by Video games have evolved in every direction imaginable. From serving an extremely niche crowd, video games is as big as the movie and the music industry in terms of profits. Every single electronic device, apart from the dedicated gaming consoles, now features the ability to play games. Nowadays, smart TVs and refrigerators allow users to play games on them because it came to a point where these appliances feature a complex operating system such as Android that allows gaming on top of its basic function.
DRM’s Good Side
One may vehemently disagree with this, but DRM continues to stay and proliferate. Game developers and publishers are putting the guise of security and better support. Mainly, DRM are used to stifle piracy, which of course, essentially not true as hackers will always find a way to create a fully running game without the constraints of the DRM.
Currently, the most famous instance where DRM is implemented is with Blizzard’s Diablo III. Since the game features an in-game real money trade auction, it is easy to justify the DRM’s existence. With the DRM, game companies could police the game’s economy in code levels. There is why IT teams are very much needed in today’s gaming landscape.
Post-Purchase
At first, only MMORPGs needed that much after-purchase support since of its persistent online connection. Nowadays, every single gaming platform needs a persistent online system. Microsoft Xbox has a paid subscription for online play with Xbox Live. Sony’s PlayStation console also has online gaming and including a cloud saving feature with its PS Plus program. Achievements are also featured in both platforms, meaning constant sync from the gamer’s device to the entire community is ever present.
Even gaming in smartphones and tablets needs this persistent connection for patches and updates to be readily served. Online leader-boards and multiplayer also use this connection. Yes, gaming has been this complex. Gone are the days of analog gaming when you are only playing within your gaming console, you only use up the resources shipped within the disk or cartridge.
The Rising Demand of Skilled IT Teams
With such design, IT teams are needed to be fast and skillful. The core users of gaming platforms are known to be very vocal and they need their fixes right there and then. With Diablo III’s case, real money is involved and strict and effective security measures are obligations to the part of the game studio.
The video game industry is one of the industries that continue to grow amidst recession. It would only continue to grow and on its current pace, the demand for highly skilled programming people are needed, not just in the game development on itself, but also in the continued support for the post-purchase form of the products.
