Looking back to the future of fun

Looking back to the future of fun

By Daniel Emery
Technology reporter, BBC News

As 2008 draws to a close and with 2009 just around the corner, it has been an eventful year for the games industry.
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Will the recession and a lack of triple-A titles make 2009 a year the industry will want to forget?
Call of Duty: World at War surpassed expectations, Wii Fit showed us that you can play video games and still keep the spare tyre in check, Gears of War 2 proved the Xbox 360 was still a force to be reckoned with, selling over two million units world wide.
World of Warcraft released the Wrath of the Lich King and kept millions of gamers glued to their PCs for another six months, and Grand Theft Auto IV took the world by storm.
But with the economy cooling, games companies like Sony shedding jobs, and a shortage of triple A titles scheduled for release, what does 2009 have in store for gamers and the video game industry?
We put that question to some of the industry stalwarts, asking them for their thoughts on how 2008 has been for them and what they think the next year will bring.
PETER MOLYNEUX: Video game designer, Lionhead Studios

"2008 was the year that the Nintendo Wii got even better, more than anyone really thought possible when it first launched. The 360 did well, although it was put into the shade somewhat by the Wii. PlayStation 3 has been disappointing to say the least.
On the gaming front, GTA IV was a real moment for the industry. Rockstar nailed how you characterise a game and their engine and cut sequences are state of the art. However, only a few people actually saw all the cut sequences because the game was so tough to play. Are we making games too difficult? That's a question the industry has been asking itself of late.
We - as developers - are finally comfortable with the next-gen consoles and we saw a slew of sequels this year. Gears of War 2, Fallout 3, Fable II, the seventh Tomb Raider.
One of my personal favourites was Little Big Planet; superb artistry and a fantastic marketing job by Sony - yet it didn't make the numbers. I wonder if Christmas is really the right time to release a new title. We've got into a rhythm [of sequels at Christmas] which is all fair and well while people are buying games but we have to make sure we don't get complacent.
Next year, well, it's all looking a bit dry. All the triple A titles came out this Christmas and while there is stuff in 2010 we can look forward to, off the top of my head I cannot think of anything next year that really excites me.
Everyone says games are good value for home entertainment, despite the relatively high price. I'm not so sure. I think we're going to see a lot of price pressure put on games.
And as for Lionhead: now we've got Fable II out of the door we can focus on our other project - it's super secret for now - but we might announce it next year."
PAUL BARNETT: Creative director, Mythic Entertainment

"Personally 2008 was like giving birth: lots of pain, struggle, huffing, and puffing. But the end result [Warhammer Online] was worth it; it's no longer ours, it belongs to the players.
It was a year of disappointing big games; budgets too big, development too long, platforms underdeveloped, and expectations were too high. The Wii produced some kooky games that defied logic, the 360 continues to do well, the PS3 is desperately trying to find a market, and the PC was coming to terms with DRM (digital rights management).
At the same time, 2008 was the year that web browser games came of age: proof that backroom coders, great art design, and business know-how can exist under the same roof: Passage, Shift, World of Good, and Portal were all very curious.
GTA IV was the most impressive game of 2009, because it's almost impossible to deliver a game that good. It was a proper computer game, it sold bucket loads, and it improved on the original. Not only that, but it was British! I'm not a fan of the game but I am really respectful of what they [Rockstar] have done.
Bioshock proved that art direction matters in a game - and it was truly a triumph of art. It looked good and every icon and element felt connected. People get wrapped up in the story and narrative. Bioshock never had a story - people pretended it does - it doesn't. It's simple and linear, but in terms of art it is fantastic.
That said, some people confuse games with art and developing a game as an art title (as opposed to a good game with great art in it) will lead us into madness.
As for Warhammer, we're going to make good on our promises. We've got RvR [Realm vs Realm] hobby experience; this means bigger battles, more character, a stronger campaign. Basically, war is everywhere.
As for next year, it's going to be a year of pain for all the big labels and a continuing fight between games defining themselves as 'art', 'design' and 'entertainment'.
The games industry is going to go through the pain the music industry went through when the traditional way of making and selling their products goes through a radical shift. The route to the customer is undefined and income streams are uncertain. Large firms have a history of not being responsive (and being fearful) of change - the DRM fiasco (with Spore) is a classic example of that.
I expect to see some large studios go under and some big name titles fail."
RICHARD GARRIOTT aka 'Lord British': Video game designer

"For me, the high point - quite literally - was spending 12 days on the International Space Station. As a result, I've been somewhat outside the gaming scene; I was in quarantine for nearly three months in 2008.
That said, Halo's sequel was a big deal. World of Warcraft continues to dominate the massive multiplayer arena - more power to them. If I had to pick a developer who has done a bang up job, it would be Blizzard [the development team behind World of Warcraft]. The number of people they have converted is just amazing. They have shown all of us what good game development is all about.
After 25 years at Origin, the last thing I wanted to make was yet another medieval fantasy game. Now, after a very interesting break, I'm keen to get back into the fray and work on a new game. Probably medieval fantasy and probably online; there's something very powerful about getting people together."
WILL WRIGHT : Video game designer, Electronic Arts

"2008 was the year that the console hit its stride, we're seeing the rise of mobile gaming (along with user generated content) and, as we hear every eight years, the death of PC gaming.
The Wii took everyone by surprise - not for its looks, but its accessibility. Games like Guitar Hero attracted non-gamers and Sony and Microsoft are responding to that with things like the 'Avatar' system and Little Big Planet.
Next year, we're going to see more connected games - more social networking rather than just multiplayer. What's more, they are going to be more fractal in nature; how you interact with the game will depend not only on what you play (360 vs mobile) but where you play. So, for example, a mobile game that interacts with a GPS (global positioning system) so that where you physically play the game in the real world will have a direct effect on the game you are playing."
JOHNATHAN 'Fatal1ty' WENDEL: Professional games player

"The high point for me was getting my new line of headphones. I've been working really hard to develop them with Creative and we saw our sales increase by 50% since 2007.
That said, I think the credit crunch and subsequent fall out really hurt sponsorship of professional gamers. We used to have 300 people making a living from playing games; now we have less than 100.
Because of that, I want to start sponsoring other gamers. They're having a tough time at the moment, so I want to give something back to help them follow their dreams to become a professional gamer.
I'm going to continue working on a professional series of headphones. I want people to use my headphones, not just to talk smack, but to use them in the real world by making them stylish and attractive. We're close to getting that finalised and then we can launch.
And as for the future, well I hope we'll soon start seeing real 3D. You already get that experience in an iMax cinema. I think games will eventually go that way. I still want to use a mouse and keyboard to play, but if I can get that kind of graphical feel, that would be great. We really need to change the way we view a game."

The virtual battle of the sexes

By Tamsin Osborne  BBC News Online games' emphasis on combat has led many to paint them as male pursuits Picture a typical player of a massively multiplayer game such as World of Warcraft and most people will imagine an overweight, solitary male. But this stereotype has been challenged by a study investigating gender differences among gamers. It found that the most hard-core players are female, that gamers are healthier than average, and that game playing is an increasingly social activity. Despite gaming being seen as a male activity, female players now make up about 40% of the gaming population. The study looked at gender differences in more than 2,400 gamers playing EverQuest II.  What we think might be at play is that it's not that games are good for you, it's that TV is bad for you  Dmitri Williams The participants, who were recruited directly out of the game, completed a web-based questionnaire about their gaming habits and lifestyles. They received an in-game item as a reward for taking part - a condition which has led to some questioning of the results. In addition Sony Online Entertainment, Everquest's creator, gave the US researchers access to information about the players' in-game behaviours. Gender bias The results showed that, although more of the players were male, it was the female players who were the most dedicated players, spending more time each day playing the game than their male counterparts. Lead researcher Scott Caplan of the University of Delaware said the result demonstrated how out-of-date stereotypes can be. "In many cases, stereotypes reflect what I would call a 'cultural time lag'," he said. "What we think about men and women and videogames may have been true 10 or 15 years ago, when there were mainly console video games or single-player games. Attitudes to games may date from the early years of consoles, say researchers "But what were seeing now is that games become social, and as these online games become communities then the attraction for that kind of behaviour might increase for women," said Prof Caplan. "I think a lot of our stereotypes are based on the way computer games have been, rather than where they're going." The pressure to conform to traditional gender roles might mean that some women are put off activities seen as "masculine", whereas women who reject traditional gender roles might be more likely to play MMOs such as EverQuest II. Perhaps in support of this the survey revealed an unusually high level of bisexuality among the women who took part in the study - over five times higher than the general population. "These are not people who are following strict gender stereotypes," said Prof Caplan. "I think that the game itself is right now a very non-traditional activity for women, and so I think what you would find in this population are going to be people who are in other ways less traditional than the majority population." Consumer focus Another unexpected finding was that the online game players - particularly the women - were healthier than the general population, though this was drawn from self-reported levels of exercise and body mass index. Dmitri Williams, a researcher at the University of Southern California and a co-author on the study, said one possible explanation could be that playing computer games reduces the amount of time spent in front of the television. Consoles such as the Wii have won a cross-gender audience "What we think might be at play is that it's not that games are good for you, it's that TV is bad for you," he said. "With television, what you get is an endless stream of commercials telling you to buy things and to consume things, and what we think we're finding is that when you remove all that consumption impulse you are probably less driven to consume." In games such as EverQuest II, players spend their time completing quests and killing monsters, so it's possible that such in-game activities might influence players in real-life, said Prof Williams. "It could be that games inspire a more active lifestyle, instead of sitting in front of a TV." The study also found that men and women played computer games for different reasons, with men more likely to play to win and women more likely to play for social reasons. Furthermore, a high proportion of women reported playing the game with their romantic partner, supporting the idea that game playing is becoming an increasingly sociable activity. The researchers say that this trend is reflected in patterns of general computer and internet use. "If you go back 20 years and talk about people using computers and the internet, I think the stereotype would have been of a young male," said Prof Caplan. "Nowadays, if you look at MySpace and Facebook and all of the social uses of the internet, the number of women who have it as part of their everyday life has gone up phenomenally," he said. "In the same way that the stereotype of a computer user has become more gender-neutral, I think we'll see that with games too."

Games developed by Ubisoft Casablanca

1. Prince of Persia: The Fallen King [DS]

   • 02 Dec 2008
    
   •  
   • Price: $25.50-$29.99
    
   • Type: Action

2. Prince of Persia: The Fallen King [DS]

   • 02 Dec 2008
    
   •  
   • Price: $25.50-$29.99
    
   • Type: Action

3. Rayman Raving Rabbids [DS]

   • 06 Mar 2007
    
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   • Price: $19.99-$19.99
    
   • Type: Action

4. Rayman Raving Rabbids: TV Party [DS]

   • 18 Nov 2008
    
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   • Price: $15.79-$29.99
    
   • Type: Action

5. Star Wars: Lethal Alliance [DS]

   Star Wars: Lethal Alliance is built exclusively for the PSP system and DS, immersing players in an adventure that takes place between Episode III Revenge of...

   • 12 Dec 2006
    
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   • Price: $13.98-$28.99
    
   • Type: Action

Ubisoft to strengthen presence in Morocco; plans 150 recruitments by 2010

PARIS (Thomson Financial) - French games developer Ubisoft Entertainment said it is to strengthen its presence in Morocco with 'the expansion of its studio in Casablanca', and plans to recruit 150 extra staff by 2010.

The group said in a statement that it already employs 50 staff in Morocco, and plans to take on young talent from 'local engineering and art schools.'

Ubisoft opened its Casablanca studio in 1998, and is the only developer present in Morocco, or in Northern Africa.

vicky.buffery@thomson.com

afp/vb/jfr

Video industry

L’industrie mondiale du jeu vidéo représente actuellement un marché de 25 milliards de dollars US*. Selon une récente étude, l’industrie est appelée à doubler pour se chiffrer à 55 milliards de dollars US d’ici 2009*.

On prévoit également que le jeu vidéo, avec une croissance anticipée de 16,5 % par année, se positionnera d’ici 5 ans au deuxième rang des industries du divertissement, se classant derrière le cinéma mais devançant ainsi la musique.

Cette croissance considérable se traduit par une transformation de l’industrie qui passe entre autres par une demande accrue d’une main-d’œuvre qualifiée et formée. Les possibilités de carrière sont, et continueront d’être très intéressantes pour les finissants des programmes de formation du Campus Ubisoft.

Ubisoft opens Casablanca campus

Publisher partners with Moroccan audiovisual company Sigma Technologies on gaming and animated-film training center opening in October.

Last year, the Moroccan government created an incentive program to encourage companies to create new tech-industry jobs in the country as well as train individuals for those positions. One publisher to take Morocco up on its offer was Ubisoft. The publisher said it would be dramatically expanding its Northern Africa operationsfrom 50 to 150 positions by 2010.

Today, the publisher said that it would also be partnering with Moroccan audiovisual company Sigma Tecnologies on a new digital media training campus. The school's curriculum will focus on training individuals for jobs in the gaming and animated-film industries, with courses ranging from "programming to 3D animation and modelling, game and level design to project management."

Ubisoft's campus will be located in Morocco's capital of Casablanca and expects to open its doors in October. It has been modeled after a similar campus in Montreal, where many of Ubisoft's top games are created, including Assassin's Creed, Prince of Persia, and Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas.

For more on Ubisoft's campus in Casablanca, head over to the school's official site.

The Laras: a look back in danger

Katie Price (far right) makes her one and only appearance as Lara Croft The latest instalment in Lara Croft's adventures - Tomb Raider: Underworld - has gone on sale. Developed by US firm Crystal Dynamics, the game picks up from where the previous edition - Tomb Raider: Legend - left off. From the outset, the series has had a human face promoting the game. The concept of a real life Lara started in 1996, when Tomb Raider made its debut at the now defunct European Computer Trade Show (ECTS). Back then, the concept of a female lead character in a video game was groundbreaking. Gamers had been fed a diet of macho gun-toting heroes, such as Duke Nukem or "lone space marine" and there many who felt the idea of Lara Croft would fall flat. Four girls were picked (including one Katie Price, better known today as Jordan) to promote the game at the show, in the hope that an attractive girl with a gun would appeal to gamers and game journalists alike. It did. NATHALIE COOK 1996 It was UK games magazine PC Zone - rather than the games publisher Eidos - who married Lara Croft with her real life counterpart. Nathalie Cook - one of the Laras first seen at ECTS - was splashed all over the magazine's 1996 Christmas issue and she, or rather Lara, opened a department store in Birmingham. After Lara, Ms Cook faded from the public eye and little is known about her today. RHONA MITRA 1997 - 1998 The next Lara Croft, chosen this time by Eidos, is considered as being the first "true" Lara. Rhona Mitra was a British-born actress who had a few small film parts prior to becoming the face of Lara Croft. But to play the role of Lara, she took method acting to a whole new level. Ms Mitra had cosmetic surgery to make her figure look more like Lara's and she also took media training courses to help her deal with publicity and press interviews. During her time as Lara, Ms Mitra did numerous publicity shoots, media interviews and even made a single - produced by former Eurythmic Dave Stewart- called Getting Naked. However, it failed to make the Top 40 and was Lara's first and last foray into the music industry. But for Rhona Mitra, her time as Lara Croft was the springboard to bigger things. Her modelling career continued and she has since appeared in more than 25 movies, including Get Carter and Ali G Indahouse. NELL McANDREW 1998 - 1999 The next - and arguably the most famous - Lara was Nell McAndrew. Like her predecessor, Ms McAndrew also had surgery to make her look more like Lara. But while she was promoting Tomb Raider 3, Eidos sacked Ms McAndrew for appearing on the front cover of Playboy magazine. She went on to have a successful career as a glamour model and now helps raise money for charity. LARA WELLER 1999 - 2000 The next Lara was - coincidentally- also a Lara. Lara Weller started her modelling career in the Netherlands after being spotted by a photographer. The 24-year-old donned trademark shorts, top and pistols for what Eidos claimed was Lara's last outing in The Last Revelation. In an interview with BBC News, she said that she didn't quite know what to expect playing Lara, but looking back it was a fantastic year of her life. "It was very sad when it all finished. You got to know all the team you work with and when it stopped, it was a little bit of a shock, even though we all knew it had to end. "Since playing Lara, I've done some more modelling, but now I run and manage events and I'm also training to be a yoga teacher," she said. "And as for the future? I'm going to go travelling and maybe I'll start a family." LUCY CLARKSON 2000 - 2002 Next up was Lucy Clarkson, the youngest Lara to date. Discovered by Vivenne Westwood when she was 15, she was promoting Tomb Raider just two years later. Talking to BBC News, she said that although at the time she was already a successful model, being Lara gave her career a real boost. "The first few years were amazing, because all the doors open for you as you become a celeb overnight," she said. "Everything was happening for me and it became much easier to do stuff in the public eye, because it's a big stepping stone. "Life after Lara was, and still is, very interesting. I'm writing my autobiography about life as a model, launching an underwear range next year, and have just published a calendar in aid of Help the Heroes." JILL DE JONG 2002 - 2006 Like previous Laras, Jill de Jong had already worked as a model, although at more than six feet tall she holds the record as the tallest to date. Ms de Jong was the second Dutch woman to play Lara Croft and she went on to model for Ralph Lauren and Escada. She now lives in the United States pursuing a career in acting. KARIMA ADEBIBE 2006 - 2008 For the next Lara, Eidos did things a bit differently. Rather than picking an established model, the firm took on a complete novice. Karima Adebibe worked as a sales assistant in Topshop before she was discovered by Eidos. Adebibe retired as Lara in early 2008 and has continued modelling. ALISON CARROLL 2008 - Stepping into Ms Croft's boots is the current Lara, Alison Carroll. Like Adebibe she was a newcomer to the modelling world but she was no stranger to the limelight, having represented Great Britain as a professional display gymnast and helped coach the winning junior team at the British National Gymnastics Championships. The 23-year-old will appear at press and promotion events in character, and the developers also plan to have her playing the lead in a forthcoming TV commercial. ANGELINA JOLIE Of course, there is one Lara who is probably the most famous of them all, despite never actually promoting the video game. Angelina Jolie's role in the Tomb Raider film put the game firmly in the media spotlight and to date is the most successful movie adaptation of a video game, grossing in excess of $300m (£200m).

How to put the 'e' in D&D

By Mark Ward Technology correspondent, BBC News Will gaming traditionalists accept Dungeons and Dragons leaving the table top for the desktop? Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) is the mother of all role-playing games. Before World of Warcraft, Everquest, Meridian 59, Zork and pretty much every other multi-user dungeon or text adventure was D&D. Since its publication in 1974 by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, D&D has been relentlessly old-school and most of those that play it do so with paper, pencil and polyhedral dice. But this year Wizards of the Coast, D&D's current owner, is adding electronic elements to the game to prepare it for an age in which most fantasy gamers play via computer if they play at all. "If we want to recruit the next generation of gamers we have to be online, that's clearly the platform where people have chosen to play," said Randy Buehler, vice-president of digital gaming at Wizards of the Coast. Game on While many computer games such as Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights have appeared before that use a D&D setting and revolve around its rules none, said Mr Buehler, have captured what is special about the game. As in many fantasy-based computer games, D&D is all about picking a role for a character to play, be that warrior, wizard or thief, and then sending that character on an adventure. The crucial difference is that in D&D you do not thrust that character into a dungeon overseen by a computer - instead the overseer is another person. In D&D parlance they are known as a Dungeon Master (DM). The electronic elements aim to help players master the game The DM is the kind or cruel god who controls the monsters found in the dungeon, plays every character you meet on the way to the lost tombs and makes the whole experience a frustration and a delight. "Without that human element you are limited to what's been programmed in by the designer," said Mr Buehler. "What's missing is the imagination and improvisation. If we can capture that we win." The electronic extras for D&D are collectively known as D&D Insider and give players a variety of digital tools to aid and abet that formerly paper-based play. "The idea is that you can play it as 100% table-top experience, or 100% electronic or somewhere in between," said Mr Buehler. The most ambitious part of D&D Insider is the game table - a virtual space where players can join and in which they can play out an adventure overseen by a human DM. Other elements include online character generators that take novices and veterans through the bewildering array of choices that confront anyone creating a D&D character and taking it on several different adventures. Also available is a character visualiser, access to all the D&D rulebooks ever printed and a few online tools to help get characters going. Player power But, said Charles Ryan, a veteran D&D player and spokesman for games firm Esdevium, there's no guarantee that E-D&D will catch on. While putting lots of reference works in one place and producing tools to help people generate characters would undoubtedly be welcome, will that drive people to play D&D online? For some players playing online strips out the atmosphere "It's an open question," said Mr Ryan. "With the older-style guys, it's going to vary." Despite this, said Mr Ryan, there was real appeal in having a virtual space around which D&D players who would not otherwise meet could gather. "The older you get, it gets harder to get that group together," he said. "You are looking at your diaries to see if you can play, if you can get babysitters and so on." "I can go back and play D&D now and play just an hour a night," he said. For some regular D&D players the chance to go online and play is not so tempting. "It's like watching a concert on TV; you just do not get the atmosphere," said Alexander Simkin, organiser of the D&D group on the Meetup website. "I've been to the Last Night of the Proms and seen it on telly and it's a completely different experience," he said. "I think you can simulate some aspects by playing it online but I don't think you can capture all of it," he added. His comments were echoed by Mark Brown, a player who only took up D&D in October 2007 and is keen convert to playing it face-to-face. "I think it's much better to get together with a group of friends and use your imagination," Mr Brown said. "When you do it on a computer you don't have that." But, he said, he could understand Wizards of the Coast's strategy of launching it to tempt youngsters who were more familiar with World of Warcraft. Also, he added, it could prove useful for those who cannot find a D&D group nearby. "If you cannot play it any other way, if there's an online version that could really help," he said.