When it comes to
Information Technology, the future is the one variable that most people can’t
predict. For example, no one knew how big Netflix was really going to become.
The same applies for video games. No one really captivated how, during the dawn of
gaming (80’s and 90’s), big this industry would become. When I mean big,
I mean profits. The amount of money the video game industry generates year
after year is mind boggling. Now, the industry is set for another big change
with the introduction of Google Stadia. In the article “Google’s Stadia looks like an early beta of the future of gaming”, Tom
Warren (The Verge) goes into detail and speculates about the future of this
industry.
For those of you who don’t know, Google Stadia is Google’s attempt at
pure, cloud-based gaming. Think Netflix for video games. The games themselves,
instead of having to download them or go to your nearest GameStop to buy them,
would be available to play at the click of a button. Google’s many data centers
would store and run these applications, so you would only need a stable
internet connection to play. On paper, this idea sounds brilliant. Netflix is
already so popular, why not do the same for gaming? Yet, there isn’t a whole
lot of information available about Stadia, and the information which is
available just brings about a whole lot of skepticism, even from someone like
me who is an optimist about the future.
Cloud-based anything relies heavily
on an internet connection. As the author states, “Google’s Stadia service is
also entirely cloud-based, which means no offline play. While you might
typically sync a few Netflix shows to your phone or tablet because you know
your LTE connectivity sucks, you’ll need a constant connection to Stadia to
play games on the go.” Maybe you just want to play a single-player game. With a
console, you could easily do that without internet. If you have no internet or a
bad connection, Stadia is not for you.
Also, how would the developers get
paid? Would Google give them a percentage of the subscription fees? Would Google
give a bonus to those games which are being played more? I’m not a developer,
but from an economic aspect, it is worrying. The way it seems, a good game won’t
have an economic advantage over a bad game because the developers of each will
be getting an exact cut of the profits generate from the subscriptions. Yet, no
one knows if Google Stadia is going to be subscription-based. I’m just
providing examples based on the assumption that that is the payment model Google
will utilize.
Overall, I can see that
this is a more-than-likely future of the video game industry. Sony, Microsoft,
and Amazon are already in on it, so why not Google?Source:
https://www.theverge.com/2019/3/20/18273977/google-stadia-cloud-game-streaming-service-report
8 comments:
This takes me back to playing online games on websites such as addictinggames.com or miniclip.com, yet these games are much simpler than those that Google Stadia would provide based on your blog. It would be interesting to see this idea come into full bloom and I think I can speak for the majority in saying that people would be all over Google Stadia were it to actually happen. Downloading games can take up a lot of space and from personal experience I know that sometimes you have to sacrifice one downloaded game to get another. I am not the biggest gamer, but I feel that this new technology would attract people like myself because it would be easy to access games. Regarding the fact that Stadia would be cloud based, meaning only online play, I believe this would push certain people away. To speak for myself I have mostly been interested in online play and I feel there are a lot of people that feel the same. Whenever I got a game, I would go straight to online multiplayer instead of playing the story mode. Sure the story mode is fun and all, but for those who are like me, you want to be the best at the game in terms of multiplayer, so there is no time to waste when a new game comes out. Although this is a great idea I think that having to subscribe would push customers away. Nowadays people already have subscriptions for Xbox Live, PS network, or others so subscribing to another service could be a problem unless Google Stadia blew these gaming systems/networks out of the water causing people to switch over. There is no way to tell how well it would do until it actually comes out if it does. Yet again the Xbox 360 came out after the first PlayStation and it is more profitable, so there is a chance that Google Stadia could really capture the public’s attention.
I was interested in this article on Stadia and the idea of cloud-based gaming in the future. I enjoy video games and the fact that downloading or updating console games such as on PS4 and Xbox, depending on your connection speed can take hours to complete is a bit of a hassle. I do think that the cloud-based gaming is in the future, I think it would take some time to before it competes with the current console and PC based gaming. I think this would work better for the more casual gamers at first and more single player games since they don’t require as good of connection to play. I think there is a lot of appeal, especially to the casual gamers of the convenience of being able to play any game on demand without having to download it. Like Netflix, streaming can come with disadvantages such as lower quality definition especially with below average internet connection. With limited detail about Stadia, this does bring up the question of licensing and how the publishers will be paid. Will it be subscription based and what type of games will be available to play on Stadia? The main issue for Stadia is problems with game quality or lag with the streaming of games. Eventually once a lot of testing is done and there are no big issues with game quality, many gamers will likely make the switch to streaming games.
The idea of Google Stadia is very interesting to me, having played many video games for a majority of my life. It seems like the idea is still in the works and perhaps that is why there is a lack of details on the whole thing. I think it would be a great product though, knowing how long and expensive it can be to download multiple games that I would like to play. The ability to simply log onto a cloud-based gaming product and choose from a variety of games to play with my friends would make things much simpler. It would also make it much easier to try out new games, without the risk of buying it and then not enjoying it at all once you begin playing it. As you pointed out though, the need for internet connection might make this less appealing to those who prefer to play offline by themselves. For others like myself though who mainly play online with others, it seems like a much more efficient way to play games. As for the issues of paying developers for their games, I imagine Google could work out subscriptions to pay them, or maybe they could pay a large amount to the developers up front to purchase the software for Stadia. There is of course still the issue of varying the payments based on whether the game is actually popular or not. I can definitely see how this would be worrying to developers who would like to earn their fair share for a game they created if it ends up blowing up, and Google will most likely have to come up with a complex idea for how to pay developers or purchase their games from them. Overall though, a google cloud-based gaming network is something I would like to see and use in the future.
Google Stadia seems like an idea that could easily generate a lot of revenue. Having access to multiple video games online like a Netflix account is a very enticing idea. Most people who play video games play multiple games. Once won, the game becomes virtually worthless. Also new games come out frequently so users are consistently paying for new games. This kind of program would be beneficial to gamers as they wouldn't have to keep buying individual games. Google also has features on some of its other apps that allow for automatic saving. This feature, if applied to Google Stadia, could be beneficial as gamers wouldn't have to worry about their game data being lost if the internet connection is lagging or disconnects. The only draw back that is apparent as of now, early on in. the developing stages, is the reliance on WIFI. Everyone has experienced lag and it certainly unenjoyable. The would especially hinder video gaming as lagging during the game could completely ruin their experience. With this new tech in mind google could also eliminate the need for a gaming console. If the games were entirely online users could play with PC controls rather than game controllers. I think the ability to play multiple games from the same server would be very appealing to frequent gamers.
While I may not be a huge video gamer myself, I find this article relating to Google Stadia to be very interesting. The idea of a video gaming platform which operates similar to Netflix or Spotify through cloud-based programming appears to be a very profitable and creative idea. For the user, not having to repeatedly buy expensive, singular video games would prove useful and economical. In general, I feel that is the business purpose of cloud-based computing: more economical platforms which perform at a faster rate for the user give higher profits than platforms like iTunes. With Google Stadia, users would have multiple video games to choose from, all based on a possible subscription fee, like Spotify. Cloud-based programs are useful to consumers because they often operate at a set subscription price, and allow for all of what you want (video games, music, movies) at once with few barriers to connection. These subscription based platforms also eliminate advertisements, which cause for happier users. When talking over topics similar to these, I find it key to relate my likes and dislikes about these platforms as if I am a surveying user. I also am curious how video game developers would be paid, because if Google Stadia paid developers based on their gaming popularity and no other variables, developers may be hesitant to give the rights to their applications. In regards to WiFi connectivity, I think Google Stadia could be even more useful by allowing users to download games to their profiles for later use without WiFi. This is similar to how Netflix and Spotify work. I have noticed that as a user of both platforms, the ability to use them on-the-go creates a greater demand by users. Also, a cloud-based program works to allow users accessibility on-the-go, and with American's work and education agendas, this would open Google Stadia to include more amounts of users, therefore making the platform more practical.
Daniel made very good points in his post and also asked very interesting questions such as how the developers would be paid and that there may be various problems with a gaming system being heavily reliant upon internet connection. I do agree that this idea can be very risky for Google because if Google entered the gaming industry this would be a diversification for the company because they are not yet in the gaming space as of right now. For google to do something like this can be very risky for the company and may cause much backlash and costly consequences. Also, since this is such a new idea for google there is so many questions and problems that need to be answered in order to be successful.
Just from my knowledge of technology, I do believe that Google could make this new project possible and successful, however there will be a lot of trial and errors to get there. I do not know much about the gaming industry but from what I know the game Fortnite is Internet based and can be played on various technological channels such as gaming consoles and on ones’ laptop or desktop. If Google creates Stadia they can also create access like this for users where users can play their games on console by downloading it so they would not have to rely on internet connection. In addition, the users can also download the same game onto their laptops or desktops and continue the game there. They can also expand by making this service mobile friendly by creating an application that users can purchase on their mobile devices to continue the game there. I do believe that there may be some difficulties by having this system be reliant on internet connection, but I also believe that Google is advanced and knowledgeable to pull this off and make it successful.
Yes, I totally agree that this is more-than-likely future of the video game industry. I believe Google Stadia will follow the same path that Netflix did. Back then when Netflix came out places like Blockbusters were not too worried about them but a couple years passed and Netflix almost completely wiped out the whole company just because you were able to watch movies with a click of a button on Netflix. I feel like when Google Stadia comes out, companies that make xbox, PS4's, and other video games won't think Google is a threat but it can become the next big thing for the video game industry. Apparently there is a PS5 coming out, but I can just see people getting tired of downloading games or going to the store to buy the game like Daniel has informed us in his blog. Referring to the offline game mode, I believe new creations like Google Stadia will have cons to it, but that is when the creators improve their creations over a couple of years to become customers number one choice.
When I was kid I remember playing on my DS and being able to chat with other people within a certain number of feet. I thought this DS was better than a phone, I had everything I needed in a small handheld device. I could only play against others if I was connected to wifi. Fast forward years later, the gaming world has changed rapidly. Video games have taken steps to better graphics and creative ways for the games to never end thus becoming addicting to the younger generation. People can play video games for hours and sometimes days. Google is trying to compete with other gaming programs such as Microsoft and Sony. When I was reading this article, I had the same questions, how is this google stadia going to produce revenue? Who has access to it? Is it free? How does it work?
The people who have access to this online gaming system are the ones who have access to the internet. In the U.S, most people have access to the internet but this is not the case for others in different countries. Most young people tend to forget having internet is a luxury and that some places in the world do not have access to it. The future of the world is moving towards everything being done online, shopping, school and games. This google Stadia is a cloud-based game which means a person must have access to the internet to play on the game. Since this game is cloud-based, the gamer must stay connected to the internet during the time of play for the game to work, which is a lot of data if the gamer chooses to take it on the go. I think Google should change the way they are going to develop Stadia. The cloud-based game should be available for download so the gamer doesn't need to be connected to the internet all the time. When I watch netflix on a car ride, I usually download the show or movie, this will help save me data. Google should have the option to download stadia for people on the go. Having the option to download Google Stadia will give others the ability to use the program.
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