Virtual realities Session Summary The co-moderator of the session Gregory Blatt from Hubert Burda Media started off by giving a brief update on the gaming industry. Blatt highlighted how games are becoming like Hollywood movies in their sophistication, production and marketing, how game technology is becoming increasingly progressive and how games are not just about story telling but rather entail character creation. According to Blatt "the key social dynamics governing game behavior is interaction". In introducing the audience to the session Blatt reminded participants that the session will also look at virtual realities in a broader perspective. There are many companies in the back-room, which are building game engines and pioneering virtual 3d animation technology and this will inevitably push development in the gaming industry. The first speaker, Victor Shenkar is one of these companies. Shenkar presented a virtual city tour simulation which illustrated the remarkable preciseness of how 3D City models can convey the experience of "being there". Shenkar went on to give examples of how this technology could be used employed for different types of business applications. Sehnakr was also confident that GeoSim will find its way into consumer products namely in the area of entertainment. The other co-moderator, Daniel Van Moll, from NBC Universal's gaming and entertainment German TV channel, GIGA, engaged Shenkar in a discussion on how virtual 3D spaces will crate new forms of human interaction. Shenkar felt that in the area of search for example, information browsing become more compelling, informative and location relevant. Martin Bachmacher from Microsoft Xbox spoke of how gaming has gained a huge momentum within the last years. "Gaming is an amusement not only for hardcore gamers, but more and more from people from all walks of life. The gaming market is in a state of flux - within the coming years the gaming industry will become as significant as the movie and music industry", said Bachmacher. According to Bachmacher, the typical gamer will also change and we will see more older people and women playing games, especially those games which demand "role playing". The moderator asked Bachmacher how Xbox will meet its target of selling double digit million products by the end of this year, to which he responded that Xbox is investing heavily in creating synergies with the Xbox console and online multi player gaming, Xbox live where the growth potential is very high. Bachmacher felt that console, online and desktop gaming will each continue to survive in the coming years, however there will be more cross over between these distribution platforms. The co-moderator asked Jen-Uwe Intat to explain how that while on one hand we are continuously hearing about the growth potential of games in Germany, yet at the same time there is a bit of an image problem. Intat explained that there is sometimes a negative connation surrounding games but people are "starting to realize that gaming is more than about "shooter games" and the industry is quickly becoming respected in the media industry". He urged participants to judge games and their success in the same light same light as Hollywood movies. His company EA, is working on a range of products for all segments of the gaming market including adults, women and even for 3rd age people. When asked about what makes a game successful, Intat stressed that a game needs to be a fascinating medium, atheistically enriching, and the key to getting people hooked is providing an experience. Following a set of introductory remarks by each speaker, the moderators opened up a panel discussion. The panel agreed that in the 80s, games were advertised as "close to reality" and while game graphics improved a lost since then, there is still, there is no "life like" game on the market. The panelists agreed that this will take some time, but with each new games that is brought into the market, there are new technologies which are incorporated such as multi-core processors which will continue to move gaming into multitasking adventures. The group agreed that in 10 years time we may even see technologies that enable immersion, feedback, and sensory perception. The panel also spoke of how game publishers spend much time acquiring movie licenses and how production budgets are continuing to grow. They recognized the importance of brands, like other media products, as a factor of success. But at the end of day, everyone agreed that gaming, like entertainment, is about creating a great story! Last Updated 02. March 2005