Posts Tagged: interactive media

I am excited to discuss the topic of video games this week. It is amazing how the industry has gone from a niche market to a juggernaut of platforms and content, and has helped to advance computer technology along the way. Some of the questions that I have going into this week include the following:

1. With the arrival of the Nintendo Wii, we have seen the traditionally young male-dominated video game industry become much more accessible to female and older gamers. Will we see more demographic shifts like this? Will the amount of older gamers continue to increase as some of the original gamers (Gen Xers) continue to age?

2. The game industry has been currently breaking down barriers of interactivity and creating more dynamic control methods such as motion control. Will we continue to see games become more and more “active” or is this only a fad and traditional control will eventually come back into the spotlight? Also if the current trend continues, what sorts of developments can we expect to see to make the interactive interface more intuitive?

• Are there any particular reoccurring theories that seem to be most relevant to interactive media studies (more specifically, recent studies in the implications of social media growth, for instance?) …And if so, what do these theories suggest?
• What, if any, are the theories that have become outdated since the fading of traditional media and the subsequent birth of interactive media?
• What research or studies have been conducted most recently that has given way to brand new theories about the development of interactive media?
• What are the most highly debated theories regarding the development of interactive media, and/or what are, if any, the theories that have been widely accepted?