Weekend Reading: Making Gaming More Accessible

So far so good for the videogames industry. Despite the world wide economic crisis, it's still going strong, growing year over year, even if the percentages are not as big as in 2008. But as the recession continues to blast customers everywhere and especially in the three big markets of North America, the United Kingdom and Japan, videogaming buys might be sacrificed in favor of more essential stuff like food, clothing or housing.

So, in such an environment you would think that videogame publishers would go all out in an effort to bring their products to as many potential customers as possible. Well, you would be wrong. They are still focusing on the big markets that I've mentioned above while making little to no effort in conquering new spaces like the developing countries, which include potential huge markets like China, India, Eastern Europe, Russia or South America.

Their efforts are so limited that there's even a fresh console ready to be launched, called Zeebo, which, via a clever download-only model and low 199-dollar price, aims to take over these markets and offer gamers a quick and easy way to get their favorite titles.

Even in Romania, where I live, getting new games is a problem. Because of low penetration of consoles, getting Killzone 2 or Fable II means waiting a few months in order for copies of the titles to be brought to local stores or getting a copy from abroad, either from online retailers or from gamers who sell them after having used them.

Even getting titles that are offered via digital download can be a hassle as, for example, Sony does not offer complete access to the PlayStation Network from this area. Sure, that leaves playing on the PC using Steam or Impulse as a viable alternative, but other problems arise. Games are available, but their prices are the same as those in North America or the United Kingdom while the median income here does not go over 400 Euros.

So, instead of witnessing a broadening of the offer in these times of crisis, we see publishers focusing on the traditional markets. Maybe if the recession goes deeper in the coming months and if publishers begin selling less on traditional markets, we will see them moving more aggressively on new ones. It's a shame that it has taken a recession to get them to even think of doing that.