Now that GDC 2008 is behind us, and the reviews are really rolling in, PodTech takes a wide look at the gaming industry, with IDC gaming analyst Billy Pidgeon.

Gaming’s future likely includes more attention from the courts, as it continues to gain in mass popularity and questions continue to arise around “mature content” and children, for instance. And, as always, plenty of opinions about various consoles, PC vs. consoles, and the issue of game development from the developers’ perspective (the one-console future, for example).

Billy Pidgeon is the program manager for IDC’s consumer markets: gaming program. In this podcast, he speaks with PodTech’s Jason Lopez about the gaming industry, drawing important distinctions between gaming, which is a massive and growing business, and the more entrenched industries that are built around movies.

The stakes for gaming companies are higher in a way, says Pidgeon, because there are no second chances after a game flops at market (unlike the many, many secondary distribution paths that movies have). But as the industry grows, Pidgeon says, there’s a chance for the world to benefit, not only because of the truly international business that the gaming industry enjoys, but also because a broad interest in gaming might inspire a broader interest in technology and mathematics.

Photo courtesy of Gamerscore Blog, via Creative Commons

Tags: Billy Pidgeon, GDC 2008, IDC
 
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