>>> AMERICAN CONSUMERS SPENT
MORE THAN $15 BILLION LAST

YEAR ON VIDEO AND COMPUTER
GAMES, A TREND THAT HAS LED TO

CREATIVITY BOTH IN THE PRIVATE
AND ACADEMIC SECTORS.

REPORTER ANDREA VASQUEZ GIVES
US A LOOK AT HOW ONE

UNIVERSITY IS GRADUATING THE
NEXT GENERATION OF GAME

DEVELOPERS.
>> AT A TIME WHEN 59% OF

AMERICANS REPORT PLAYING VIDEO
GAMES AND THE AVERAGE TIME

PEOPLE SPEND ONLINE HAS
OUTPACED TV VIEWING HOURS, THE

GAMING LANDSCAPE LEAVES A LOT
OF SPACE FOR DEVELOPERS TO

EXPERIMENT.
ONE PLACE THAT'S HAPPENING IS

AT NYU POLYTECHNIC SCHOOL'S
GAME INNOVATION LAB WHERE

STUDENTS AND FACULTY CREATE
VIRTUAL BUBBLE WRAP, DIGITAL

ANIMATION TOOLS, AND MOTION
DETECTING GAMES THAT ARE MEANT

TO HELP KIDS WITH MATH.

>> WELL, WE BASICALLY PLAY.

THAT'S WHAT WE DO.

[ LAUGHTER ]

>> THIS IS WHERE Ph.D.
STUDENTS COME TO PLAY.

THE LAB OPENED IN 2011,
MARRYING FUNCTION AND

AESTHETICS IN PURSUIT
OF GAMES.

>> THE IDEA WAS TO COMBINE

TECHNOLOGY AND ENTERTAINMENT

AND TO CREATE A PLACE WHERE

ENGINEERS COULD BENEFIT FROM
WORKING WITH ARTISTS AND

DESIGNERS TO SHAPE THE FUTURE
OF ENTERTAINMENT TECHNOLOGY.

>> 1.2 BILLION PEOPLE AROUND
THE WORLD ARE GAMING ACCORDING

TO A 2013 INDUSTRY SURVEY.
THAT'S 17% OF THE GLOBAL

POPULATION.
AND IT'S NOT JUST GUYS.

46% OF THE WORLD'S ONLINE
GAMERS ARE WOMEN.

>> THE WAY THE VIDEO GAME
DESIGN HAS PROGRESSED,

IT'S DEFINITELY BECOME MUCH,

MUCH MORE OPEN THAN TRYING TO

BECOME A MORE BROADLY

ACCESSIBLE MEDIUM.

>> STUDENTS IN COMPUTER
SCIENCE, ART, EDUCATION, MATH,

AND DESIGN FIND COMMON GROUND
IN THE LAB, CREATING GAMES FOR

LEARNING, HEALTH, AND TO SOLVE
PROBLEMS.

>> THEY BRING IN BILLIONS OF
DOLLARS OF REVENUE A YEAR

GLOBALLY, RIGHT?
AND THEY ARE JUST AS MUCH A

PART OF EVERYDAY CULTURE NOW
AS MOVIES OR NOVELS, ANY OF

THOSE THINGS.
BUT WE'RE ALSO REALLY

INTERESTED IN HOW GAMING
TECHNOLOGY AND APPROACHES CAN

BE USED TO SOLVE PRACTICAL
PROBLEMS, LIKE STROKE

REHABILITATION OR MATH
EDUCATION.

>> NEARLY TWO-THIRDS OF GAMERS
PLAY WITH OTHER PEOPLE, EITHER

FACE TO FACE OR ONLINE.
AND TO ENCOURAGE THAT KIND OF

INTERACTION, THE LAB'S ARTIST
IN RESIDENCE DESIGNED THE

LIGHTNING BUG GAME WHICH CALLS
FOR TWO PLAYERS TO TOUCH HANDS

SO THAT ONE CAN SHOOT LASERS
OUT OF A SPIKED SLEEVE.

>> I'M EXPLORING COSTUMES AS

GAME CONTROLLERS.

SO THE INTERSECTION BETWEEN

WEARABLE TECHNOLOGY AND GAMES.

HE'S WEARING A POWER PACK
THAT LIGHTS UP AS HE

COLLECTS POWER.
AND THEN WHEN WE HOLD HANDS,

THE POWER GETS DISTRIBUTED
FROM THE POWER PACK TO THE

GAUNTLET, AND THAT IS THE ONLY
WAY THE PLAYER IS ABLE TO

SHOOT, AND THEN WE PLAY THIS
IN THIS LARGE DOME HERE.

>> IN DECADES OF GAME
DEVELOPMENT, TECHNOLOGY HAS

LED TO FASTER PROCESSING
SPEEDS, SHARPER GRAPHICS, AND

MORE ELABORATE STORY LINES.
DESPITE RECENT INDUSTRY

LAYOFFS, THOSE ADVANCES HAVE
CREATED A LARGER POOL OF

PROGRAMMERS AND PRODUCTS.
>> SO AT FIRST COMPUTERS HAD A

LOT OF CONSTRAINTS.
THEY DIDN'T HAVE SO MUCH

MEMORY.
THEY WERE SLOW, BUT NOW THEY

ARE REALLY FAST.
WE HAVE ALL KINDS OF SENSORS.

SO THERE'S NO REASON THE
COMPUTER CAN'T COME A LOT

FURTHER TO YOU AND INTERACT
WITH YOU THE WAY THAT YOU'RE

COMFORTABLE, RIGHT?
READ YOUR BODY LANGUAGE,

UNDERSTAND YOUR FACIAL
EXPRESSIONS, BE A LITTLE

SENSITIVE TO WHEN IS THE RIGHT
TIME TO INTERRUPT AND THAT

SORT OF THING.
>> IT USED TO BE THAT MAKING A

GAME WAS ACTUALLY A VERY
TECHNICALLY DIFFICULT THING.

SO OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF
YEARS, THE TOOLS HAVE GOTTEN

SO MUCH BETTER TO THE POINT
WHERE PRETTY MUCH ANYBODY CAN

SIT DOWN AND MAKE A GAME IF
THEY WANT TO.

>> AN INDIE MOVEMENT HAS
EMERGED IN GAMING, OFFERING AN

ALTERNATIVE TO BIG BUDGETS AND
BRAND NAMES AND MAKING ROOM

FOR LESSER KNOWN PROGRAMMERS
TO BREAK IN.

BUT DESPITE EVOLVING
TECHNOLOGY AT A GAME CREATOR'S

DISPOSAL, FACULTY AND THE LAB
WARN STUDENTS NOT TO

OVERCOMPLICATE THEIR GAMES.
>> I THINK THIS IS A GENERAL

TREND WITH TECHNOLOGY.
AS IT BECOMES SMALLER AND MORE

CAPABLE OF DOING THINGS, HOW
CAN WE USE THIS REALLY

AFFORDABLE SENSOR TO MAKE,
YOU KNOW, THIS GAME, OR RATHER,

THIS IS THE GAME IDEA AND THIS
IS HOW WE CAN USE TECHNOLOGY

TO ENHANCE THE IDEA.
>> THERE'S STILL A LOT TO BE

LEARNED FROM THE SMALLER GEMS
THAT WE HAD BY NECESSITY

30 YEARS AGO WHEN TECHNOLOGY
WASN'T THERE YET.

WELL, NOW WE HAVE ALL 3D
GRAPHICS AND BIG CONTROLLERS

AND EVERYTHING, AND EVERYONE
ALWAYS WANTS TO PUSH THAT,

AND THAT'S GREAT, AND I'M HAPPY
THAT THAT'S HAPPENING, BUT I

THINK THERE'S A LOT OF SPACE
UNDERNEATH THAT CURVE THAT

HASN'T BEEN FULLY
EXPLORED YET.

>> MORE THAN HALF OF ALL U.S.
HOUSEHOLDS OWN AT LEAST ONE

GAME CONSOLE.