Research Proposal

***DISCLAIMER: THIS IS PRIOR TO THE BEGINNING OF THE PROJECT.  ALL OF THIS MAY DRASTICALLY CHANGE BEFORE THE END OF THE PROJECT.***

Technical Challenges Facing the Gaming Industry in Arizona

By: Anirudh Ravichandran

BASIS Advisor: Mr. Bryan Campo

On-Site Advisor: Mr. Ben Reichert

The purpose of this study is to understand the technical challenges facing the gaming industry in Arizona, varying from talent pools, educational possibilities, and access to resources and techniques. The first phase of this study will involve identifying possible differences in viewpoints between schools versus businesses, as every player has a different role in game development. This difference in roles allows for different possibilities in terms of technical challenges a school may face educating/building a game versus a company such as a publishing company trying to get the game into the market. Analyzing only schools or only businesses may allow for more specificity, but it doesn't provide the big picture, because analyzing one would limit the scope of understanding. From there, this study will branch off into the three aforementioned categories from both sides.

Game development is definitely not a walk in the park, and there are many nuances and difficulties that most people do not even think about. I want to uncover the obstacles that game development brings. According to Arizona Sonora News, the number of video game industry employees in the state has increase by 11 percent from 2009-2012 (Shanahan, “Video Game Development on the Rise in Arizona”). Developers also say that the state is an ideal place because of the low cost of living and expenses in terms of hiring employees (“Video Game Development on the Rise in Arizona”). The video game industry's value to the state economy “increased 8 percent in 2012” (“Video Game Development on the Rise in Arizona”). It's obvious that the game industry in Arizona is growing, as 14 schools in the state are offering video-game related programs (“New Research Underscores Breadth and Vibrancy of U.S. Video Game Industry”). A journal from RIT mentions how they introduced a game programming course in 1993 at the University of North Texas, and at the time, this was a very controversial move (Parberry, “Challenges and Opportunities in the Design of Game Programming Classes for a Traditional Computer Science Curriculum”) There were no resources available. Since then, the gaming market has evolved a great deal and game companies are looking for “C and C++ programmers with general competence in technical subjects typically found in an undergraduate computer science program” (“Challenges and Opportunities in the Design of Game Programming Classes for a Traditional Computer Science Curriculum”). This journal demonstrates the wide variety of skills that game companies are looking for, and it also gave me a good starting point to jump into this research. Now that I've given some background, I'm going to get into why I am interested in this topic.

If it has an “on” button, it's game. As a child, I've always had a passion for technology, and anyone can tell you that my eyes light up every single time I talk or work with anything that has an “on” button. Computer science will teach me a new way to think, and give me the tools necessary to go into a wide array of fields. The beauty of technology is that having a strong fundamental base allows you to go into basically any area that you can get your hands on, and it's really a matter of learning the nuances of the specialized field you choose to go into.

Four years ago, I installed my first Linux distribution on my laptop, and from then, I truly realized how passionate I was about learning the inner being of technology itself. I realized my joy in using things in a way that they weren’t intended for. If Linux taught me anything, it's how to problem-solve. Instead of working for technology, I wanted to learn how to make technology work for me. I've used various Linux distributions, everything from Ubuntu, to Fedora, to OpenSUSE, to currently Archlinux.

As soon as I got my first smartphone, it set the stage for a few years of tinkering. I started building custom ROMs, and I was the first person to get a ROM known as OmniROM, working on the Samsung Galaxy S3. Eventually, my skills had led me to the point where I was actually maintaining my device on a custom ROM team known as DirtyUnicorns. At this level, I got to meet people and gained much more experience. The people on my team were everything from college students to military veterans. This experience allowed me to be involved in the fantastic Android development community and make many connections, as well as talk to many hobbyists. Earlier this year, I even got into video editing, and within a month of teaching myself, I was the head editor of my school's first-ever 26 minute short film.

The reason I chose this research venture is because of my wide array of interests in technology, and this is an opportunity for me to learn more about game development, the game community here in Arizona, and an experience into lateral thinking. It will also give me connections and a chance to interact with more people.

Now that I've established interest in the topic, let me get into the significance of pursuing these series of questions. The problem is, the gaming industry here in Arizona is pretty scattered, with many indie developers that are interested in developing games just trying to work on their own. The topic has strong local implications for the gaming market here in Arizona. Game CoLab is essentially what I like to call the “middle-man”; they connect their clients with professional mentors that can help them. The knowledge that this research provides could significantly help Game CoLab see the people they are actually targeting and understand what it is that people are having difficulties with. If BASIS let me pursue this topic, it will allow for Game CoLab to have a stronger hold in the gaming industry here in Arizona, and to really cater and strengthen gaming development here.

The research for this project will take a multi-pronged approach. There will be internet research, but most of the actual data will be collected via surveying and interviews if possible. I will be sending out surveys and I'll have Game CoLab help me send it through their network of contacts as well. I will try to interview people at Game CoLab to understand the difficulties from the business end and I will also attempt to interview some contacts I have at Arizona State University and University of Advancing Technology (Through Game CoLab). The role that Game CoLab will play is mostly to be my source of contacts, so I can get my questions to the right people. The information should mostly be primary sources, and my presentation will be geared around actual interviews.

This is quite a large venture; I expect to encounter quite a few obstacles. My largest obstacle is the time I can allocate to this as it will take a lot of time to compile all of this information together, but I can combat that obstacle via my work ethic and determination to get things done. Another obstacle is making sure I can actually have conversations with the people I would like to talk to, and getting useful information that would contribute to this project. If both the surveys and interviews don't occur in the manner that I expect, then I will rely primarily on internet research, but I'm confident in getting both methods, or at least one, to work. I will also limit the scope of the topic if it turns out to be too much to handle, in which case I can get deeper into one area rather than try to touch all the previously mentioned areas.

I really look forward to pursuing this senior research project and gaining knowledge in not just the specific research area, but also experience in communication, making connections, and having to compile research together on my own. I've met with Game CoLab's founder and CEO and I believe that this place will be a fit for me.

Resources (all sources used during the project, this will be edited/updated)

"New Research Underscores Breadth and Vibrancy of U.S. Video Game Industry - The Entertainment Software Association." The Entertainment Software Association. Entertainment Software Association, n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.

Parberry, Ian. "Challenges and Opportunities in the Design of Game Programming Classes for a Traditional Computer Science Curriculum." Challenges and Opportunities in the Design of Game Programming Classes for a Traditional Computer Science Curriculum. JGDDE, n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.

Shanahan, Erin. "Video Game Development on the Rise in Arizona - Arizona Sonora News Service."Arizona Sonora News Service. N.p., 08 June 2015. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.

Kleinert, Jared, and Stacey Ferreira. 2 Billion under 20: How Millennials Are Breaking down Age Barriers and Changing the World. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.
Thiel, Peter A., and Blake Masters. Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.
John, Daymond, and Daniel Paisner. The Power of Broke: How Empty Pockets, a Tight Budget, and a Hunger for Success Can Become Your Greatest Competitive Advantage. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.

Catmull, Edwin E., and Amy Wallace. Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in

the Way of True Inspiration. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.