>>> 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.