Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
Although the PlayStation was largely a straightforward video game con-
sole, when it came time to develop its successors, Sony did far more to lever-
age their position as a giant in the consumer electronics industry. For the
PlayStation 2
(PS2), Sony opted to move from a CD-ROM to a DVD-ROM
drive and for the PlayStation 3 (PS3) they went with a Blu-ray drive. The
success of both ef orts were substantial and indicate how the discourse of
games has shifted. In the case of the PS2, Sony was able to release a console
that contained a functional DVD player for about the same price as the
DVD players of the time period. As a result, consumers were left with a
decision about whether to buy a device that only played DVDs or purchase
a PS2, which would play both DVDs and a massive catalog of video games.
So many people opted to go with PS2s that it fueled the widespread adop-
tion of the DVD format in Japan. Similarly, when Sony included Blu-ray,
a Sony backed high-defi nition video format, in its PS3, the console of ered
one of the best options on the market at a price initially competitive with
dedicated Blu-ray players. The inclusion of the drive added to the overall
cost of the console, making it the most expensive of its generation, but the
PS3 benefi ted most from dropping its price as the console aged, gaining
market share on its competitors. Sony also moved quickly to support 3D
gaming, which is notable as they are also one of the leading producers of
3D televisions.
The video game console initially faced a discursive environment in which
it needed to develop what it was and why people should acquire it. Facing a
rhetorical situation where video games came with nasty, negative connota-
tions, Atari and others struck out in other directions, reshaping the rhetori-
cal environment to make home consoles attractive to a broader audience.
Nintendo extended this logic, while splitting themselves from the damaging
memories of the video game collapse. Sony, however, took the approach to
a whole new level, rethinking what a console was and transforming it from
something that simply played video games into a black box that provided
myriad entertainment options and extended Sony's reach into the home as
a blended electronics and media company.
WORDPLAY AND CONSOLES
Consoles are a particularly interesting part of the discourse of video games,
especially as they have become a primary means of play. Wordplay helps
analyze shifts in where we play, how we play, how we judge representations
of play, and the role of a console. Analyzing the history of consoles of ers
insight into how each specifi c platform impacts the development and design
of video games. A substantial portion of the context for discourse about
video games is shaped by the devices we use and how they are conceived
of as technical, cultural, and social objects. Wordplay demonstrates how
something like a video game console is not a stable, consistent thing over
