Delivered to the ACUI on April 2007. "Using Video Games to Promote Positive Social Interaction on Campus" (PDF). Gaming Technology. Savage Geckos LLC. Retrieved 2009-07-31

1. Play is older than civilization.
Johan Huizinga
©2007 Savage Geckos

2. Cultural and Market Shift
“...If you're over 35, chances are you
view video games as, at best, an
occasional distraction... If you’re
under 35, games are a major
entertainment and a part of life. In that
sense, they are similar to what rock „n‟
roll meant to boomers.”
– USA Today, by Kevin Maney, November 17, 2004
©2007 Savage Geckos

3. A Brief History of Games on Campus
Popular Game Campus Presence
Characteristics
1960 Mechanical arcade games Coin-op game rooms in student center
Too expensive and bulky for provide a focal point for social
personal use interaction and community
1970  Mechanical and electronic Coin-op game rooms in student center
arcade games provide a focal point for social
1980  Still expensive and bulky interaction and community
1990
 Mass marketed PCs and Coin-op game popularity wanes as
2000 consoles students stay home and play on more
 Personal systems at home sophisticated personal systems.
 Increasing realism and multi-
Despite the integration of games into
player networking cultural fabric, campus social
interaction and community
 Cultural and market shift
opportunities are lost
©2007 Savage Geckos

4. Which Leads Us to…
Today and Beyond:
How to leverage the technology and
cultural attributes of modern video
games to re-create a focal point for
social interaction and community on
campus?
Or more practically:
What do we do with the old game rooms that are under used?
©2007 Savage Geckos

5. Game Center Industry
 US: Over 650 Game Centers
 CHINA: 90% of World Game Centers
 Largest in the World: 1777 PCs
 Growing Worldwide Industry
©2007 Savage Geckos

6. Myth vs. Truth
 Myth: Video Games  Truth: “the
are Bad For You. complexity of
modern … video
games makes
today's media
consumer sharper
than those of 30
years ago.
-Steven Johnson
Everything Bad is Good For You
©2007 Savage Geckos

7. Myth vs. Truth
 Myth: Video Games lead  Truth: “According to federal
to youth violence. crime statistics, the rate of
juvenile violent crime in the
United States is at a 30-year
low.
Researchers find that people
serving time for violent
crimes typically consume
less media before
committing their crimes than
the average person in the
general population. “
http://www.pbs.org/kcts/videogamerevolution/impact/myths.html
©2007 Savage Geckos

8. Myth vs. Truth
 Myth: Gamers are young  Truth: “Forty-three
white men percent of all game
players are women. In
fact, women over the
age of 18 represent a
greater portion of the
game-playing
population (28 percent)
than boys from ages 6
to 17 (21 percent).”
-The ESA
©2007 Savage Geckos

9. Myth vs. Truth
 Myth: Gamers are anti-social  Truth: “Students cited gaming
as a way to spend more time
with friends.”
-Pew Internet and American Life Survey, Let
The Games Begin
 “What we saw was that gaming
is a very social activity. There
might be one person at the
controls, but there are five or
six people looking at the
screen, talking and giving
advice…?
-USA Today
©2007 Savage Geckos

10. Who is Playing?
 57% male
 43% female
 Over 18: 28%
 Males 6-17: 21%
 70% of College
Students
(Pew Internet Survey)
©2007 Savage Geckos

11. A focal point for social interaction
and diverse community on campus:
Gaming Center
brings
diverse community
EMU’s Population
African Savage Geckos
©2007 Asian Latino Native American White International

12. How They Play
Free time spent
w/ sports, reading,
volunteering,
religion, and
creative
endeavors is still
3x the 6.8 hrs.
spent on gaming
©2007 Savage Geckos

13. Types of Systems
PCs Consoles
Xbox 360
Xbox
PlayStation 3
PlayStation 2
GameCube
Nintendo Wii
Sony PSP
Nintendo DS
Game Boy
Advance
©2007 Savage Geckos

14. A State-of-the-Art Gaming Center
An ever-changing mix:
Variety of Networked
and Online
Consoles and PCs
Enhanced Environment
– large screens,
projectors
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15. A State-of-the-Art Gaming Center
An ever-changing mix:
©2007 Savage Geckos
PC Gaming

16. A State-of-the-Art Gaming Center
An ever-changing mix:
Guitar Hero and Networked Gaming Systems
©2007 Savage Geckos

17. A State-of-the-Art Gaming Center
An ever-changing mix:
Dance Dance Revolution (DDR)
©2007 Savage Geckos

18. A State-of-the-Art Gaming Center
An ever-changing mix:
Pool Tables Air Hockey Arcade Games
©2007 Savage Geckos

19. A State-of-the-Art Gaming Center
An ever-changing mix:
Tournaments:
Intramural
Rivalries
©2007 Savage Geckos

20. A State-of-the-Art Gaming Center
An ever-changing mix:
Retail
Counter:
Products;
Buy, Sell,
Trade
Video
Games
©2007 Savage Geckos

21. A State-of-the-Art Gaming Center
An ever-changing mix:
Social Aspects
Building
Community
©2007 Savage Geckos

22. CyGamZ
You can learn more about a
[person] in an hour of play, than
in a year of conversation. PLATO
©2007 Savage Geckos

23. Student Quotes
 “This is my home
away from home!”
 “I love it here”
©2007 Savage Geckos

24. Student Quotes
 “It’s like hanging out
in my basement with
my friends.”
 “Its great when a
group shows up
and we connect.”
©2007 Savage Geckos

25. Student Quotes
 “The DDR machine
is awesome!”
 “Ibought a semester
pass, it’s awesome!”
©2007 Savage Geckos

26. From the Blogs…
©2007 Savage Geckos

27. Operational Issues
 Mature, Inappropriate Content
 Keeping Game Inventory Current
 Preventing
Loss/Theft
 Outside
Competition
©2007 Savage Geckos

28. Operational Issues
 Licensing
 Pay for Play vs. Service Model
 Competitions, money and sponsors
 Keeping the Atmosphere “Hip”
©2007 Savage Geckos

29. New
Trends
 Increasing Expectations of the
Millennial Generation
 Multimedia, Interactive Gaming
Centers
©2007 Savage Geckos

30. New Trends
 Wireless Gaming from
Everywhere with On-Campus
Gaming Servers
 Intercollegiate Tournaments
©2007 Savage Geckos

31. New Trends
 Revenue-
Generating
Sponsors
 Evolving
CyGamZ Technology
©2007 Savage Geckos