The Impact Of Computer Games

The impact of computer games. An area of computing that has grown at an escalating speed and made a significant impact on society in recent years is interactive multimedia. As stated by David Cole, president of DFC Intelligence[1], ‘‘The game industry is forecast to become a $20 billion worldwide business in the next two years, . . . for many forms of digital entertainment including music, movies, Web access and interactive television.’’ The computer game industry is now generating more revenue than the Hollywood film industry. As a result of using the latest technologies, and the involvement of many large corporations (including Microsoft), computer game developers facilitate advances in computer graphics, artificial intelligence, human computer interaction, virtual reality, and other areas. Such technologies can be adapted for use in many fields such as training, education, medical image research, and so on. Thus, there are compelling reasons to examine the impact of computer games on our society. The emergence of new technology in recent years has changed the way games are played, and made it possible for many players to participate via the Internet. The development of multimedia, such as 3D animation, computer music and sound effects, has enhanced the sophistication of computer games, and improved virtual reality to the point that it now seems real. A successful computer game relies on a number of steps, including game design, development, marketing, packaging and production. The game development market is growing, particularly as a result of the popularity of the Internet and broadband penetration. All papers in this special issue were selected from the International Conference on Application and Development of Computer Games in the 21st Century (ADCOG21), which was held in Hong Kong in November 2001. The Innovation and Technology Commission of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region sponsored the conference. Its objective was to promote related technologies and examine the impact of computer games on our society. Participants from ten countries contributed high quality papers, all of which have been reviewed through a rigorous process. This issue consists of seven papers that examine the wider impact of computer games, not just in the games industry but also in other areas such as security, network resources, and learning. In each case the author has revised, modified and expanded the presentation given at the conference. The paper by Khan, ‘‘Implementing an intelligent tutoring system for adventure learning’’, details the effective application of computer game technology to inspire college students. Charles, Mead, and Cavazza build on this in their paper ‘‘Interactive storytelling’’, which emphasises the interactivity between students and software. The paper by Jayakanthan, ‘‘Application of computer games in the field of education’’, further highlights