1.1 Introduction

We define entertainment media as entertainment products and services that rely upon digital technology. These include traditional media that now use digital production processes such as movies, TV, computer animation, and music, as well as emerging services for wireless and broadband, electronic toys, video games, edutainment, and location-based entertainment (ranging from PC game rooms to theme parks).

Digital entertainment media is unique in that its products and services are intimately tied to digital technology, which has been in a continuous state of innovation since its inception. Each new generation of integrated circuits has the potential to shake-up the landscape of market leaders, products and services that are possible, and boundaries between market segments. Arguably, digital technology innovation today is driven by entertainment applications. The need for faster, low-power processors, high bandwidth networks, and high-resolution displays are primarily for mass-entertainment applications.

Although digital entertainment relies heavily upon technology, it is equally dependent upon creative art, content, and design. It has been demonstrated time and time again (from web portals to broadband networks to electronic toys to video game consoles to digital audio formats) that state-of-the-art products and services will fail in the marketplace without compelling content or creative intellectual property (CIP).

1.2 Digital Entertainment Media Importance to the Developing World

The low cost of computing combined with low labor costs make the developing world ideal for developing new entertainment products and services. What is lacking, and what is required is the generation of artistic and creative intellectual property and imagineering. Youth in developing countries need to be given the skills to act as a catalyst and permeate creative intellectual property to companies and industries, as well as to make their own start-up companies. This will allow the huge potential of the entertainment media industry to be catalyzed from developing countries as an export market.

Digital games open up vast opportunities for future growth. Video game sales exceed US$ 20 billion worldwideFootnote 1 exceeding box office ticket sales for film. Computer animation is a US$ 25 billion-dollar industryFootnote 2 with more and more designs finding their ways into film, television, and multimedia. The market is expected to be bright due to the fact that according to the Interactive Digital Software Association, the average American gamer is 28. Older consumers tend to have more disposable income to spend on games than do teenagers. Increasing demand worldwide, high production costs in the US, Japan, and Europe, and the availability of new distribution channels (wireless, broadband, etc.), can allow developing countries to be major players in the US$ 45 billion world of digital entertainment.

The production of digital entertainment is extremely labor intensive. It provides high-paying jobs worldwide. It is very accessible (doesn’t require extensive sciences or language background). And the allure of digital entertainment makes it easy to motivate students, even those whom the education system has “written off”. Students with minimum experience can acquire a two year Associate Degree that will allow them to contribute to society and earn a decent living doing something they enjoy.

Western designers create intellectual property for worldwide audiences. Developing countries have not been strong in this area. Most manufacturers there are reluctant to invest in activities that don’t provide immediate returns. Thus they lack the resources for creative development. We need to help companies transition from original equipment manufacturing (OEM), to brand-ownership.

1.3 Benefits to Local Industry in Developing Countries

  1. 1.

    Create rewarding and exciting career opportunities for local university students in a new and promising field: Digital Entertainment is perfectly suited for developing countries environment. The local employment market would also receive huge benefits from the growth of such a new and promising industry. By providing training to local university students and equip them with the latest knowledge and understand on Entertainment, fresh local university graduates can immediately contribute to this booming area.

  2. 2.

    Through developing and transitioning leading-edge new media and human interface technology, developing countries will be part of this high impact global market.

  3. 3.

    Development of new technologies will act as a lighthouse for attracting foreign direct investment and encourage the presence of more multinationals in developing world.

  4. 4.

    New companies will be spun off as a result of the commercialization of new technology.

  5. 5.

    Increase private investment in research.

  6. 6.

    Infusion of talent in the region because the entertainment industry will become a magnet for attracting and retaining world-class students.

1.4 Conclusion

By entertaining the whole world, we allow the benefits of the huge digital entertainment industry to be felt in developing countries. This allows local developers with very little cost and equipment to develop games and apps to distribute on the global market. It also increases the creativity index of the youth which will further benefit the economy and the society.