The Future of Video Games in the Live Event Industry

Of all the forms of entertainment media now a days, video games are definitely the biggest on the rise.  With games getting bigger and bigger budgets these “Triple A” titles are becoming more like interactive dramas.  With these games getting more media exposure, and larger marketing campaigns in addition to the changes in technology, there is no better time to capitalize on the rise of live video game events.

Being a soon to be to graduate of Full Sail University’s Entertainment Business Masters program has given me a wealth of ideas for the future.  The basis of my idea starts from a few a simple market trends I have noticed in recent years.  For starters, technology has improved so much in the past year that LCD TV prices have dropped significantly.  As an avid gamer, I was able to pick up a new 42” Vizio at an amazing price.  The video game consoles themselves are now only $300 dollars, which in some cases is half of what they use to be.  With broadband Internet pretty much circling the globe, the online social gaming empire is starting to gain some significant numbers.  It is fun to play games online and every console now has a headset to make online communication fun and simple, but gamers want to interact and talk smack in person at live video game tournaments.  I believe with the lower cost in technology these tournaments can be easier and more cost effective to put on.  Major League Gaming (MLG) is one of many such organizations to already be capitalizing on this.  MLG is huge of course, but with my live events background it gives me expertise on how to set up tournaments and events like these.  Gaming companies that are just starting out and need to get more marketing exposure for their game, especially if it is multiplayer, may interested in a live gaming event.  It is a great place to unite the gaming community while hyping up the release of new product or driving sales of an existing one.

Thanks to my education I can now see and understand market trends much better than I could before.  I see the video game world only getting more grand with larger, more posh social gaming events popping up all across the globe.  I hope to capitalize on the industry on the rise by merging my love of video games with how to put on a successful live event.  As technology improves we will see better games and more and more live events to bring the gamer empire together.