Technological, Content, and Market Convergence in the Games Industry

Abstract

Convergence has been touted in recent years as the next big leap in the digital era. Having received considerable attention across a wide range of technologies, markets, and economies, there is comparatively little academic research on convergence in the computer and video games industry. This article investigates this issue by drawing attention to three salient areas of gaming convergence—technological, content, and market. A detailed examination is provided, drawing from a broad selection of literature and practical examples of gaming hardware and software to illustrate the prevalence of convergence in its various forms. The results provide a unique chronological overview of the impact of convergence on the previous and current generations of games and games platforms. The discussion focuses on the new demands placed on the creation of game technology and content, emerging market trends, and the ramifications as a result of the evolving nature of gaming convergence.