GAMING AND GAME PLAY HAS DOUBLE DIGIT GROWTH April 10th, 2015 – Board games and games in general are witnessing a rapid growth in sales th...
GAMING AND GAME PLAY HAS DOUBLE DIGIT GROWTH April 10th, 2015 – Board games and games in general are witnessing a rapid growth in sales thanks to families and individuals seeking out lower cost forms of entertainment. The amount of students attending classes teaching game development and game creation is at an all-time high. A new non-fiction book titled “Game Creation Manual” (ISBN 9781942825043) published by Mikazuki Publishing House teaches novices and beginners the methods for developing games. Based around the development of board games, online games, role playing games, and card games, the “Game Creation Manual” takes the learner through the basics of level design, system design, user interface design, creating value based interaction systems, and designing randomness. The “Game Creation Manual” is acting as an enabler for the game industry by teaching future game developers and novices about the basics of game development. According to the Toy Industry Association, there was a 10% increase in sales of board games from 2013 to 2014, signaling a positive trend in the growth of game sales. The growth of board game clubs in the United States, with some clubs having hundreds of members, has created both a testing ground and feedback system for startups game publishers and amateur game developers. Despite the stigma of the starving game developer, many have turned to online sources for raising capital for their board games. Sites likes Kickstarter and Indiegogo have contributed greatly to many new board game ideas ultimately materializing. Author of the “Game Creation Manual”, Kambiz Mostofizadeh, said “Creating games is about having knowledge, understanding, and skills in various disciplines including art, engineering, business, and others. The game developer, in order to be effective in their role, must be first be an avid game player. The reason why many board game developers are using board game clubs as their launching pads and sandbox is because the gamers know what works and what doesn’t. Games are about interaction and creating bonding between the players. There is much that can be learned from both playing games and from watching gamers play games and the mental benefits to be gained from this activity are numerous.” The “Game Creation Manual” published by Mikazuki Publishing House is now available at http://www.amazon.com/dp/1942825048. Less
