Product Pipeline

If you haven't noticed an increase in the popularity of video games, you soon will. While many cell phones sold in the United States now play some type of primitive game (even if it's just solitaire or blackjack), we're about to see a whole new level of integration that emulates the capabilities of full video game consoles. Why? Because video games are now a $9 billion a year industry, more than the total number of ticket sales at movie theaters last year (which was a particularly good year for box office receipts).

When you think about gamers, you probably think of couch potatoes, or teenage boys glued to a television. But that stereotype no longer holds. Recent studies give the average age of video game players as 29. More households own game consoles than DVD players. And as for gender, women over the age of 18 account for 26 percent of the market.

Numbers are only going to increase as a new wave of devices make gaming even more mobile. Beginning this fall, Nokia will launch the N-Gage, a hybrid device that looks somewhat like a Nintendo GameBoy but also functions as a cell phone that plays music (an FM radio tuner and MP3s) and connects to GSM/GPRS networks for high-speed Internet access. In addition, it includes a built-in speakerphone, voice dialing, and an MMC expansion slot for more memory. The Internet access lets you read email, surf the web, or instant message. All of this comes in a lightweight device that weighs less than five ounces.

The real draw, beyond the kitchen sink approach, is the device's gaming abilities. The support for wireless Internet connections combines with short-range Bluetooth provision that lets devices within 30 feet play against each other. This means multiplayer gaming can now take place almost anywhere (including in the library!). Enthusiasts also like the N-Gage's sharp, active-matrix, high-resolution screen. It will launch with several high-profile game cartridges (Tomb Raider, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, Sonic, and Super Monkey Ball, among others). Nokia believes in the future of mobile gaming so much that it just purchased Sega, the company that used to make the Dreamcast console and still makes gaming software.

However, skeptics point out that this first-generation version lacks a dedicated graphics coprocessor, which may mean poor performance while playing the games. There are also reports that inserting and removing cartridges is awkward. The price point may be too high for casual gamers ($299 for the device itself, $30–$40 for each cartridge), and the setup may make it uncomfortable to use as a cell phone (holding the screen and buttons against your face). It will be interesting to see if the U.S. video game/cell phone market is ready for this type of device.

Sony already dominates the game console market with its PlayStation 2 platform, which far outsells Microsoft's X-Box and Nintendo's GameCube, but the company wants to extend its reach even further. It has developed the EyeToy, a camera that plugs into a USB port on the PlayStation 2 and sits on top of the TV. The camera points at the player and uses motion-tracking technology to insert you into the game itself and lets you control the action simply by moving. You literally watch yourself in the game on TV in a sort of Willy Wonka fantasy, and Sony even advertises it using the slogan "you don't need a controller–YOU are the controller." And, of course, the EyeToy doesn't just do video games. It also lets you record up to 60 seconds of video onto a PS2 memory card as a message that can be played back by or for friends and family.

The EyeToy will come bundled with 12 minigames specially designed for use with the device, including Keep Ups (where you have to keep balls up in the air), Boxing Chump, and Boogie Down (which is somewhat similar to the popular Dance Revolution arcade game). However, as games incorporate this type of functionality into existing titles, gamers are hoping that such favorites as Tony Hawk's Pro Skater will let them customize the virtual skaters with their own faces. In the world of sports games, you might even be able to flash signals at the pitcher or a runner while playing baseball.

On the flip side, Nintendo dominates the handheld game console market with its GameBoy series, but Sony wants to make inroads here, too. Sega failed to get a foothold in the market several years ago, but Sony thinks it can succeed using PlayStation as a launch point. The company recently announced the PlayStation Portable, the "Walkman of the 21st century," due late next year. The PSP will use small optical discs (think DVDs that are half the size) that pack 1.8 Gigabytes of data for original games. But it will also play current PlayStation 1 discs. It will integrate wireless 802.11 connectivity for multiplayer gaming as well as support for AAC and MP3 music formats.

Even if the N-Gage and PSP aren't all they're cracked up to be, other companies are taking baby steps in this direction. Sprint PCS recently launched a Game Pad for Samsung A600 cell phones. The A600 phone docks into the Game Pad to re-create a GameBoy-like experience by using the phone's screen and the buttons on the pad as one. The multifunctionality here includes the ability to recharge the phone via the Game Pad and web surfing via the phone's Internet access. Slide the cell phone out and you're ready to head back into a business meeting.

The most interesting aspect of the gaming explosion is the potential use of video games by educators and librarians. In Japan (which is about 18 months ahead of the United States in usage of mobile devices), cell phones already run PlayStation 1–quality games. One helps children improve pronunciation by having them talk into the phone's microphone and comparing it to standard samples. David Moore (Oxford Univ.) has developed Phonomena, a game that helps children distinguish between pairs of phonemes.

While educational video games are nothing new, cell phones can make them even more mainstream, especially for families that can't afford computers and Internet access. In fact, in European Union countries, the m-learning project is investigating and developing ways to teach basic literacy and numeracy skills to at-risk youth.

This begs the question of how, if at all, libraries can support such educational efforts. While m-learning tries to reach kids who are already avoiding libraries, are there other ways we can support academic programs that incorporate games and help teach information literacy as well? The challenge is to teach a generation that carries cell phones as naturally as we carry house keys to think of the library as the number one source of information

The products discussed above will embed video games even further into our culture. If nothing else, gaming will drive the wireless and handheld market and will make mobile devices even more ubiquitous in our patrons' daily lives. Librarians need to start thinking about how to meet the information needs of their patrons via these wireless devices.