Up-and-coming video game developers share their dream jobs

Video games have already grown bigger than a couple of other entertainment industries combined.
Students at the nonprofit Gameheads in Oakland, California spent the summer developing new video games. The group behind one called Project: Black Cat pushed the limits when it comes to making an online multiplayer game. Pictured here, from left to right: Trevor Cardoza, Jude Herbert, Matt Zhang, Melissa Romo Martinez, Jordon Dabney and Ryan Ramos.
Kelly Silvera/Marketplace

How video game training can boost employee performance

A recent study by Harvard and Columbia universities finds "gamified" training can lead to better business outcomes.
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The video game business is hoping streaming games from the cloud will attract new players

Oct 13, 2023
A $15-a-month subscription may be more attractive than dropping $500 on a console.
Cloud gaming sales hit about $5 billion last year, compared to about $35 billion for console games.
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Chinese animation house puts AI capabilities to the test

Aug 21, 2023
Base Media and iQiyi see potential for a creative edge in a competitive market. But U.S. clients worry about copyright infringement.
A screenshot of an animation after AI tools were applied. The brick wall and background are generated by AI.
Courtesy Base Media/iQiyi Wonderworks

What video games can teach us about economic decision-making

Jul 24, 2023
Researchers use some video games to learn about spending behavior and how players respond to economic crises.
A screenshot of EverQuest II. Dmitri Williams, a professor at the University of Southern California, said he uses that title and other video games to study real-world behavior.
Courtesy EverQuest II

Tomorrow's tech disruptors learn how to raise their game

Jul 17, 2023
The video game industry has a diversity problem. This Bay Area mentorship program has solutions.
"Marketplace Morning Report" host David Brancaccio speaks with mentees at Gameheads. The program aims to give students in the Bay Area the skills, connections and confidence to break into the tech industry.
Kelly Silvera/Marketplace

Older gamers say the industry doesn't design with them in mind

Jul 6, 2023
A quarter of video gamers in the U.S. are over 50, according to the AARP.
Some gaming companies think the 50 and up age group is only interested in brain health games, but narrative games are actually quite popular with older adults, according to one researcher.
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For public good, not for profit.

This video game teaches players about gentrification

Jul 3, 2023
At the Oakland-based nonprofit Gameheads, people go from playing video games to making them, drawing from lived experience.
From left to right, Rogelio Lara, co-creator of the "Here's Your Change" video game, chats with "Marketplace Morning Report" host David Brancaccio.
Kelly Silvera/Marketplace

As recreation makes a comeback, a local arcade celebrates surviving the pandemic

May 15, 2023
"You go out there right now in our store and there's a community," said Jamie York, owner of Game Underground.
Jamie York says Game Underground was quiet during the pandemic — but quiet isn't good in his business.
Sarah Leeson/Marketplace

A UK regulator has blocked the Microsoft-Activision merger. But don't blame it on Brexit.

Apr 26, 2023
Some experts say the decision is rooted in the U.K.'s efforts to develop its own tech industry.
The United Kingdom’s Competition and Markets Authority said a merger of Microsoft and Activision Blizzard would hamper innovation and reduce choice for gamers.
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