Video Gaming

Never short of eager programmers and willing testers, the computer game industry has long been both a hothouse and a proving ground for cutting-edge computer applications. Focusing on efforts to integrate artificial intelligence and the laws of physics into character response and movement, this program takes an inside look at how Britain's sophisticated computer game industry is pushing the envelope of creativity. Bullfrog Productions founder Peter Molyneux, designer of mega-hit computer role-playing games including Populous and Theme Park, is featured. (30 minutes)

Video games have come a long way since Pong and Pac-Man, and the development of that $25-billion industry is filled with useful business and technology case studies. This CNBC program explores the history of video gaming and takes viewers behind the scenes of the industry's success stories and failures. Interviews with key figures-including the architect of Xbox, the former chairman of Nintendo of America, and the founding father of video game technology-illuminate the birth, evolution, and present-day dynamics of the video game market. In addition to the corporate side of the industry, the program examines the cutting-edge process of computer game product development. Not available in French-speaking Canada. (90 minutes)

Electronic gaming has come a long way since the first Space Invaders machines appeared in local shopping centers. Today, video games are highly sophisticated and make up a lucrative global business-larger, by some calculations, than the film and music industries combined. This program features the expertise of gamers and game developers alike, venturing behind the scenes to explore the making of games as well as examining their uses in education and leisure. Viewers are also given a glimpse into the future of video game design and development. For coursework focusing on high-tech business, instructional technology, or the entertainment industry, this is an ideal teaching tool. (30 minutes)

From Pong and Donkey Kong to Final Fantasy and Tomb Raider, this program traces the remarkable history of video games by studying the companies, technologies, and economics that are fueling the industry in Japan, the U.S., and France. It also seeks to understand the driving force behind the video game's phenomenal cultural penetration while offering insights into the rigorous development and aggressive multichannel marketing of games and game consoles. The inevitable convergence of the video game and film industries and the impact of the Internet as a global gaming environment are also considered. (51 minutes)