Category archive: MBA Blog
Cell phone gaming disrupts the handheld market
From as far back as the Game & Watch in 1980 (or more likely for Americans, the Game Boy which came later that decade), people have been gaming on the go. Portable consoles have been a welcome diversion for commuters stranded on public transportation and other people looking to kill a few minutes (or hours) away from home the…
The internet VS the recording industry
Most of us who were old enough to fully experience the changing of the millennium (not a given, now 13 years since!) remember the epic battle between the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and Napster. Though similar services existed prior to the service, Napster delivered its music downloading application in a user-friendly package that minimized end-user effort, and almost…
The social media bubble
Whether the rise of social media represents the tech sector’s latest bubble and whether that hypothetical bubble has already burst are topics that are rising to the top of online discussions. The print media couldn’t be more delighted to report on the subject, as social media continues to threaten the paradigm of organized news providers…
Achievement unlocked!
The achievement system (formally introduced with the Xbox 360) has fundamentally changed the way we play games. Whether they’re called “achievements” or “trophies” or something else, the system is a mechanism which, if done properly, can add value to a gaming experience by increasing rewards and exposing gamers to content they might otherwise have missed…
Social Media and the WWE
Professional wrestling entered its golden years in the 1980s. The WWF (now WWE) had formed a major national organization where before multitudes of local promotions fought (and often were forced to cooperate) for recognition and precious television time. As the years progressed, other major organizations such as WCW and ECW rose and fell, and performers such as Hulk Hogan and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin rose to…
About this blog
This blog explores ways in which Information and Communications Technology (ICT) has impacted (and is continuing to transform) media and entertainment on a global scale. While much of my experience is directly related to the games industry, the effect of the internet and other telecommunications is far more broad than any one medium, and I…
Release now, finish it later
Those of us who have been following the games industry since the 80s would be blind to not notice the sweeping changes made to the medium–the birth of the console, the annual upgrade in visual and audio fidelity, the extra buttons added to joysticks every five years–but no single change to the industry has been…
The Evolution of Software Piracy
If you’ve never directly participated in software piracy or the trade of other counterfeit goods, you are no doubt aware that it happens, and that it’s a very real problem for many industries. Even when reading that sentence, you likely felt it was inappropriate to lump harmless file-sharing in with counterfeiting–to many, online piracy is a victimless…