Games are increasingly serious business
Posted by Dennis Sellers 
Jun 28, 2006 at 2:01am
There’s never a lack of speculation about what Apple may or may not do. One of the most recent rumors is that Apple is recruiting a team to work on game development. I’ve said before that this is a good idea—especially if the development concentrates on Macs rather than the iPod. And there’s still more evidence that gaming is increasingly becoming serious business.
Though game company share prices have been stagnant, trends in mobile, online and multiplayer gaming are re-igniting interest in such companies, though there are certainly hurdles to overcome. For example, companies are trying to figure out the best way to generate revenue from online play. But despite this, the sector looks as if it’s gaining traction. Game-maker share prices gained recently after Susquehanna Research changed its rating on the sector from “neutral” to “positive,” reports InfoWorld.
The company said that after getting doused with realistic expectations, game makers are poised to come back. Expectations have reached “sober levels,” Susquehanna analyst Jason Kraft said in a research note. Last week Electronic Arts announced that it was buying Mythic for an undisclosed sum. This was perceived as a vote of confidence in massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) and online playing is considered as still in its infancy, with huge potential, InfoWorld notes. Also, the videogame market grew by about 17 percent from 2004 to 2006, according to IDC.
The Mac has usually been the “also ran” when it came to computer gaming. Apple can change that by developing games in-house or working with game developers to better promote Mac gaming. And with gaming apparently on a strong growth pattern, what better time than now to do it?
Thoughts? Write me at daseller@earthlink.net
J. Scott Anderson Says:
MacManiac, Apple was and is involved in a company that makes movies. A situation that has helped and will probably continue to help Apple. It is Steve Job’s Pixar clout that helped him sort out the music labels for the iTMS.
If Apple is not or does not get more directly involved in game development, then they should get more involved in one or more companies that are deep in game development.
Posted on June 28, 2006
Article Information
Comment on this Article Print this Article Email this Article Digg This
Contributor
Dennis Sellers
Dennis has been a newspaper editor/reporter (seven years) and teacher (seven years). He has over 4,000 magazine, newspaper and online articles to his credit. He has also covered the Mac and tech industries for over a decade for such online publications as MacCentral, MacMinute and now MacsimumNews.
MacManic Says:
Gaming seems to me to be a race Apple needs to do a lot of catching up in and any head start would be great.
How feasible would it be to just make Mac PlayStation compatible?
MacBookPro with Ps3 option? Wow.
Of course with sony also making Vaio this is unlikely so we’re back where we started with *ahem* Micro$oft and bootcamp.
Whilst I think games on Mac would be great I don’t see the need for yet another platform.
I can’t see Mac gaming being competitave against these products and they will continue to be an also ran. And while they try and make games (and a gaming platform) they might as well start making music and movies too.
m
Posted on June 28, 2006