end-users in realizing satisfying and fun game play experiences that are repeatable in either single-player or multi-player game play modes. End-users (game players) are globally distributed, but game players around the world differ in their acceptance or desire to play games that are most popular in the U.S. or Europe. Many games popular in the U.S. are not popular in other countries, and some games in other countries are not popular in the U.S. Game players will pay for expanding game play content and experience, but will resist paying more for initial game purchase. Game players are likely to move to adopt games that have little or no direct purchase price, that offer an interesting, fun, and compelling play experience. Long-term acceptance or commitment to subscription-based game play by end-users is unclear. Subscription-based game play will compete for end-user attention with free-to-play games, unless these subscription-based games can provide a sustained, unique and personally rewarding experience to end-users.
Topic: American Online Game Market Approach--Developer’s Perspective-
Abstract: This lecture focuses attention to the concerns of game developers in producing satisfying and fun game play experiences that are repeatable, and that may excel in either single-player or multi-player game play modes. Game developers are globally distributed, but are concentrated in the U.S., Europe, Japan, and Korea. They continue to seek new game development tools that enable their game products to operate on multiple game platforms, including game consoles. Game developers may also need to develop games whose game play experience can continue across multiple end-user devices (for example, across cell phones, UMPC, desktop PC, and broadcast television networks). Game development studios are moving away from building their own game engines, and towards licensing of top-tier game engines and game development tools. Game developers are increasingly looking for ways and means to deploy their games directly to end-users without going engaging game publishers. Game developers will therefore seek new ways and means for financing game development, as well as to engage in alternative game production processes that can reduce development costs or shorten game development time.
Topic: American Online Game Market Approach--Publisher’s Perspective-
Abstract: This lecture focuses attention to the concerns of game publishers in marketing, delivering, and sustaining satisfying and fun game play experiences that are repeatable, and that may excel in either single-player or multi-player game play modes. Game publishers are globally distributed, but are concentrated in the U.S., Europe, Japan, and Korea. Game development costs continue to rise, and game development takes more time. Game publishers are acting to engage non-game industry producers, advertisers, and investors to help spread the risk associated with the production of top-tier game titles or franchises. Game publishers will also continue to acquire game development studios to insure production of future game titles.
Topic: Workshop with UCI Faculty in Daegu
Abstract: This lecture will be presented at the Daegu Global R&D Collaboration Center in the last half of October 2007. It will focus on reviewing lecture materials presented so far in order to gain feedback on topics requiring further explanation or clarification. It will also serve to allow for a midpoint course evaluation.
Topic: Overall Strategies to approach American Market--Challenges & Opportunities
Abstract: This lecture focuses on articulating overall strategies for how best to approach the American market for online games. The American market is global in its reach—game players around the world seek to engage many, but not all, types of online games that are developed and widely played in the U.S. However, the emergence of future games, future game play experiences and interfaces, and future game play venues that anticipate (or avoid) new game technologies like multi-core processors will mean that there are no universal strategies for success in approaching the American market. Unforeseen technological innovations, unanticipated games or game play experiences/devices all point to the need for strategies that are specific to each game development studio, the game genre, and the game producer. What works as a strategy for success for one game studio, game franchise, or game player community may be a failure strategy for another game studio, game franchise, or game player community.
Topic: Understanding Online Game Industry in the United States (Past)
Abstract: This lecture focuses on overall trends in the U.S. game industry over the past 20 years. Emphasis is directed to identifying lessons learned that can help inform and guide how best to develop online games for the U.S. and other global markets.
Topic: Understanding Online Game Industry in the United States (Present)
Abstract: This lecture focuses on overall trends in the U.S. game industry at present and over the next generation of games to be released in 2007-2009. Emphasis is directed to identifying lessons learned that can help inform and guide how best to develop online games for the U.S. and other global markets.
Topic: Understanding Online Game Industry in the United States (Future)
Abstract: This lecture focuses on overall trends in the U.S. game industry three to five years into the future (2010-2012). Emphasis is directed to identifying lessons learned from the past, present, future game development trends, and new game technologies that can help inform and guide how best to develop online games for the U.S. and other global markets. In particular, recent experience with the development of console games that attempt to exploit multi-core processing (successful or failure) will be addressed.
Topic: Success/Failure Cases on Online Game Development 1--(Pre-Production Stage)
Abstract: This lecture will present findings from case studies in online game development that address topics, issues, or challenges that arise during game pre-production. The purpose is to review both what has worked successfully, what problems have emerged, and what now to consider in future game pre-production. This will include examination of issues associated with the cross-licensing of game content that originates in other media sources (for example, feature films, broadcast television, Web sites, theme parks, science centers/museums, books, or comics), integrating use of future game devices and interfaces, and establishing future game venues.
Topic: Success/Failure Cases on Online Game Development 2--(Pre-Production Stage)
Abstract: This lecture will present findings from case studies in online game development that address topics, issues, or challenges that arise during game pre-production. The purpose is to review both what has worked successfully, what problems have emerged, and what now to consider in future game pre-production.
Topic:Success/Failure Cases on Online Game Development 3--(Commercialization & Post-Production)
Abstract: This lecture will present findings from case studies in online game development that address topics, issues, or challenges that arise during game post-production, commercialization, and community management. The purpose is to review both what has worked successfully, what problems have emerged, and what now to consider in future game production, commercialization, and community management. This will include examination of production, commercialization, and community management issues associated with game content from other media sources (for example, feature films, broadcast television, Web sites, theme parks, science centers/museums, or print media), integrating use of future game devices and interfaces, and establishing future game venues.
Topic: Success/Failure Cases on Online Game 4--(Commercialization & Post-Production)
Abstract: This lecture will present findings from
case studies in online game development that address topics, issues,
or challenges that arise during game post-production,
commercialization, and community management. The purpose is to review
both what has worked successfully, what problems have emerged, and
what now to consider in future game production, commercialization,
and community management.
Topic: How to Access Open Source Software and Lecture Series Closing and Final Evaluation