Essay Sample on Video Game Industry

Introduction

The video game publisher and the companies designing the video games have to work with the video gamers and testers to ensure that the games developed to meet the desires and expectation of the end-users. For example, face recognition voice recognition and gestures control were important recommendations by the video gamers. Currently, higher graphics, high definition display and virtual and augmented reality were pioneered by the designer while the wearables are inspired by the cyber groups who wanted more out of the video games. All these innovations were aimed at improving the user experiencing, driving growth and revenue. Currently, there are changes in the market that requires companies to innovate faster and more, competitive strategies deployed by the large video games companies is also a major driver for increased innovation as companies strive to attain and maintain the market leadership. Innovation has played a major role in the videogames long term success.

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The Role of Innovation in the Context of Nintendo Switch

In the gaming industry, Nintendo has been one of the major players shaping the industry from prices, features, and promotions. One of the key drivers of the company’s growth has always been researching and development that saw the company develop some of the most innovative games and consoles. Creativity and innovation have been leveraged frequently by Nintendo, especially in the development of the game consoles. While the company has been experimenting with many products, such as the Wii’s Mario cart and the legend of Zelda being immersive.

The Japanese video game maker and gaming consoles maker is known for innovative products such as Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64, Nintendo GameCube, Nintendo Wii, and the object of this study, the Nintendo Switch. Despite its success, innovation has been the key driver of the company’s success because the company has been experimenting with a lot of losses in investments, research in gaming, exercises, and development. While customers are only aware of the company's success, only a few customers know how much the company invests in research and development. Some of the key efforts that the company has put in developing innovative products include the company’s online surveys targeting existing and potential users. The company’s consoles are optimized for gamers from novice to expert gamers based on the surveys and user feedback.

Design Exploration

Nintendo and other video game developers are more focused on design exploration. The focus of such design exploration of the user cantered design before it was changed the human-centred designs (HCD). The user-centred design is founded on one framework comprised of an iterative cycle of investigation, observing the users, followed by the phase of ideation phase where the idea is analyzed, and the prototype developed. The new game development cycles then follow the rapid prototype and testing before the final products are developed for the mass market. Each phase of the game development follows and builds on the previous phase and the cumulative lesson learned. The product development cycle will only terminate the results are plausible. However, there are instances that the time that was allocated for the phase has elapsed, forcing the team to terminate the process. The game development process is defined by the user survey where the intended users are surveyed to make an incremental enhancement. In the process, the quality of the product is compared with the choices that the developer has to make among several design parameters.

Incremental innovation aims at reaching the most innovative solutions, while radical innovation aims at developing the most effective solution. Human-centred design is mainly aligned with incremental innovation. Radical innovation is usually done in disregard of the design research, user surveys, or the needs of the society. For example, technologies such as indoor tools and electric lighting in most rooms rarely focus on incremental innovation. However, radical innovation can mean changing the whole design language that is why radical innovation is rarely associated with the human-centred design because it is mainly driven by the changes in the technology and not based on the design research. In most radical innovation, there is no formal need for analysis. That is why most of the gaming consoles are usually designed in parts and take time before another innovative console is produced while the new video games are produced daily.

Background

Human-computer design is the most invaluable way to improve the video game console and make it more appealing. Over the years, Google has been focused on HCD. Their final products have not only been appealing, but also user-centric. It is time for the video game producers to focus on modifying all their offerings. The goals of most video game producers are to leverage design-driven innovation.

Conceptual Framework

The study will focus on how technology change could accelerate innovation, and how innovation can lead to user-centred products based on human-centred design. Just like Microsoft Kinect, the Nintendo Wii design was human-centric. The Nintendo Wii was developed to get people out of their chairs to be physically fit. The console is controlled by the whole body, and every gesture was counted. Human-centred design is, therefore, one of the drivers of the micro electro mechanical system.

Theories of Innovation

In video game development, the companies used to conducts research both independently and through user surveys. Currently, most video game developers employ users to co-create video games. Games such as intend Wii were developed by the company before the video games co-creation started. Currently, most companies liaise with users to create video games. The user-led innovator is the noblest and notable outcome of the community of experts' discussion on innovations. With advancement in the internet of things, video game makers leverage their social media to engage the users in co-creation. Companies such as Sony through their PlayStation, rely on the users to create user-inspired products based on the Innovation Diffusion Theory. Games such as Fortnite as a result of user-generated visuals. Innovation, development, as well as consumption are user-oriented. Currently, there is no division of labour between the providers and the users as both are working to create a memorable user experience. The user's contribution is very important, especially because consumers are the last workers on the company's production line. Innovation by the users provides additional insight into the video games features that the users wanted, but could not get because they were left out of the production loop. Instead of being passive in the prediction, they are actively engaged in the product development cycles in all the phases.

Through the internet, the users can today participate in video game production through their peer-to-peer interaction, group discussions, and focus groups. The connectivity brought about by the internet and the increased interaction as seen in the case of Linux being perfected by the users as for the users. Video game development is no longer a provision of digital products and contents as it has shifted to the peer to peer sharing. The platforms created by the video game developing companies are more active and suggest new designs, innovative features, characters, kits, and tools consistent with Schumpeter's Theory of Innovation. The theory states that business innovation is the main reason for increased investment and innovation are the main drivers for business fluctuation.

Conclusion

The open-source projects have become a creation of communally regulated products where the communal collaboration efforts take place from remote places across the work wherever internet access is possible, the users are the essential source of products development information. Such innovation strategies are described better by the theories of innovation such as the diffusion of innovation theory irrespective of the type of innovation from incremental to disruptive, architectural, or radical innovation. Companies can innovate, but such innovation must take into consideration the desires of the end-users. Innovation can diffuse. However, the rate of the diffusion is dependent on the relative advantage of the innovation, the compatibility and consistency of the innovation with the user values, experiences, and needs of the adopters or buyers. The rate of diffusion would also be intended by the complexity of the innovation with the very complex innovation diffusing slowly as compared to the simpler innovation. Another important factor in the diffusion of innovation has been the "triability" of the innovation as it will determine the user acceptance of the technology based on the perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use as well as the user's acceptance of the innovation.