Wk 2 EOC: Video Games

Video game companies are like different sides of the battlefield, however, with the recession causing consumers to cling to their wallets a lot of games aren't getting the attention they once had. People buy games when they have a little left over for killing time, or because they're fanatics, but when even the fanatics can't buy games - it means everyone's suffering. "Sales of consoles such as Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360 and Nintendo' Co.'s Wii plummeted 38%." [Wall Street Journal Article - Video game Markers Can't Dodge Recession - Paragraph 3]. It's a sad day for us all, especially if you're a fan of those consoles when you see something like that.
According to the Boston Consulting Group Approach, however, most of these consoles are holding steady and staying in the "cash cow" zone even in this wallet safeguarding period. Fortunately, they all noticed the market with streaming movies and decided to all buy a ticket in that ferry. So, if games aren't being bought as much through these consoles - well, at least movies with Zune, Hulu, and Netflix are.
Mobile games are the future for new generations, but real gamers will always recognize that the real experience lies with the player, console, and controller... Actually, there's a slight change in that as well.
"The purpose of strategic planning is to find ways in which the company can best use its strengths to take advantage of attractive opportunities in the environment." [Marketing: An Introduction - Pg 10 paragraph four.]
Xbox came out with a new feature, and a new experience all together - The Kinect. No wireless remote/controller. It's just you and the screen. People are becoming aware that obesity is a problem, so to appeal to that group, Microsoft altered their course in this direction as well. Unlike the Wii, there is nothing you need to hold to move around and play the game, or fitness game. So, for the people who get sweaty palms during workout, they won't have to worry about "icky" controllers and having to later clean them.
Kinect is fairly new, so there's still room for growth in trying to make new and different game experiences. In addition to Xbox being in the Cash Cow category of the BCGA, it may also have a shoe in the Star category as well. Yay Xbox.