One Up: Creativity, Competition, and the Global Business of Video Games

297 Pages·2020·1.712 MB·English

by  Joost Van Dreunen

ONE
UP
Creativity, Competition, and the
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JOOST VAN DREUNEN
ONE UP

ONE UP
CREATIVITY, COMPETITION,
AND THE GLOBAL BUSINESS
OF VIDEO GAMES
JOOST VAN DREUNEN
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PRESS(cid:2)NEW YORK
Columbia University Press
Publishers Since 1893
New York Chichester, West Sussex
cup.columbia.edu
Copyright © 2020 Columbia University Press
All rights reserved
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Dreunen, Joost van, author.
Title: One up : creativity, competition, and the global business of video
games / by Joost van Dreunen.
Description: 1 Edition. | New York City : Columbia University Press, 2020. |
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2020012565 (print) | LCCN 2020012566 (ebook) |
ISBN 9780231197526 (hardback) | ISBN 9780231552219 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Video games industry. | Video games—Economic aspects. |
Creative ability in business. | Competition.
Classification: LCC HD9993.E452 D748 2020 (print) | LCC HD9993.E452
(ebook) | DDC 338.4/77948—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020012565
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020012566
Columbia University Press books are printed on permanent
and durable acid-free paper.
Printed in the United States of America
Cover design: Noah Arlow
Cover image: Shutterstock
For Max, who always wants to play

We don’t know who discovered water, but we know it wasn’t the fish.
—Marshall McLuhan

contents
Preface xi
Acknowledgments xxi
Introduction 1
PART 1 GAMES AS A PRODUCT
1
Digitalization of Interactive Entertainment 13
2
Games Industry Basics 26
3
Empire on the Edge of the Volcano 53
PART 2 GAMES AS A SERVICE
4
Everyone Is a Gamer Now 71
5
Myth of the Mobile Millionaire 95