Game Innovation IV: The Disruptive Power of Game
Technology
Roger SmithSPARTA Inc.
© Copyright 2006, Roger Smith http://www.modelbenders.com/papers/
Invention vs. Innovation
Invention Creating a new
technology, capability, process, material, etc.
Innovation Finding a
commercially valuable application of that invention
Peter Drucker on Innovation
“One cannot manage change. One can only be ahead of it.”
“Business has only two functions – marketing and innovation.”
Peter Drucker“Father of Modern Management”1909 - 2005
Incremental Innovation – The Pen
“build on and reinforce the applicability of existing knowledge”“improving and exploiting an existing technological trajectory”
Radical Innovation
“destroy the value of an existing knowledge base”“disrupt an existing technological trajectory”
Radical Innovation
“destroy the value of an existing knowledge base”“disrupt an existing technological trajectory”
Radical and Incremental Waves
Time
Inn
ova
tio
n &
Ben
efit
s
Leifer, R. et al. (2000). Radical Innovation: How mature companies can outsmart upstarts. Harvard Business School Press.
Radical
Incremental
XML … The Movie
Movies – Games – Machinima Movie = XML Data stream
Actors, camera, words, sounds, mood Stream fed to different game engines
are reproduced uniquely Requires a standard data stream
Creates a new industry – digital scripts and rendering engines
Time
Pro
du
ct P
erfo
rman
ce Progre
ss due to
sustaining technologies
Performance demanded at the low end of the market
Performance demanded at the high end of the market
Christensen’s Disruptive Innovation
Progre
ss due to
disruptiv
e technologies
Market disruption opportunity
Christensen, C. (1997). The Innovator’s Dilemma. Harvard Business Press.
Time
Pro
du
ct P
erfo
rman
ce
Normaliz
ed
Sustaining Technologies
Multi-Technology Disruption
3D Engine
Persistence
Physics AI
Network
ing GUI
Disruptive Game Technologies
Multi-Technology Disruption(Kiviat Graph) 3D
Physics
AI
GUI
Network
Persistence
Military TechGame TechGame Potential
Industry Disruption Potential
Military Simulation
Medicine Education Entertainment
Architecture
Exploration
60% 20%
70%
90%
90%
20%
IndustrySize
GameEntry
GamePotential
Products•Cool Things
Customers•Cool People
Resources, Processes & Values
Resources•Valuable Assets•What we are good at
Values•Focus, Culture•What we care about
Processes•Creative Process•How we do it
$
Energy
$
Energy
Christensen, C. (2005). Seeing What’s Next. Harvard Business Press.
X
X
Change
Value Chain Evolution
3D Engine is a limited solution Shift to other needs to keep growing
Target “Not Good Enough” User Experience – intuitive, quick understanding JIT Exercises – scenario development Rapid DB Build – rapid terrain/environment Lower Costs – affordable upgrades, wider distribution Easier Deployment – smaller HW footprint, larger
audience Target Non-consumption
Bring 3D experiences to customers who never used 3D before
Give them an alternative to their old solutions
References Christensen, C. (1997). The Innovator’s Dilemma: When new
technologies cause great firms to fail. Harvard Business School Press.
Christensen, C. & Raynor, M. (2003). The Innovator’s Solution: Creating and sustaining successful growth. HBS Press.
Christensen, Anthony, & Roth. (2005). Seeing What’s Next: Using the Theories of Innovation to Predict Industry Change. HBS Press.
Leifer, R. et al. (2000). Radical Innovation: How mature companies can outsmart upstarts. Harvard Business School Press.