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CULTIVATING THE VIDEO GAME
INDUSTRY IN THE HOUSTON REGION
PREPARED BY:Karen Snyder, [email protected]
VERSION: May4th, 2017ECONOMIC IMPACT REPORT & STRATEGY PROPOSAL
© 2017 Trans / Seven Studio, LLC. 32
Karen Snyder, MFA818.937.3326
Co-Founder Trans / Seven Studio; Lecturer of Digital Media, University of Houston, Transmedia Producer, Researcher, Designer, Cinematographer, Editor, Marketing Strategist
PROPOSAL REVIEW COMMITTEE
Bellinger, Sean Lead Artist, 6FT
Donatelli, Vincent Founder, YWAH Games
Golbraykh, Maxx Founder, Replayable Games
Jacobs, Bobby Dir. Memberships, Station Houston
Kim, Joowon Co-Founder, OnComfort
Mathews, Dennis Founder, Revelation Interactive
Morales, Phillip Co-Founder, Orb Interactive
Smith, Brandon Founder, Dark Shot Studios
Yun, Dr. Chang University of Houston Research Ass. Prof., Dept. Computer Science.
ADDITIONAL INTERVIEWS
Araya, Ronnie 2D / 3D Artist
Bienz, Jared Developer Evangelist, Microsoft HoloLens
Birdwell, Cody Father of a Game Design Student, President of Houston Sunbelt Communities,
Goodman, Joshua The Art Institute, Student Artist
Harlow, Laura Mom of a Game Student & STEM Professor with University of Houston, College of Education
Hendrix, Larry Creative Director, Fortunate 7
Howard, Sara Director of Marketing, Replayable Games
Longoria, Joseph Lead Developer, Gnob Software
Mitchell, Kyndra The Art Institute, Animation Student
Morita, Aki Senior Software Engineer, Hypnos Entertainment
Muniz, Angel 3D Artist, Microsoft HoloLens
Rigdon, Trish The Art Institute of Houston, Institutional Program Chair of Media Arts
Stiernberg, William Co-founder, Developer, Zeboyd Games
Turkowski, Keith Lead Programmer, Lazy 8 Studios
Works, Tyler Game Designer
ABOUT THE GAME INDUSTRY Industry Review 09
Who Plays Games 11
What Games Are Played 13
Serious Games 15
How a Game is Made 17
Top States for Video Game Production 19
Austin is Winning 21
Austin’s Five Pillars 23
HOUSTON GAME STUDIOSHouston Council Member District Map 27
Houston Studios 28 - 45
Houston Industry Support 46
THE PROBLEM Talent Leaving. Jobs Lost. 48
© 2017 Trans / Seven Studio, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
TRANSMEDIA PRESENTATION
REVIEWthe GamersOfHouston.com
website for additional insights
WATCHthe interviews of 23 Houston game industry members
READ & CLICKthrough the hyperlinked
report
CULTIVATING THE VIDEO GAME
INDUSTRY IN HOUSTONPREPARED BY:
Karen Snyder, [email protected]
ECONOMIC IMPACT REPORT & STRATEGY PROPOSAL
6 SOLUTIONS Acknowledge the Industry 56
Cultivate or Create City Tax Incentive 60
Create a Fund 64
Cultivate & Grow Marketing Events 68
Transform & Extend Education 72
Create a Community Hub 76
THE PATHWAY TO GROWTHPathway to Explosive Growth 82
CONCLUSIONSerious Games Examples 94
Medical Games Rising 98
E-Sports Opportunities 102
VR/AR/Mixed Reality 104
Five Year Goals Recap 106
BIBLIOGRAPHY 112
SPECIAL THANKS:to Houston Council Member,
Mike Knox, for his insights and encouragement to
make this project possible.
© 2017 Trans / Seven Studio, LLC. 54
THE 5 YEAR GOAL
1,900 jobs75 STUDIOS
#1 in Serious Games
$250 million annual revenue
© 2017 Trans / Seven Studio, LLC. 76
Houston, to me, is the powder keg. We have a lot of wealth. We have a lot of industry. We have feeders [universities]. We have a lot of talent—but we’re just looking for that match. Ronnie Araya
2D / 3D artist
“
”
© 2017 Trans / Seven Studio, LLC. 98
The video game industry added $11.7 Billion to the U.S. economy.
The U.S. video game industry directly and indirectly employs 220,000 people.
63% of U.S. households have one person who plays video games regularly.
(ESA, 2017)
VIDEO GAME INDUSTRY SUMMARY
2016 U.S. VIDEO GAME MARKET
$30.4 Bn+2% YoY
($24.5 billion, software alone)
CONSOLEGames played on a
console
PCGames played on a desktop or laptop
computer
MOBILEGames played on a
smartphone
HANDHELDGames played on a tablet or handheld
device
29% 32%
27%
12%
$29.0 Bn+4.5% YoY
CONSOLE$31.9 Bn+2.1% YoY
PC
$27.1 Bn+23.7% YoY
MOBILE$11.6 Bn+6.4% YoY
HANDHELD
Newzoo / Q2 2016
2016 GLOBAL VIDEO GAME MARKET
$99.6 Bn+8.5% YoY
NOTE: VR is mixed in with these four mainsegments
© 2017 Trans / Seven Studio, LLC. 1110
165 MILLION AMERICANS PLAY VIDEO GAMES (1/2 OF THE NATION)
35 YRS & MALETHE “TYPICAL” GAMER
KIDS (6-14 YRS) STEREOTYPICAL TEEN GEEK THE AVERAGE GAMER18 - 25 YRS,
MALE & FEMALEMOBILE FIRST GENERATION
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48% of U.S. households own a dedicated game console
---The average U.S. gamer
spends $74 annually
Men spend more than women in mobile games
---36% of gamers play on their
smartphones
27% of gamers are under 18 years old
---42% of gamers feel video games help them connect
with family
26% of gamers are over 55 years old
---They average 6.5 hrs per
week gaming
THE #1 MOBILE GAMER THE ‘RETIRED’ GAMER
35-54 YRS & FEMALETHE “MOM” GAMER
55+ DOMINATES BROWSER GAMES
The most frequent gamer is a 44 year-old female
---Women 18+ account for 31%
of gamers
© 2017 Trans / Seven Studio, LLC. 1312
WHAT KIND OF GAMES ARE PLAYED
MOBILEgames played
most often
46%
4%
11%
9%
31%
46% Casual / Social Games
31% Persistent Multi-player Universe
9% Other
11% Action, Sports, Strategy, Role-playing
4% Puzzle, Board Game, Game Show, Trivia Card Games
(ESA, 2013; Think Gaming, 2017)
PCgames played
most often
6%36%
30%
9%
19%
36% Strategy
9% Action, Adventure, Family, Racing, Sports, Other
19% Role-playing
30% Casual
6% Shooter
(ESA, 2016)
CONSOLEgames played
most often
13%
12%
23%
28%24%
24% Shooter
23% Action
28% Racing, Fighting, Family, Adventure, Strategy, Other
13% Sports
12% Role-playing
(ESA, 2016)
© 2017 Trans / Seven Studio, LLC. 1514
THE SERIOUS GAME MARKET
HEALTH Video games and apps are being used in
the medical community to:
- Help children with debilitating pain- Help patients understand a diagnosis- Help patients cope with their conditions- Assist in training doctors & staff- Used in research
In 2016, mobile health apps raised a record $1.3 billion. (Fortune, Jan, 2017)
EDUCATION Video games are being used in
education to:
- Assess and evaluate students- Provide language learning- Offer experiential role-playing- Offer location-based learning- Offer early childhood learning
TRAININGVideo games are being used in
corporations to:
- Maximize corporate administrative training- Market a product or service- Simulate a physical training experience - Visually assess and plan using interactive tools
Worldwide revenues for game-based learning products reached $2.6 billion in 2016.
(Ambient Insight, 2016)
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HOW A GAME IS MADEPRE-PRODUCTION DEVELOPMENT POST PRODUCTION RELEASED
DESIGN Design Gameplay Design UI/ UX Cinematic Artists engaged (trailers) Design Additional Levels
Design World and/or Write Script Design Levels
Design System
Design Content
ASSET PRODUCTION Concept Art Created MOCAP Recorded Add Additional Character Art
Characters Designed Video Produced (if FMV title)
Environment Designed Audio Recorded (Voice & SFX/ Music)
3D or 2D Modeling
Texturer 3D Assets
Animate Assets (including particle effects)
Light 3D Assets
PROGRAMMING Network Programming Game Updates
Gameplay Programming Additional Game Porting
UI/Input Programming
AI Programming
Tech/ Porting Programming
Shader Programming
MANAGEMENT Alpha/ Beta Testers Marketing More Marketing
QA Distribution
Focus Groups
The average mobile game is created by a team of 5 PEOPLE
The average console game is created by a team of 100 PEOPLE
© 2017 Trans / Seven Studio, LLC. 1918
STATE CALIFORNIA TEXAS WASHINGTON NEW YORK MASSACHUSETTS FLORIDA ILLINOIS OREGON COLORADO PENNSYLVANIA
EMPLOYEES 63,718 17,878 12,833 4,174 4,174 4,601 4,032 2,359 2,984 2,142
GAME STUDIOS 314 231 86 39 35 31 27 17 17 19
GAME PUBLISHERS 61 9 9 11 1 2 2
ECONOMIC CONTRIBUTION
$2.78 billion $764.9 million $595.2 million $378.5 million $179.6 million $171.5 million $158.6 million $111 million $107.1 million $83.1 million
AVERAGE EMPLOYEE WAGE
$103,071 per year $101,349 per year $99,964 per year $94,924 per year $93,174 per year $91,130 per year $91,130 per year $91,130 per year $87,922 per year $87,922 per year
GROWTH RATE 8.8% annual growth
(2009 - 2012)*. Growth
spread across four cities:
San Diego, Los Angeles,
San Francisco, Santa
Monica
15.93% annual growth
(2009 - 2012)*. Growth
spread across two cities:
Dallas and Austin
7.49% annual growth
(2009 - 2012)*. Growth
spread across three
cities: Seattle, Redmond,
and Bellevue
12.13% annual growth
(2009 - 2012)*. Growth
spread across two cities:
Rochester and NYC
-.57% annual drop
(2009 - 2012)*. Growth
spread across three cit-
ies: Cambridge, Boston,
and Newton
21.55% annual growth
(2009 - 2012). Growth
spread across four cities:
Orlando, Tampa, Gaines-
ville, and Miami
- 3.17% annual drop
(2009 - 2012)*. Growth
spread across three cit-
ies: Chicago, Elk Grove,
and Northbrook
1.56% annual growth
(2009 - 2012). Growth
spread across three
cities: Portland, Eugene,
and Vancouver
N/A: Growth spread
across three cities: Den-
ver, Boulder, and Louis-
ville
25.66% annual growth
(2009 - 2012)
GROWTH SECTOR Studio expansion and
mobile
VR, mobile and free-to-
play
VR and Amazon Games PC, Console, mobile
game studios
PC & Console game
studios
Home state of EA
Sports’ Madden NFL
franchise and mobile
studios
Console & PC game
studios
Mobile game studios Mobile & Educational
game studios
LARGEST STUDIOS Sony Computer Enter-
tainment (San Francis-
co), Electronic Arts (San
Francisco), Wargaming
(San Francisco), Ac-
tivision (Los Angeles),
and Riot Games (Santa
Monica)
Gearbox Software
KingsIsle Entertainment
Portalarium
Cloud Imperium Games
Amazon Game Studios
343 Industries
Monolith Production
ArenaNet
Take-Two Interactive
Rockstar Games
Gameloft
Atari
King
iWin
Turbine
Tilted Mill Entertainment
Muzzy Lane
---
*Closure of Irrational
Games caused the drop in
growth
Trendy Entertainment
Nival Interactive
Artix Entertainment
Day 1 Studios
Namco America
High Voltage Software
NetherRealm Studios
---
*Closure of several studios
caused the drop in growth
Night & Day Studios
Soma Games
Silver Creek Entertain-
ment
Backflip Studios
Riptide Games
Leviathan Games
Schell Games
Broken Crayon Games
Space Whale Studios
STATE TAX INCENTIVE Yes Yes
TEXAS IS THE SECOND LARGEST STATE FOR VIDEO GAME PRODUCTION
Compiled from: Fortune, Feb. 2015
(measured by job numbers)
© 2017 Trans / Seven Studio, LLC. 2120
AUSTIN IS WINNING
AUSTIN
DALLAS
HOUSTON
SOURCE NOTES:- AUSTIN: Biz Journal, Sept 2016: The Austin chapter of the Independent Game Developers Association reports that 44 major gaming development companies and 135 independent stu-dios. The Austin Chamber of Commerce lists 136. - DALLAS: GameDevMap, ESA, and personal research and networking. - HOUSTON: GameDevMap, ESA, and personal research and networking. - Numbers will constantly flux due to mobile developers going in and out of business.
2017 AUSTIN GAME GROWTH “Business is growing because of interest in virtual
reality and augmented reality. That’s the primary thing that’s pushing the growth. It’s kind of fun again.”
Charles Norman, Midnight Studios Inc. CEOSept. 2016, Biz Journal
179 STUDIOS
7 PUBLISHERS
2 PUBLISHERS
42 STUDIOS
1 PUBLISHER
33 STUDIOS
© 2017 Trans / Seven Studio, LLC. 2322
AUSTIN DOMINANCE -- 5 PILLARS OF INDUSTRY SUPPORT
GOVERNMENT
CITY TAX INCENTIVEEconomic Development
provides a city tax incentive for game studios.
PROMOTES CULTURE & CREATES OPPORTUNITIESThe Cultural Arts Division
works to develop gaming in Austin.
EDUCATION INVESTORS STUDIOS CORPORATIONS
ADVANCED GAME DEGREESUniversity of Texas and St. Edward’s University offer game programs that are
holistic in approach (business, technology and digital
creation).
INTERN ADVANTAGEBoth universities boost of the wealth of internships available
in the city.
MULTIPLE FUNDING OPTIONSAustin not only has one of the most active Angel networks in the nation, the city offers
multiple VC firms that support media and game investment.
VR ACCELERATORAs of September 2016, a
downtown accelerator plans to launch a special VR section.
(Biz Journal, 2016)
OVER 170 STUDIOSFrom “AAA” console games to mobile games, the city
offers a wealth of studio sizes and opportunities for digital cultivation across all types of
gameplay.
LOTS OF JOBSAs of September 2016, the
industry supports 5,000 local workers.
(Biz Journal, 2016)
SUPPORTING SERVICESFrom marketing, to technology tools, to software support, the city offers multiple companies and organizations that have
products or services that support the industry.
GAME DEVELOPMENT HUBA development company is
considering creating a hub for game development.
(Biz Journal, 2016)
© 2017 Trans / Seven Studio, LLC. 2524
HOUSTON GAME STUDIOS
© 2017 Trans / Seven Studio, LLC. 2726
HOUSTON GAME STUDIO DISTRICT MAPSTUDIOS ONLINE DISTRICT COUNCIL REP
01: 6FT http://www.6ft.com G Mr. Greg Travis
02: Barkers Crest http://www.barkerscrest.com I Mr. Robert Gallegos
03: BiArt7 http://www.biart7.com A Ms. Brenda Stardig
04: Bouncing Pixel http://www.bouncingpixel.com C Ms. Ellen Cohen
05: Corv Studios http://corvstudios.com At-Large
06: Dark Shot Studios http://darkshotstudios.com A Ms. Brenda Stardig
07: Fortunate 7 Studios http://www.fortunate7.com I Mr. Robert Gallegos
31: Fuel Tech http://fuel.tech G Mr. Greg Travis
08: GNob Software http://www.gnobsoft.com At-Large
09: Ghost Fire Games http://www.ghostfiregames.com C Ms. Ellen Cohen
10: Hygoon http://hygoon.com C Ms. Ellen Cohen
11: Level Up Labs http://www.leveluplabs.com N/A
12: Mind Storm Studios http://mindstormstudios.com A Ms. Brenda Stardig
13: Nexeon http://nexeon.com Stafford
14: OnComfort http://www.oncomfort.com D Mr. Dwight Boykins
15: On the Level Games http://onthelevelgames.com A Ms. Brenda Stardig
16: Orb Interactive http://www.godsofolympus.com G Mr. Greg Travis
17: Piko Interactive http://pikointeractive.com A Ms. Brenda Stardig
33: Project PVC http://www.projectpve.com Friendswood
18: Quest Lord http://www.questlord.com I Mr. Robert Gallegos
19: Random Features http://www.random-features.net G Mr. Greg Travis
20: Rat Loop http://www.ratloop.com G Mr. Greg Travis
21: Replayable Games http://happychess.net G Mr. Greg Travis
22: Revelation Interactive http://www.revelation-interactive.com At-Large
23: Shiny Box Interactive http://shinyboxinteractive.com C Ms. Ellen Cohen
24: Terrific Studios http://terrificstudios.com J Mr. Mike Lester
25: Tiny Lions http://www.tinylions.net C Ms. Ellen Cohen
26: Trans / Seven Studio http://www.TransSevenStudio.com Stafford
32: VisCo http://visco.no Katy
27: Whole Wheat Creative http://wholewheatcreative.net C Ms. Ellen Cohen
28: YWAH Games http://happyfishiesgame.com A Ms. Brenda Stardig
29: Z Games https://www.zgames.com G Mr. Greg Travis
30: Zeboyd Games http://zeboyd.com C Ms. Ellen Cohen
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© 2017 Trans / Seven Studio, LLC. 2928
ABOUT Six Foot is a full-service games company. We provide creative direction, game development, marketing and brand management, front and back-end development, customer service, community support, and other ser-vices for game publishers.
Barkers Crest Studio is a small game development team based out of Houston, Texas. So small in fact there is only one member of the team: Matt Davis.We focus on original Xbox Community Games devel-oped using XNA Game Studio technology.
Founded in 2007, BIART is an independent internation-al technology and entertainment products developer. BIART has developed a world class proprietary 3D engine technology. Biart successfully released games for Apple iOS, Android, PCs, Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony PlayStation 3 and Sony PlayStation Portable.
An interactive design studio, Bouncing Pixel has several divisions beyond video game development that include website design, animation, and apps.
FOUNDER / CEO Matt Ballesteros Matt Davis Konstantin Popov Jerald Reichstein & Jackson Lau
LOCATION(S) Houston (HQ), Los Angeles, and Berlin Houston Houston Houston
PUBLISHED TITLES “Grey GOO” 5 titles: “The Avatar Legends”,”HomeRun Challenge”, “Avatar Golf”, “Easy Golf Course Architect”, “Tea Time Golf”
10 titles: “Diver: Deep Water Adventures”; “Deep Black” (2012, PS3, XBOX 360, PC), “Deep Black: Reloaded” (2012, PC), “Depth Hunter” (2013, PC), “Depth Hunter 2” (2014, PC, iOS, Android), “Check Dive” (2008, PC), “Reef Aquarium” (2009, PSP); “Scuba Diver Adven-tures” (2014, iOS, Android, PC).
10 titles: “Word Odyssey”, “Vee Gee Cee Tee”, “Gram-maropolis”, “Mappsol”, “Rice University STEMscopes”, “Rice University Veterinary”, “Rice University Microbiol-ogy”, “Rice University Epidemiology”, “Rice University Science Careers”, “The Monarch School”
IN-DEV TITLES “RiME”, “Dreadnought” N/A N/A N/A
GENRE FOCUS Entertainment Entertainment Entertainment Serious Games, specifically Educational and Health
# OF EMPLOYEES 166 Estimated: 1 Estimated: 1 7
PLATFORMS Console, PC (download) Console, PC (download) Console, PC (download), and Mobile PC (browser), and Mobile
© 2017 Trans / Seven Studio, LLC. 3130
ABOUT Founded in 2009, Corv Studios has been releasing en-tertaining action/arcade games in the mobile space to world wide reaching success. Engaging with other like minded people has turned the independent studio into a rewarding company working on projects motivated by passion.
A start-up that specializes in the ancient art of 2D games, though we may get experimental every now and again. No matter the project, everyone at DarkShot is driven to create something gets a strong reaction from you guys while still being darn enjoyable.
Fortunato 7 Studios, LLC, is an independent game development studio founded in 2016 and located in Houston, Texas (USA). Fortunato 7 is currently making mobile, PC and console games. Member of the Interna-tional Game Developers Association (IGDA).
The way people are entertained, learn and work has changed. Crafting technology is more than coding, it’s about creating an exceptional user experience. This is typified in mixed reality solutions. New advances in mixed reality – powered by IoT and wearable/mobile devices - have blurred the lines between people and technology, the real world and the digital.
FOUNDER / CEO Oscar Gomez Brandon Smith Larry T. Hendrix Richard Ford Belote, Vice President Experiential Media
LOCATION(S) Houston Houston Houston Houston
PUBLISHED TITLES 3 titles: “Bug Zap”, “Pac-Ball”, “Virus Effect” 1 title: “ROTii” 1 title: “The Sudden Stop” N/A
IN-DEV TITLES ZC N/A “Guardian Clash” N/A
GENRE FOCUS Entertainment Entertainment Entertainment Serious Games: Training / Education / Marketing
# OF EMPLOYEES 1 6 1 15
PLATFORMS Mobile PC (download), and Mobile Mobile Mobile, VR / AR
© 2017 Trans / Seven Studio, LLC. 3332
ABOUT An indie video game studio. Ghostfire Games is a video game studio focused on the casual games market, and we aim to raise the bar for the quality level of games people expect from down-loadable platforms. We developed the original “Rage of the Gladiator” and “Helix” games for WiiWare. The mobile version of “Rage of the Gladiator” was created via a joint partnership with Gamelion Studios.
Hygoon is an independent game collaborative in Hous-ton, Texas. The group was founded on the principle of developing visually dazzling and engaging content with the ultimate goal of moving forward the medium of interactive story telling.
An open-book company, that produces multi-platform games using the Haxe toolkit.
FOUNDER / CEO Joseph Longoria Ed Roman Oscar Gomez Lars Doucet
LOCATION(S) Houston Houston Houston Houston
PUBLISHED TITLES 2 titles: “Molly Maggot”, “Demonic Karma Summoner” 2 titles: “Helix”, “Rage of the Gladiator” 1 title: “Pterodactyl Attack” 2 titles: “Defender’s Quest”, “Defender’s Quest II”
IN-DEV TITLES “Duckastrophe” and “Ignis” N/A “Devpendium” N/A
GENRE FOCUS Entertainment Entertainment Entertainment Entertainment
# OF EMPLOYEES 4 Estimated: 3 7 Estimated: 3
PLATFORMS Console Console and Mobile Mobile Console and PC (download)
© 2017 Trans / Seven Studio, LLC. 3534
ABOUT Mindstorm Studios was conceived back in 2006 by a handful of talented people who sought to create qual-ity experiences. Passion and commitment has led us to create a number of outstanding games since then, and has shaped us into a stalwart games developer that aims to deliver exceptional content to a global audi-ence.
Nexeon Technologies is a global technology com-pany with a focus in two main industries: infrastruc-ture-as-a-service (IaaS), including cloud hosting & ded-icated servers, and video game entertainment, ranging from in-house game design to publishing solutions for other studios.
Self-managing stress through evidence-based psycho-logical interventions in Virtual Reality.
In May 2011, the jar of On The Level Game Studios was opened. The lid was stuck; so eight Houstonians with their talents and rubber gloves arrived at the scene to lend a hand. Soon after, the first game title was all over the table, the floor and their parachute pantsuits. The team grew to 12 including programmers, artists, sales and marketing, producers, musicians and evil-doers.
FOUNDER / CEO Babar Ahmed and Faraz Ahmed Charles Wood Joowon Kim and Diane Jooris Jeff Reimert
LOCATION(S) Houston and Pakistan Houston, Chicago, Buffalo, Dallas Houston Houston
PUBLISHED TITLES 16 titles: “Cricket Revolution”, “Mafia Farm”, “Kingdom of Heroes”, “Whacksy Taxi”, “Lord of Crime”, “Swords & Sorcery”, “War Inc.”, “Coin Party”, “Farm Break”, “Kingdom of Heroes”, “Jurassic Carnival”, “Space Par-ty”, “Pharaohs Party”, “Tetra Defense”, “Pic the Word”, “Wordity”, “Cricket Power”.
VR Library 3 titles: “Rock N Rogue”, “Boo Bunny Plague”, “The Curse of Nordic Cove”
IN-DEV TITLES N/A “Descension” N/A N/A
GENRE FOCUS Entertainment Entertainment Serious Games, specifically Health Entertainment
# OF EMPLOYEES Estimated: 41 Estimated: 13 2 12
PLATFORMS Mobile Console and PC (download) VR PC (browser), and Mobile
© 2017 Trans / Seven Studio, LLC. 3736
ABOUT In 2014, Orb Interactive teamed up with Aegis Interac-tive to create “Gods of Olympus”, a “battle and build” title with over 2 million players.
Launched in 2013, Piko Interactive LLC is a game devel-opment and publishing company that concentrates in the development of new games for old consoles. Our consoles of interest include but are not limited to the NES, SNES, Sega Genesis, and handhelds like Game Boy Advance, Gameboy Color and Gameboy.
Headquartered in Houston, ProjectPVE LLC is a game development company focused on Player vs. Environ-ment game play. We strive to be at transparent to our community and will always push the limits on popular game design standards. We have a very diverse and experienced team that share a common identity that we made to give our time and effort to genre breaking games. Our family of talented, inventive and passionate individuals strive to collaborate in order to make games that bring joy to all.
A new turn-based Role Playing Game in the classic style of the legendary Computer Role Playing Games that defined the genre.
FOUNDER / CEO Phillip Morales Eleazar Galindo Navarro Daniel Lott Eric Kinkead
LOCATION(S) Houston Houston and San Antonio Houston Houston
PUBLISHED TITLES 1 title: “Gods of Olympus” Over 10 titles N/A 1 title: “Quest Lord”
IN-DEV TITLES N/A N/A 1 title: “Project PVE” N/A
GENRE FOCUS Entertainment Entertainment Entertainment Entertainment
# OF EMPLOYEES 6 Estimated: 10 4 1
PLATFORMS PC (web browser), and Mobile Console, Handheld, PC PC Mobile
© 2017 Trans / Seven Studio, LLC. 3938
ABOUT Random Features is an independent video game devel-opment studio based in Katy, TX. Created by veterans of the video game industry, we at Random Features are focused on developing fun and innovative video games exclusively on mobile platforms like Android phones and tablets.
In early 1997, a group of six individuals created Malice™, a groundbreaking first person shooter utilizing the Quake game engine. Malice™ won numerous awards including “Game of Distinction Award” from PCGamer UK, PCM&E’s “Best Commercial GLQuake Add-on of 1997”, and Adrenaline Vault’s “Best Add-on 1997”.
Replayable Games produces multi-platform games to be enjoyed by all ages.
Revelation Studios is a small indie game studio that is set on developing a wide variety of games across mul-tiple platforms.
FOUNDER / CEO James Anderson, Lucas Pope Maxx Globraykh Dennis Mathews
LOCATION(S) Katy Houston Houston Houston
PUBLISHED TITLES 5 titles: “Halloween Dance Party”, “Alien Dance Party”, “Christmas Mahjong”, “8 bit Mahjong”, “Hacker Wars”
10 titles: “Rocketbirds Hardboiled Chicken”, “Helsing’s Fire”, “Rocketbirds: Revolution!”, “Mightier”, “Gearhread Garage”, “HAB 12”, “Gearhead Garage Adventure”, “Malice, Firefighter”
1 title: “Happy Chess” 3 titles: “Popiazza”, “Muncher Math”, “Namirah”
IN-DEV TITLES N/A N/A “Danger Dance” “Beyond Equilibrium”, a horror title
GENRE FOCUS Entertainment Entertainment Entertainment Entertainment / Education
# OF EMPLOYEES Estimated: 2 6 6 2
PLATFORMS Mobile Mobile, PC (Download), Console Mobile Mobile
© 2017 Trans / Seven Studio, LLC. 4140
ABOUT Shiny Box is a Houston-based software developer pro-viding custom solutions and consulting. Our team has worked together for over 8 years creating everything from blockbuster AAA games to globally-deployed en-terprise software to mobile marketing apps.
Terrific Studios, LLC. is a Game Design Studio Located in Houston, Texas. We are able to assist you in every as-pect of creating and successfully implementing games. We specialize in Software Development, Game Devel-opment, Computer Animation, Game Design
Tiny Lions is an independent game studio in Houston, Texas that is working on Plenty while encouraging play-ers to actively engage in development.
Trans / Seven Studio is a transmedia production stu-dio focused on producing marketing campaigns, and entertainment and educational story worlds that flow across at least three media platforms. We create Trans-media Campaigns & Projects, Full-Motion Video Games, Gamification Projects and Broadcast Video.
FOUNDER / CEO Todd Daniel Rob Dixon Christian Easterly and Nathan Phelps Karen Snyder and Jon Lindgren
LOCATION(S) Houston Stafford Houston Stafford
PUBLISHED TITLES 1 title: “Dungeon Quest!”
IN-DEV TITLES N/A Gambling Game “Plenty” “AKA Rancher”
GENRE FOCUS Entertainment Entertainment Entertainment Entertainment / Education / Marketing
# OF EMPLOYEES 6 6 4 6
PLATFORMS Mobile PC (web browser), Mobile PC (Download) Mobile, PC (Browser)
© 2017 Trans / Seven Studio, LLC. 4342
ABOUT We deliver artistic and technical visualizations that maximize the impact of visualizations across your business We reuse material across multiple visualization platforms and eliminate redundant work without jeopardizing quality
Whole Wheat Creative is a full-service, creatively-driv-en communications firm. For the past 20 years we have helped our clients reach their goals, through innovative design, data-driven marketing and proven methodolo-gy.
YWAH Games creates artistically inspired, family friendly mobile games.
zGames is a mobile game development studio active in mobile space since 2008. Our team masterfully blends problem-solving with entertainment and educa-tion. We’ve delivered scores of multi-platform games in a number of popular gaming genres — from casual games to augmented reality to educational apps — for some of the world-renowned game producers and publishers in the USA and Europe.
FOUNDER / CEO Peter Baxter (Houston led) Lee Wheat Vincent Donatelli Chris Howard
LOCATION(S) Houston Houston Houston Houston
PUBLISHED TITLES N/A 1 title: “Reading Bandit” 1 title: “Happy Fishies” 34 titles: “Happy Chef”, “21 Monsters”, “Animal Alpha-bet”, “Banana Blitz”, “Bloonz”, “Brain Trainer with Lady-bug”, “Charlie Bit Me!”, “Christmas Tree AR”, “Cookies Kid”, “Deadlandz”, “Fright Fight”, “Football Training Simulator”, “Give the Dog a Bone”, “Jewel Legends: Atlantis”, etc.
IN-DEV TITLES N/A N/A N/A
GENRE FOCUS Serious Games: Training / Education / Marketing Serious Games, specifically Education Entertainment Entertainment
# OF EMPLOYEES 50 8 1 50
PLATFORMS Mobile, VR / AR Mobile Mobile Mobile
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IN TEXAS
268 STUDIOS
35 VIDEO GAME COLLEGE DEGREE PROGRAMS
104,076 CITIZEN “INDUSTRY ADVOCATES”
https://www.areweinyourstate.org
ABOUT Zeboyd Games is a developer of 8-bit and 16-bit-style 2D role-playing games that was created by Robert Boyd with William Stiernberg. It is most known for its two 2D role-playing games, “Breath of Death VII” and “Cthulhu Saves the World”.
FOUNDER / CEO Bill Stiernberg, Robert Boyd
LOCATION(S) Houston
PUBLISHED TITLES 4 titles:”Cthulhu Saves the World”, “Penny Arcade” “Rain-slick Precipice 3 & 4”
IN-DEV TITLES Cosmic Star Heroine
GENRE FOCUS Entertainment
# OF EMPLOYEES 4
PLATFORMS Console and PC (download)
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HOUSTON VIDEO GAME INDUSTRY PARTNERS
AUGMENTED REALITY SUPPORTMicrosoft HoloLens is the first self-contained,
holographic computer, enabling you to engage with your digital content and interact with holograms in the world
around you. Leading research is being conducted here in Houston.
MIDDLEWARE SOFTWARE SUPPORTThink Squirrel is a physics software that makes realistic
fluid dynamics available for Unity apps, as well as VR support to build native, full-presence VR experiences.
VIRTUAL TEAM SUPPORTHypnos Entertainment is a video game developer. The
company’s products include Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2006 and The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King. The
company utilities programming talent in Houston.
INDUSTRY MEET-UPS & EVENTSMonthly meet-ups occur in the city that focus on Unity and Unreal game engine development. In addition, annual events such as the International Game day @ Your Local Library, and Global Game Jam allow developers a way to connect and cultivate their craft, or celebrate it.
INDUSTRY SUPPORTThe International Game Developers Association (IGDA) is the largest non-profit membership organization in the world serving all individuals who create games. The Houston chapter unites and encourages local studios.
IDEOLOGY SUPPORTWomen in Games International (WIGI), Blacks in Gaming, and Houston Gaymers are some of the many groups that seek to address the needs of specific individuals within the industry.
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THE PROBLEM
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I really want to get in the industry, but I don’t want to go to Dallas. If [a job were] here, I swear, it would make me so happy. Joshua Goodman
Art Institute Student
“
”
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TALENT LEAVING. JOBS LOST. TOURISM DOLLARS LOST. LACK OF INDUSTRY DIVERSITY.
Successful mobile developer, Game Anax, moved from Sugar Land, Texas to Sunnyvale, California. Why? Not enough industry support, especially for securing third party licensing deals and funding.
(Phone call with Kalpesh Parohit, head of Mobile gaming, Feb 8th, 2017)
Hundreds of students are leaving Houston each year due to the lack of jobs in the industry.
“My son has even talked about the possibility of going to Japan if he needed to work there. It is a shame that here at home in a major metropolitan area like Houston, he has no viable resources to turn too.”
Cody Birdwell, Father of a video game design graduate & President of Houston Sunbelt Communities, LLC
LOSS OF GAME STUDIO JOBS
LOSS OF TALENT
“I want to be in animation, but not here! Probably in California.”
Kyndra Mitchell, The Art Institute Animation Student
In 2013, Virtuix Omni started in Houston, but soon moved to Austin due to better citywide support, additional funding, and video game industry develop-ment. They have now secured $16 million in funding and have 15 employees. (Built in Austin, 2017)
Held in San Antonio, PAX South draws in thousands of gamers. In addition, the Austin Game Conference and the SXSW Gaming conferences cater to thousands more gamers and developers.
LOSS OF TOURISM & PRESTIGE
LOSS OF TECHNOLOGY JOBS
The video streaming company, Twitch, counts more than 100 million community members and 1.7 million broad-casters. Twitch, which is based in San Francisco, opened an office in Austin in July, 2016, to better interface with game studios as they use Twitch to broadcast live stream game promotions. (Biz Journal, 2016)
LOSS OF INDUSTRY SUPPORT
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6 SOLUTIONS
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We just don’t get acknowledged. And it’s like, no, we’re here. Phillip Morales
Co-Founder and Creative Director,
Orb Interactive
“”
© 2017 Trans / Seven Studio, LLC. 5958
“We need to motivate
companies to start here.
There are a few and they are
successful, and there is
talent here, but we are
losing the talent because of
the lack of opportunities.”
Jared Bienz, Microsoft Sr. MPC Evangelist
ACKNOWLEDGE THE COMMUNITY
The foreign countries, such as
Poland value the video game
industry. In 2016 Poland provided $7 million in funding to CD Projekt
RED, a game studio beloved by
global fans for creating the game
series “Witcher”. The government
has also promoted the title since it
authentically integrated Polish folklore
and culture.
(WCCF Tech, 2016)
The city of Austin values the video
game industry. They believe that
game studios are a “vital contributors
to our community’s character and
prosperity” and they actively seek
to have titles made in the city. The
Cultural Arts Division works to develop
digital media and gaming in Austin
in partnership with local economic
development, workforce, and financing
organizations. (Austin Economic Dev., 2017)
01
Microsoft’s Imagine Cup is a global competition that empowers the next
generation of computer science students. Every year tens of thousands of
students from across the globe compete for cash, travel and prizes and for
the honor of taking home the Imagine Cup.
From 2010 through 2015, under the direction of Dr. Chang Yun, the
University of Houston Computer Science students won the cup twice and placed for six consecutive years — a global record. No
one from the city of Houston has ever celebrated these achievements, nor
has Houston’s press actively covered this fantastic milestone.
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I know there are several studios in Austin that would like to relocate here, because they would like a new pool of employees.Dennis Mathews
Founder, Revelation Interactive
“
”
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“I think in Houston if
they could just support
technology companies in the
healthcare industry, in terms
of grants or tax benefits,
I think that would really
attract other tech companies
to come to Houston because
Houston is already known for
other areas in healthcare.”
Joowon Kim, Co-founder/CTO of Oncomfort Inc.
PROVIDE INCENTIVE OR TAP INTO GRANTS
The Texas Moving Image Industry
Incentives Program was created in
2008 to attract businesses in film
and gaming. It made a huge impact
in allowing Texas to become the
2nd state in the nation in game
development. However, in 2017, the
budget was slated for discontinuation.
Working with the game industry, the
city can seek to galvanize traction for
an enhanced state incentive.
(Texas Public Radio, 2015)
The city of Austin offers a video game
city tax incentive equal to 0.50% of wages paid to local workers.
Projects produced by an Austin-
based company or which significantly
promote Austin may be eligible for an
additional 0.25% incentive for a total
incentive of 0.75%.
(Austin Gov, 2017)
02
National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Endowment for
the Arts have recently been bestowing grants to video game development
and gaming industry digital “art installations.”
In addition, grant money can be found in the U.S. Department of Health &
Human Services to develop medical and health games.
The city can work to join studios and schools with federal funds to develop more serious games in this region.
(Waypoint, 2017)
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Funding is a big issue as well. It really limits how fast we can grow and what we can do.Maxx Golbraykh
Founder, Replayable Games
“”
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“Send out the call to venture
capitalists and would-be
investors. Maybe do a little
to entice outsiders investors
to come here.”
Larry T. Hendrix, Creative Director, Fortunato 7 Studios
In the UK, the government worked to
invite investors to participate in a new
Play Fund that will primarily focus on
games for mobile devices and tablets.
The fund promises private investors
potential returns of 250% within three years.
(Games Industry Biz, 2017)
Gamination is a highly successful
game investment fund operating in
Austin. They are always looking for
more investors.
CREATE A FUND 03
In 2015, Austin was named the top startup environment in the nation by
the Kauffman Foundation. The year before that, it was No. 2. The Austin
Chamber of Commerce estimates that in 2014, $620 million in venture
capital flowed through the city’s startups.
(KUT 90.5, 2016)
In 2014, Dallas firms landed $85 million in VC funds (compared with almost
$590 million in 2000).
(Dallas News, 2015)
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There’s PAX [gaming expo] in San Antonio—that’s great, but it’s in San Antonio, not in Houston! Sara Howard
Marketing Director, Replayable Games
“
”
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“If Houston can promote
itself as the place for
technology, that will bring
technology companies in.”
Bill Stiernberg, Co-Founder Zeboyd Games
The closest dedicated convention for gaming
the Houston area offers is the
TheGameCon in Galveston, TX. This
year marks its third year in operation.
Billed as a whole family event, “to
immerse themselves into gaming in a
fun-filled, community oriented gaming
convention that was built by the
community and gamers alike.”
Houston’s own teen YouTube
producer, Ink Rose, is hosting a series,
“Behind The Beta”, a show that showcases the unsung heroes of the video game industry
and highlighting their contributions.
From sound design and IT server
support all the way to a game title’s
creator, various ‘behind the beta’
jobs are presented so that youth
understand ways to enter the industry.
CULTIVATE & GROW MARKETING EVENTS 04
E-Sports (events where viewers watch teams of players play competitive
video games), is one of the fastest growing sectors of the video
game industry. In early 2017, for the first time ever The Big Ten held an 11
college tournament for “League of Legends” video game. Physical sport
teams are also moving into this arena with many European soccer leagues
looking to launch e-sports leagues in 2017. The Pacific-12 has expressed
interest in e-sports, and several individual colleges have gone further,
with the University of California, Irvine, constructing a dedicated e-sports
space in its student union and Robert Morris University Illinois, in Chicago,
offering athletic scholarships to players.(Newzoo, 2017)
2017 U.S. E-SPORTS MARKET
$696 M+41.3% YoY
(PROJECTED)
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We need a training ground; an apprenticeship program that mixes students with professionals. Vincent Donatelli
Founder, YWAH Games & Instructor
at The Art Institute of Houston
“
”
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“There are some positive
things in the game industry
in Texas, but there is some
work to do. It’s going to
take our graduates finding
jobs in Houston. It’s going
to take the Houston
gaming community to
come together to form new
companies. It’s going to take
the city working together
with the companies.”
Trish Rigdon, Institutional Program Chair of Media Arts, The Art Institute Houston
The Art Institute, the University of
Houston’s Computer Science and
Digital Media programs, and Houston
Community College offer college level
degree plans for a Bachelors or an
Associates degree related to game
design or fields that support it.
(Game Designing, 2017)
There is strong interest in private
Houston high schools for e-sports
as well as video game development
programs. However, both colleges and
high schools need internships that
currently cannot be offered due to the
lack of a robust game industry in this
region.
Video game design programs have significantly
higher retention rates than other tech fields,
with an average a rate of more than 88%.
(ESA, 2017)
The Higher Education Video Game Alliance
(HEVGA) reports that 30% of students enrolled
in college and university video game design
programs are women—nearly twice the number
of women enrolled in other STEM-related programs.
(ESA, 2017)
05TRANSFORM & EXTEND EDUCATION
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There is defiantly a need for a hub. Games may seem like an easy thing to put together, but there is a lot that goes into a game—even small ones. Brandon Smith
Founder, Dark Shot Studios
“
”
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“There is really not that
much support here in
Houston. It would really,
I think, help [my son] if
there were people in the
community that were
able to offer support and
mentorship and things like
that.”
Laura Harlow, Mom of a Game Student & STEM Professor with University of Houston, College of Education
CREATE A COMMUNITY HUB
How about the first of its kind
community e-sports and/or streaming
video studio that could feature local
talent and allow studios and the public
to celebrate game launch events?
What of a digital gallery that
showcased local games and/or digital
artists and animators in this region?
06
Station Houston is where innovation and community connect. The growing
gaming industry is key to achieving Station’s goal of establishing Houston
as a technology hub. By serving as the epicenter for corporate and
community stakeholders, we hope to highlight the significant opportunities
that would come with a local game studio industry.
Each month, Station Houston hosts GAME DEV, an evening event
coordinated by Brandon Smith, where emerging game ideas can be
showcased by both industry veterans and the general public.
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PATHWAY TO GROWTH
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YEAR 01 YEAR 02
THE PATHWAY TO EXPLOSIVE GROWTH YEAR 03 YEAR 04 YEAR 05
Government
Education
Creatives
Investors /
Grants
Initiates Fund Group
High-School e-sports program
launched
Endorsement from
Greg Abbott
Partner with MediaTech Ventures in
Austin
City Acknowledgment
Corporations
Station Houston Game
Hub
Facebook Live Stream Studio
Microsoft HoloLens R&D Hub
City Fund Group
created
Non-profit grant program
Initiates international fund group
Build up five local studios
Creates in-school
Mentor program
UofH e-sports program
developed
Galvanize state incentive
FireFox Web GL Lab
Activates in-school
Mentor program
Art Institutee-sports program
launched
AAA Studio opens branch
Host mobile game awards
Host serious game awards
AAA Studio opens branch
Partner with CTAN angels in
Austin
Partner with SXSW for 2-city e-sports event
Partner with TMCx to encourage medical
games
Cross-city virtual team
company
Woo three leading studios to relocate
Woo five award winning indie
companies
Build up five local studios
Endorsement from
Ted Cruz or John Cornyn
Parter with countries to woo international
studios
International studio branch
opens
RICE e-sports program
developed
Online mentorship
program launched
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PRESERVE THE STATE TAX INCENTIVENEXT STEPS
CITY POWER FLEX
City reaches out to state representatives to encourage
support for the state tax incentive
FED POWER FLEX
Houston region congressional reps reach
out to state representatives to encourage support for
the state tax incentive
LOCAL GAME DEVS
Gamers of Houston will send out video link & presentation to state
representatives to encourage support for the
state tax incentive
COST TO GOV:TIMEApprox. 4 hours to make personal phone calls, fax and email.
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GAME FUNDNEXT STEPS
LEADERSHIP CULTIVATED
Partner with a current fund, or create a new fund run by video
game veterans.
GOVERNMENT INVITE
Government leaders send out a call to encourage out-of-state, and international VC groups to participate in
regional funding.
FUND CREATED
Fund will seek to create se-rious game investments that
are locally produced.
COST TO GOV:TIMEApprox. 9 months with one person dedicated part-time (720 hrs).
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MENTORSHIP PROGRAMNEXT STEPS
FIND FUNDING
Work towards securing corporate sponsor or grants to create program if the city
wants it to be free.OR
Corporation covers cost of development & production
with the course being a paid offering.
CREATE PROGRAM
Work with established studios and educational
partners to create 15 week, non-accredited, online courses that includes
gamified, filmed lessons, and online/in-person
mentorship.
PROGRAM LUNCHED
City provides leads into schools OR a community
hub that offers computers / programs needed for stu-dents to grow their craft.
Created game titles must be able to be sold.
COST TO GOV:TIME If only providing leads to education, approx. two months with one person acting as a connector to a school district (48 hrs).
TIMELINEProgram creation will take approximately 14 months for 12 courses to be created from scratch.
MONEY BACK
Titles created are sold through a holding company
so that students make money, the program can become self-funded, and
marketing opportunities can be sought such as schools
getting a cut of sales.
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CORPORATE WOO CULTIVATIONNEXT STEPS
GOVERNMENT INVITE
Government leaders work with Gamers of Houston to produce a Woo Event in which corporate executives in Oil, Gas, Healthcare, Services, etc. are invited to
review new technologies and the value serious games can bring to their business.
COST TO GOV:TIMEApprox. 12 hours to make personal phone calls, fax and email.
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LOW-SKILL JOB CULTIVATORNEXT STEPS
JOB PROGRAM CULTIVATED
Partner with a studio or a startup to create a video game
marketing venture focused on providing pre-release game feedback OR first-
person reviews / marketing from various Houston region
communities.
GOVERNMENT INVITE
Focus on single mothers needing at-home, flex time
options. Government leaders
encourage local program involvement.
MONEY BACK
If properly run, the program would be self-funding and would bring out-of-state dollars to the Houston
region so that video games could be test-marketed to various ethnic groups prior
to release, or marketed after release.
COST TO GOV:TIMEOnce the program is ready, approximately four months with one person dedicated part-time to broadcast the program to local communities (48 hrs).
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CONCLUSION
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It you want to increase gaming in the greater Houston area, we need to accommodate the market. We need to target games designed for oil and gas and the medical community — the serious games industry.Dr. Chang Yun
Research Assistant Professor at University of Houston
“
”
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SERIOUS GAME EXAMPLES
The video game “Never Alone” is
the first video game drawing on
Indigenous culture, and it has been
a runaway seller. Reaching nearly 3
million players so far, in 16 languages,
the game that is not only educational
and fun, but an unlikely method for revitalizing an Indigenous heritage. The game was developed
by E-Line Media, a New York-based
firm hired by Cook Inlet Tribal
Council (CITC), a Native nonprofit
organization.
(Crosscut, 2017)
Tyto Online, is a massively multiplayer
online role-playing game. One module
of the game, Tyto Ecology, is available
for sale and has generated $140,000
of revenue to date. This module is
a single-player game that has sold
18,000 units. Instead of killing boars
and collecting hides for quests,
you’re doing things like looking for evidence of an invasive species that you can then transplant
out and save the local ecosystem.
(Forbes, 2017)
The global Mobile health
market is estimated to generate
$56.6 billion in revenue
in 2020.
(IGI Global, 2015)Video games have the potential to
change healthcare research. One
game that’s made waves in medical
research is “Sea Hero Quest”. This
smartphone game has created a
groundbreaking approach
to data collection, leading to an
earlier diagnosis of dementia. So far,
2.5 million people have played the
game, providing scientists with years’
worth of data across borders and
demographics.
(The Austin Chronicle, 2017)
Worldwide revenues for game-
based learning products
reached $2.6 billion in 2016.
The study reports that the
global five-year compound
annual growth rate (CAGR) is a
robust 22.4%, and predicts that
revenues will surge to $7.3
billion by 2021.(Ambient Insight, 2016)
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In the medical field we are seeing the “gameification” of content being developed and deployed for a number of different clinical use cases. We have seen everything from VR environments to reduce anxiety, pain and PTSD in patients, to games to educate and train medical professionals, and games to help patients with chronic conditions stay on track with their treatments and rehab. With the Texas Medical Center, the biggest medical center in the country, the medical gaming industry could really take off here in Houston.
Erik M. Halvorsen, PhD
Director, TMC Innovation Institute
“
”
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E-SPORTS GROWTH
67 30 38%want more events, more often
%attended 3 events or more a year
%will travel to another country or continent
Eventbrite, 2015
Washington D.C. is making a considerable push into esports, starting with the sponsorship of a major
esports team and the construction of a multipurpose arena with esports primarily in mind.
Max Brown, the chairman of Events DC, which manages conventions, sports and entertainment in
the District, told Mashable that the $65 million, 4,200 seat arena being built for the Washington Mystics of the WNBA will also be “fully tailored and wired for esports.”
Brown told Mashable that the District’s eight universities and a sizable influx of young residents
make esports a smart bet for the city. Other major U.S. cities would follow Washington’s lead, and natural rivalries would emerge. Polygon, 2017
GAMERS WANT MORE EVENTS, MORE OFTEN AND IN MORE PLACES
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VIRTUAL REALITY, AUGMENTED REALITY & MIXED REALITY
Houston’s 2016, Immersive Technology
Conference was a huge success with
over 200 attendees from industries
like Aerospace, Education, Medicine,
Marketing, Oil & Gas, Architecture,
Real Estate, and much more in
attendance. Speakers included
companies like NASA, Hermann
Memorial, Optech4D, among others.
The Global Association for VR/AR
just open a Houston chapter. The goal
of the city organization is have “an
international center for technology,”
with “the VRARA Houston chapter
representsing the re-imagination of
how we create, educate, and work
using VR and AR. Also, VRARA
Houston works across the globe with
other VRARA chapters, giving you
world-wide reach and potential.”
Events such as the invitation-only,
Microsoft HoloLens Hackathon allow
developers to get one-on-one insights
and encouragement as they explore
technology advancements in mixed
reality led by an award-winning team
right here in Houston.
2020 U.S. AUGMENTED/VIRTUAL
REALITY MARKET
$120 BnREVENUE FORECAST
DIGI-CAPITAL, 2016
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THE 1ST IN THE NATIONTransmedia Hub for
Technology Innovation
#1 in Serious Games
#1 in the South fore-sports events
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Games affect culture. They change communities. They change lives. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of that?Angel Muniz
3D Artist and Media Arts,
Microsoft HoloLens Developer
“
”
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Why are we in Houston? We grew up in Houston. Houston has the ability to support a game industry and an entertainment industry in general. We wanted to show that that is possible. Sean Christian Bellinger
Lead Artist, Six Foot, LLC
“
”
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Ambient Insight. The 2014 - 2019 Global Game Edugame Market. Retrieved from http://www.ambientinsight.com/Resources/Documents/AmbientIn-sight_2014_2019_Global_Edugame_Market_Whitepaper.pdf Ambient Insight. The 2016 - 2021 Global Game Based Learning Market. Retrieved from http://seriousplayconf.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AmbientIn-sight_2016_2021_Global_Game-basedLearning_Market_SeriousPlay2016_ExecutiveOverview.pdf Anderson, W. (Jul, 2016). Online streaming service Twitch opens office south of downtown Austin. BizJournal. Retrieved from http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/news/2016/07/11/online-streaming-service-twitch-opens-office-south.html Banville, L. (Apr. 2016). New Digital Markets Aim to Connect Content Providers to Schools, Educators. Games + Learning. http://www.gamesandlearning.org/2016/04/15/new-digital-markets-aim-to-connect-content-providers-to-schools-educators/ Batchelor, J. (Feb, 2017). New Investment Scheme PlayFund Launches. Games Industry Biz. Retrieved from http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2017-02-01-new-investment-scheme-playfund-launches Big Fish Games. (2017). Video Game Stats Database. Retrieved from http://www.bigfishgames.com/blog/stats/ Brandon, B. (Oct, 2016). What I Learned at the Austin Game Conference about Game Creation and Virtual Reality. Learning Solutions. Retrieved from https://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/articles/2082/what-i-learned-at-the-austin-game-conference-about-game-creation-and-virtual-reality/print Built in Austin. (2017). Virtuix Profile. Retrieved from http://www.builtinaustin.com/company/virtuix Calnan, C. (Sept. 2016). The reality of Austin’s gaming industry: How new tech is fueling fast growth. Biz Journal. Retrieved from http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/news/2016/09/02/the-reality-of-austin-s-gaming-industry-how-new.html Digi-Capital, (Jan, 2016). Augmented/Virtual Reality revenue forecast revised to hit $120 billion by 2020. 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