Don't forget the fact that video games phenomenon is alive and it changes
continuously, so this scheme will probably
need to be adapted in a brief period of time.
Let's talk on each dimension separately in clockwise order.
Video games are just another consumable product in the entertainment industry,
they are meant to be consumed and later replaced by new games.
Each game's lifespan, which is the amount of time each player spends on it,
is relative to each video game.
We want games to be long enough to make their players like and
enjoy them.
But they must also be limited in aim to force the purchase of new games
and sequels.
New business models based on micro-payments try to prolongate the
game's life so that the player keeps paying over time.
A common phenomenon is most of the developing enterprises
launch games with a few innovations and
novelties just to make the brand active and keep their loyal audience.
Obviously video games are made to earn money, video games
industry follows the model of the other entertainment industries.
They want to maximize benefits.
Due to the big existent rivalry, many products
get their content influenced so that they are more worthwhile.
It's the case of sages with many sequels we said before or very limited video
games which offer a lot of additional purchasable content.
Also little important companies want to risk their money
on innovation, it's more worth for them being conservative.
This makes games quite similar in history and playability,
despite their different aesthetics.
Independent developers seem to have opened a path
different to the traditional,
as many of them offer products a bit more personal and risky
with a bigger quality compromise towards the final user, and without the pressure of having to
sell millions of products like a super production or an AAA game has.
However, due to the high maintenance cost of a video games
studio, many independent studios end up being purchased by
publishers with great impact in the industry.
Another dimension we must take into account is entertainment,
as video games are just another way of entertainment.
Culturally, they already have a status of way of fun at the same level as
other ones inside leisure, such as cinema or TV.
As we have seen during video games history,
for a long time video games have been considered games for kids,
but this is changing, especially thanks to the visual detail level.
We must take into account that fun is subjective,
some games will amuse you and bore someone else, and there is people who looks for fun
in a video game's playability and some others look for it in the aesthetics or in the history,
to set some examples.
A current trend is promoting games which require teamplay,
to create a more social fun.
Another interesting dimension to take into account is the one of
video games as an artistic discipline.
Video games require many artistic disciplines, basically they
are based in audiovisual language which can be found in cinema and TV.
Like in these arts, visual and auditive environment in video games
represent a work with a deep artistic value.
The trend during last years is looking for hyper-realistic graphics
and use them as an argument to attract the player.
