Online Games Dominate Beijing Startonomics

Frank Yu, Gamasutra’s China game analyst and COO of Shouji, rocked the house in Beijing today as he gave an overview of the China games industry to attendees of Startonomics Beijing. China’s game industry is 10 years old and is dominated by the PC market – anything with a keyboard is popular.

Though there are many differences between the US and China games market, the one that stands out most is China’s ability to massively monetize games. Tencent, a leading Chinese web portal, social network and game developer, famously announced revenue of over $1 billion earlier this year, much of it coming from their avatar service.

From a cultural perspective, China’s “One Child” policy greatly impacts the way the Chinese interact with games. People play games in China because they are lonely and games offer an easy and relatively cheap escape into a highly active fantasy world. Games are much more than a form of entertainment. Aditionally, in China, games are made with a strong focus on audience behavior, so much so that there are a lot of games in China made for one-handed play — so people can smoke while playing!

View Frank’s presentation below.

Computer Games Major Now Offered at Universities

Original Post: May 27, 2009

College students no longer have to choose between playing video games and doing homework.  Now they can play video games and study at the same time!  George Mason University, the University of Florida and Carnegie Mellon have all started offering programs in computer game design.  The programs are created to train students in a curriculum that melds the left and right brain with classes in computer sciences as well visual and digital arts. 

The creation of a computer games major speaks directly to the growing games industry that is increasingly about more than just fun.  In addition to console, mobile, and casual online games, there is a high demand for games in non-entertainment areas such as business management, medical and military training, education, and work-force training, to name only a few areas.

Girls in Tech recognizes the huge opportunity in the growth of games and we are kicking off our first games industry event this Thursday.  Join us at the San Francisco office of ngmoco as Girls in Tech Presents: The World of Casual and Social Games.  We have an amazing lineup of panelists from among the top players in the industry — Zynga, SGN, Mochi Media, and Super Rewards. 

Space is limited, so sign up before tickets are sold out!  You can register here.

Event details:
Thursday, May 28, 2009
6:30pm Networking & wine
7:00pm Panel start
Location: ngmoco:) Office — 118 King St. 4th Floor, San Francisco, CA