Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
services for wireless and broadband, electronic toys, video games, edutainment, and
location-based entertainment (ranging from PC game rooms to theme parks).
Digital entertainment media is unique in that its products and services are inti-
mately tied to digital technology, which has been in a continuous state of innovation
since its inception. Each new generation of integrated circuits has the potential to
shake-up the landscape of market leaders, products and services that are possible,
and boundaries between market segments. Arguably, digital technology innovation
today is driven by entertainment applications. The need for faster, low-power pro-
cessors, high bandwidth networks, and high-resolution displays are primarily for
mass-entertainment applications.
Although digital entertainment relies heavily upon technology, it is equally de-
pendent upon creative art, content, and design. It has been demonstrated time and
time again (from web portals to broadband networks to electronic toys to video game
consoles to digital audio formats) that state-of-the-art products and services will fail
in the marketplace without compelling content or creative intellectual property (CIP).
1.2
Digital Entertainment Media Importance to the Developing
World
The low cost of computing combined with low labor costs make the developing world
ideal for developing new entertainment products and services. What is lacking, and
what is required is the generation of artistic and creative intellectual property and
imagineering. Youth in developing countries need to be given the skills to act as a
catalyst and permeate creative intellectual property to companies and industries, as
well as to make their own start-up companies. This will allow the huge potential of
the entertainment media industry to be catalyzed from developing countries as an
export market.
Digital games open up vast opportunities for future growth. Video game sales ex-
ceed US$ 20 billion worldwide
1
exceeding box office ticket sales for film. Computer
animation is a US$ 25 billion-dollar industry
2
with more and more designs finding
their ways into film, television, and multimedia. The market is expected to be bright
due to the fact that according to the Interactive Digital Software Association, the av-
erage American gamer is 28. Older consumers tend to have more disposable income
to spend on games than do teenagers. Increasing demand worldwide, high production
costs in the US, Japan, and Europe, and the availability of new distribution channels
(wireless, broadband, etc.), can allow developing countries to be major players in
the US$ 45 billion world of digital entertainment.
The production of digital entertainment is extremely labor intensive. It provides
high-paying jobs worldwide. It is very accessible (doesn't require extensive sciences
1
http://www.theesa.com/facts/pdfs/esa_ef_2013.pdf.
2
Roncarelli Report (2000 December). ISSN 1202 - 1156.
