Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- Preface
- Part I Introduction
- Part II Media-dependent entertainment
- 3 Movie macroeconomics
- 4 Making and marketing movies
- 5 Financial accounting in movies and television
- 6 Music
- 7 Broadcasting
- 8 Cable
- 9 Publishing
- 10 Toys and games
- Part III Live entertainment
- Part IV Roundup
- Appendix A Sources of information
- Appendix B Major games of chance
- Appendix C Supplementary data
- Glossary
- References
- Index
- References
Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- Preface
- Part I Introduction
- Part II Media-dependent entertainment
- 3 Movie macroeconomics
- 4 Making and marketing movies
- 5 Financial accounting in movies and television
- 6 Music
- 7 Broadcasting
- 8 Cable
- 9 Publishing
- 10 Toys and games
- Part III Live entertainment
- Part IV Roundup
- Appendix A Sources of information
- Appendix B Major games of chance
- Appendix C Supplementary data
- Glossary
- References
- Index
- References
Summary
It’s not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game.
In the age of computers and smartphones, that statement takes on new meanings: Only a few people in the world can beat the best computerized chess-playing machines. And video games cannot ever really be defeated because, no matter how high the score, it is always the human who tires first or makes the fatal error.
This chapter, largely focusing on toys and computerized games, will show how microelectronic-chip technology has enabled game designers to conveniently and inexpensively transform plain television screens into playfields of extraordinary capability. And it will be seen how, from a small kernel, there rapidly evolved a business that is of global scale comparable to that of movies or music and often more vibrant than either.
First, however, important perspective is gained by examining the traditional toy and game sectors.
Not just for kids
Throughout the ages, toys have always reflected the technological capabilities and the cultural traditions of the societies in which they were developed. Early primitive toys found by archaeologists, some going back as far as 5,000 years, were made of clay, wood, or cloth, for example. Evidence of competitive game-playing has been traced back to 2600 BC. And hobbyhorses and toy pets were seen in early Greece.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Entertainment Industry EconomicsA Guide for Financial Analysis, pp. 410 - 434Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2014
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