March is Gaming Month here at the WTIA. Our events in the month of March aim to shed some light on the local gaming industry and the gaming industry as a whole. There is a fundamental lack of public knowledge on how prolific the gaming industry is locally. Sure, we get credit for Microsoft and Nintendo, but we are so much more than that. We are home to Valve Software, who developed the STEAM platform, which revolutionized how independent developers can access users. We are also home to Bungie Studios, who is one of the largest independent game developers globally and is the creator of the HALO franchise. More detailed background can be found in a guest blog written by Kristina Hudson here.

These are just a few examples of dynamic gaming institutions that were born right in our own backyard. These two organizations have a common thread: independent developers. The Seattle area has a huge number of independent game developers, who are finding creative and innovative approaches to gaming. It is extremely difficult, in general, for independent game developers to “make it big”. Something that plagues nearly all of these companies is the monumental decision of how to price their games. This could be the make or break of their success. We are excited to explore this topic a little deeper on March 17th, register here.

Another aspect of the gaming industry I have been astounded by is eSports. A staggering 71 million people worldwide watch competitive gaming, and nearly half from the United States alone. An average eSports viewer watches 19 sessions per month, with average length of 2.2 hours.

The eSports world mimics that of the NFL, complete with drafts, contracts, free agency, etc. PC games such as League of Legends and DOTA2 dominate this arena. The total prize “pot” for winning the DOTA2 World Championship, for example, is over $28M! However, console gaming companies such as Xbox, are trying to break into the field and get a slice of the pie. For instance, Xbox designed their newest HALO game specifically around its use in an eSports application. On March 24, we are thrilled to host a panel on eSports, including a professional gamer. Register here.

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