Year in review: Game on
While the rest of the high-tech world remained mired in an economic swamp in 2002, the game industry ran like the wind and headed for higher ground.
Video games get serious with new competition.
Microsoft's new Xbox console upped the competitive stakes, while console and PC game makers rushed to push their titles into the world of online gaming in anticipation of another Internet gold rush.
The Xbox debuted in late 2001, and although it clearly has no chance of catching up with Sony's world-beating PlayStation 2, it has made the game business more interesting. Microsoft has been the boldest in pushing game consoles toward the online arena, spending millions to build the Xbox Live network. The software giant was also the most visible on the copyright front, cracking down on "mod chips" and other gaming-related hacking tools.
Booming business prospects, meanwhile, took games in new directions, with games for cell phones proliferating and ideas afloat to use machines for home networking and even supercomputing.
On the PC side of the game business, all eyes were on the Internet, with numerous companies hoping to mimic or better the success of Sony's "EverQuest" and other subscription-based games.
Even companies for which games were a peripheral business got into the act. Yahoo and other Internet biggies counted on premium game services to boost revenue this year, and demanding gamers shook up the graphics chip business and made specialty PC makers the envy of an otherwise grim industry.
While the rest of the tech world remained mired in an economic swamp, the game industry ran wild in 2002.
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Game on Video games get serious with new competition.
Microsoft's new Xbox console upped the competitive stakes, while console and PC game makers rushed to push their titles into the world of online gaming in anticipation of another Internet gold rush. The Xbox debuted in late 2001, and although it clearly has no chance of catching up with Sony's world-beating PlayStation 2, it has made the game business more interesting. Microsoft has been the boldest in pushing game consoles toward the online arena, spending millions to build the Xbox Live network. The software giant was also the most visible on the copyright front, cracking down on "mod chips" and other gaming-related hacking tools. Booming business prospects, meanwhile, took games in new directions, with games for cell phones proliferating and ideas afloat to use machines for home networking and even supercomputing. On the PC side of the game business, all eyes were on the Internet, with numerous companies hoping to mimic or better the success of Sony's "EverQuest" and other subscription-based games. Even companies for which games were a peripheral business got into the act. Yahoo and other Internet biggies counted on premium game services to boost revenue this year, and demanding gamers shook up the graphics chip business and made specialty PC makers the envy of an otherwise grim industry. --David Becker |  |  Gamers helping specialty PCs thrive March 25, 2002 Yahoo launches pay-for-play service April 4, 2002 When games stop being fun April 12, 2002 Gaming industry: Playtime is over May 24, 2002 What's the Xbox-PC connection? May 29, 2002 Online gaming's cheating heart June 7, 2002 Chip trio allows glimpse into "Cell" August 6, 2002 Fighting for the right to LAN party August 16, 2002 Game industry eyes online experiment August 23, 2002 Microsoft pushes Xbox online November 14, 2002
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