Being a part of the gaming industry over the past 2 years has given me some insight into a few facts. I thought I would take some time and just highlight it - just for the heck of it.
Gaming as a job in an industry is probably the most misunderstood, to begin with. Why? It is in the name - gaming. Most people assume that being in the gaming industry is just fun and games. But it is not just that. It is some of that but it is not all that. It is a serious business for a lot of people and even large companies are beginning to see this. The only people who rely on gaming as a business are the game software developers and their distributors. The hardware makers are the ones who understand that gaming is a serious business and making plenty of headway into applying technology to make gaming that much more interesting, yet they will not trust it enough to give gaming it's own space.
I have noticed that hardware manufacturers hide their gaming businesses in the midst of their home entertainment verticals despite the fact that these businesses account for what is possibly their most specific R&D and most expensive products in the IT industry. Examples? Sony Corporation invests a lot of money in Gaming despite posting losses in Q3-2011, and taking a hit in the sales in Consumer Electronics (source: pcmag.com). Microsoft has 2 whole divisions dedicated to the Xbox experience - the Xbox hardware and its related R&D and the Xbox Live division that works on the UI, the delivery of new games online, and the delivery of premium content through their new system! Nintendo, although being one of the first to get INTO gaming (around the same age as Sega), are moving along slowly but bringing in some absolute classic hardware - although their software could do with an over-haul! All they seem to do starts with an M and ends with an Ario ;) - Sega's games too start with S and end with Onic... nothing new in their games; but Nintendo are planning an ace up their sleeve with the Wii-U.
These are companies who kind of focus on gaming but are hiding in plain sight. There are companies that you probably did not know about or know about but were not aware that they love gaming too. Do you know these companies: LG, Samsung, Dell, HP, Asus and MSi. Why do I say this?
All these companies have the know how and resources to invest into gaming hardware that people would trust, and they do invest in making super expensive gaming hardware assembled for optimum efficiency. Why, then, do they not make their presence felt? Why did I need to pry it out of their brains that gaming is part of their system? HP just happened to let slip about their Phoenix range of gaming deskware. LG and Samsung have HUGE budgets for gaming hardware (like monitors, 3D technology, gaming laptops) and are in fact making it a part of their regular products as well - but their marketing does not do much to promote this. Same with Asus and MSi who make the best gaming components out there - everyone knows this. But when it comes to promoting their home grown machines that cost a fraction of what it would cost with an Alienware tag, no one is aware of their capability!
This is something I find weird. Why? As a gamer, who spends a lot of money on games and hardware, I would be most happy to know that there are a LOT more options out there than the ones that actually market themselves! Any gamer is looking for the best value for money proposition out there that would give him/her the chance to improve his/her game without burning a hole in his/her pocket. The solutions are out there with manufacturers investing time, effort and money to make them - but little effort is made to promote them to the right audience.
This can be changed if communication is made to the right audience in the right manner. And it does not cost a lot too :)
Anyway, if anyone wants to make a difference and improve the visibility of the gaming range of products to the right audience, then the simple solutions are out there for everyone to see.
