E3 2014 CELEBRATES VIDEO GAME INDUSTRY, SETS VIEWERSHIP AND SOCIAL MEDIA RECORDS

In June, the video game industry’s top talent packed the Los Angeles Convention Center for E3 2014, the world's premiere trade show for computer and video games and related products.

More than 48,000 industry professionals, analysts, journalists, and retailers from more than 100 countries attended, and approximately 200 exhibitors showcased the latest in computer and video game hardware and software. The industry’s biggest companies joined up-and-coming indie studios, colleges, and other exhibitors to unveil the newest titles and products in computer and video games.

This year’s event marked the most engaging E3 in history. E3 2014 shattered previous social media numbers across all channels, recording more than two million posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram combined. Additionally, more than 100 unique E3-related topics appeared on Twitter’s trending list in the U.S. and worldwide.

For the first time, E3 was streamed officially online through Twitch, the video platform and community that enables gamers to broadcast and watch live game play from anywhere in the world. Twitch set site-wide viewership records with nearly six million unique viewers watching Monday's press conferences and a total of 12 million unique viewers watching throughout the week.

The show also featured the return of the E3 College Game Competition, an annual competition offered by ESA that challenges teams of students enrolled in collegiate video game programs to submit one playable game, along with story details and content assets, to be judged by a panel of game industry veterans and media professionals. For the second year in a row, the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) took home the top prize for Prisma, a multi-dimensional, side-scrolling platformer. SCAD’s winning entry and other finalists were prominently displayed at E3 next to the industry’s leading publishers and developers.

Meet the designers behind the E3 College Game Competition's games, and watch the award ceremony featuring ESA CEO Michael D. Gallagher.

E3 also featured the fifth annual “Games and Learning Roundtable,” a workshop about how public and private institutions can use games to improve education. Education experts, government officials, teachers, and industry representatives explored effective methods for harnessing video games to transform education.

E3 2014 highlighted the continuous growth and vitality of video games. ESA plans to build on this year’s accomplishments for next year’s show, to be held June 16-18, 2015 in Los Angeles. To see highlights of the show, visit: www.e3insider.com. 

PLAYERS ARE MORE SOCIAL, EDUCATED THAN NON-PLAYERS

A new report commissioned by Twitch reveals that game players are more educated, optimistic, family oriented, and social than non-game players.

To see the full report, visit: http://bit.ly/1nYoFk2.

Conducted by LifeCourse Associates, the study found that 43 percent of players surveyed hold a college degree or higher, versus 36 percent for non-players. In addition, 42 percent of players are employed full-time, compared to 39 percent of non-players. Gamers are also more confident about their abilities and prospects for future success, and are upbeat about their career aspirations. Sixty-seven percent of players say they feel “very positive” or “positive” about their futures, while only 42 percent of non-players feel the same.

The survey’s findings show that video game players are social and care about the impact they have on their community. The overwhelming majority of players (82 percent) agree that spending time with their family is a top priority, compared to 68 percent of non-players. Further, 76 percent of players agree that “having a positive impact on society,” is important, compared to 55 percent of non-players. The survey also underscores video games’ ubiquity; approximately 63 percent of respondents say they have played video games on a console, computer, or mobile device in the past 60 days.

“Millennials are putting gaming firmly at the center of their entertainment preferences,” said Neil Howe, president of LifeCourse Associates and a leading researcher on millennials, “but it is a new kind of gaming that is more social, interactive and engaging.”

LifeCourse Associates surveyed more than 1,000 people between the ages of 13 and 64 about their game playing habits and social and emotional behaviors. The findings echo results from academic reports and research that show video games can play an important role in enhancing players’ social and emotional well-being, and educational and workforce success. To see the full report, visit: http://bit.ly/1nYoFk2.

VIDEO GAMES HELP TEACHERS REACH UNDERPERFORMING STUDENTS

The majority of American teachers integrate digital games into their classrooms on a regular basis, according to a new study by the Games and Learning Publishing Council.

The study underscores the potential for entertainment software to engage students, particularly those that struggle in the classroom. Nearly half (47 percent) of teachers surveyed report that low-performing students benefit from educational video game programs, with 55 percent of respondents attributing this success to games’ motivational qualities. More than a quarter of teachers (28 percent) report that students with emotional and behavioral issues have displayed improved comprehension and classroom performance by playing educational games.

The study shows the diversity of interactive platforms that teachers can leverage to enhance curriculum. More than two-thirds of teachers (72 percent) say they use Mac or PC computers in the classroom, while 40 percent use tablets and interactive whiteboards. Nearly 70 percent of teachers not using tablets plan to do so within the next two years, highlighting the expanding access to devices that enhance curriculum.

The report highlights some of the challenges that teachers face in integrating digital games in the classroom. Survey respondents cite insufficient time, prohibitive cost, and lack of technical resources as three important obstacles to incorporating educational video games into instruction. However, the report notes that “very few teachers cited opposition to the use of games from administrators (14 percent) or parents (9 percent),” signaling the readiness of parents and administrators to embrace video games as an educational tool.

Digital games play an important role in today’s classroom, offering teachers a new way to reach struggling or unmotivated students. To read the full report, click here.