Home Gaming Al Gore-“Games have clearly arrived as a mass medium”

Al Gore-“Games have clearly arrived as a mass medium”

2 min read
0

6a00d8341ed39853ef013480294791970c-320wi

The former American Vice president and global climate change activist was speaking at the Games for Change Conference in New York City on Monday, citing the potential that the gaming industry now has on consumers.

Delivering the keynote speech, Gore then went on to detail just how powerful games are today.

This is a very large, extremely significant industry, with a radically diverse and growing audience of players on all kinds of platforms. Games are the new ‘normal’ for hundreds of millions of users every month.

Gore also admitted that the last game he was proficient at, was most likely Pong. He then went on to explain the challenges that gaming will have to get across positive messages without alienating their fan base.

The secret, he claimed, was having a group of “really good partners who know what they’re doing.” But to find those people specifically, that is the challenge. “How you insure that the integrity of the content is not in any way compromised, but rather enhanced,” he said, is another major roadblock.

Gore then directed this challenge to the conference attendees to take up the task, as well as the millions of gamers worldwide .

Gaming is the new “normal,” after all, so why shouldn’t we be involved?

Speaking about the annoying fad of “gamification,” next, Gore explained that “game patterns are becoming more ubiquitous in our culture,” though he admitted that adding simple gameplay mechanics to the content at hand would not help the subject matter sell itself to consumers in the long run. Having worked with former EA executive Bing Gordon and Sims creator Will Wright, Gore detailed four quick ideas that games should adhere to:

  • A game needs to be immediately engaging in the first five seconds
  • Players need to win, and win fast
  • Impressive visuals
  • Major Moments that impress gamers and give them incentive to return

Gore then later reiterated his belief about games from serious developers carrying a message as powerful as a game from a non profit organisation, and being as successful in the end in a Q&A session hosted by the Ford Foundation’s Democracy, Rights and Justice program VP Maya Harris

Source: Joystiq.com

 

Last Updated: June 21, 2011

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Check Also

Manchester United Sues Football Manager Over Use of their Name and Fan Mods

Manchester United, that massive global football brand whose fans are as equally annoying a…