Video Game Industry: A Social Menace or Addictive Learning Tool?

The Parties that Profit

In an interview with the Arbitrage, Jennifer Jenson –- an Associate Professor of Pedagogy and Technology in the Faculty of Education at York University and President of the Canadian Game Studies Association – reiterates the fact that the video game industry is evolving: “I think the game industry is growing, in part, because they are attracting a larger audience (not just men and boys) and also, perhaps in part, because there has been a move to different kinds of games (movement based games on the Wii, music games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band) and even games on other devices, especially in North America like the iPhone and Android phones.”

Based on the above-mentioned, the gaming industry as a whole seems to be thriving and will continue to flourish in the future. But who is benefiting from this industry’s growth? One group that is clearly prospering from the booming industry is video game companies – console makers, such as Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo, and video game developers, such as THQ and Activision.

Even companies that act as middlemen benefit greatly. These “middleware companies” are “a major player when it comes to supplying the tools that do all the little things – those finer details that make games come alive.” Canada appears to benefit greatly from the flourishing gaming industry, as there are many innovative organizations that are part of the video game developing process, including the fact that there is a great deal of demand for video games – specifically apps on the iPhone and Android phones. With increasingly more Canadian companies playing a role in the gaming sector, the government has taken actions to encourage more activity among Canadian companies.