David Crook plans on getting into video games once he graduates.
But Crook, a sophomore in computer science, isn’t hoping to spend 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. playing video games.
He wants to spend the hours between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. developing versions of a product that avid gamers like Rashmi Patel, a senior in engineering, play while eating breakfast, during class breaks and before sleeping.
Patel isn’t alone, either. A poll sponsored by PBS asked students on a college campus how long they would be gamers. About 70 percent stated they will be gamers until the day they die.
And unlike many of his peers — some of whom are looking to go into industries that are laying off thousands of workers nationally — the gaming industry is growing annually.
Nationally, the gaming industry is one of the few that is profiting in the recession. Sales of video game hard- and software jumped 13 percent since last January, according to a NPD study. Total video gaming industry sales rose to $1.33 billion, the study stated.
Video game software sales hiked up to 10 percent to $676.6 million, and hardware sales jumped 17 percent to $445.4 million. Accessories sales rose 11 percent to $209.8 million, according to the study.
Nintendo’s Wii held steady at the top of the charts, selling nearly 680,000 units, the study stated. The DS hand-held system sold more than 510,000 units.
Microsoft’s sold about 309,000 Xbox units during the month, according to the study. Sony’s PlayStation 3 sold 203,000.
“As of right now, the future of video games is assured to stay successful,” Crook, who founded the Video Game Development Club, “but what if another invention surpasses the popularity of video games in the near future?”
Crook said the industry is looking toward developing products for a new, younger audience.
“In the future, there will be more use of video games for various activities like school,” Crook said.
Centennial researchers are working on a project that will weave concepts and ideas from North Carolina’s fifth grade science curriculum into an adventure style video game called Crystal Island.
As the students explore the island inside the game, they will solve a mystery while being exposed to science. Crook said the game provides for a more entertaining learning environment.
“Maybe that is the reason a kid can tell you more about Pokemon than cellular respiration,” Crook said.
