NPD Wants to Own Video Gaming Language
US company attempts to put words in your mouth
T is for Taxonomy
The video games industry is loaded with terms that overlap and that can be analysed in a variety of ways: "AAA game" for example. There is no strict definition. So, the idea of a unified language to describe the games business is a good one. The NPD Group, a leading market research company in the US, has announced its attempt to create such a thing.
It's developed the snappily titled 'Video Games Industry Taxonomy', a guide that it hopes will provide "the foundation for the proper classification and nomenclature within the burgeoning digital games space". In other words, NPD is hoping that the major industry players will jump on board and pick up on its ideas.
Initially this sounds like a good idea, however, it also reeks of marketing (as you'd expect – NPD is marketing company) but it's an interesting concept at least. A standardisation of the language used in the industry would be a welcome arrival but we fear it's never going to happen. All the main players work to their own internal policies and standards so, the possibility of them working together is negligible.
Much as NPD would like to be able to say that they've provided a set of standard definitions for the gaming industry to use, there are too many differences between industry big hitters for them to combine their language. It's a good idea that – like many others before it – seems destined to be tomorrow's fish and chip paper.
That said, we'd love to see Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo release figures that all agree on "sell through", "sell in", "shipped in". But we live in the land of clouds and cuckoos.
Source: NPD Group
It's developed the snappily titled 'Video Games Industry Taxonomy', a guide that it hopes will provide "the foundation for the proper classification and nomenclature within the burgeoning digital games space". In other words, NPD is hoping that the major industry players will jump on board and pick up on its ideas.
Initially this sounds like a good idea, however, it also reeks of marketing (as you'd expect – NPD is marketing company) but it's an interesting concept at least. A standardisation of the language used in the industry would be a welcome arrival but we fear it's never going to happen. All the main players work to their own internal policies and standards so, the possibility of them working together is negligible.
Much as NPD would like to be able to say that they've provided a set of standard definitions for the gaming industry to use, there are too many differences between industry big hitters for them to combine their language. It's a good idea that – like many others before it – seems destined to be tomorrow's fish and chip paper.
That said, we'd love to see Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo release figures that all agree on "sell through", "sell in", "shipped in". But we live in the land of clouds and cuckoos.
Source: NPD Group
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