Game On

Videogames have come a long way from their humble 8-bit beginnings, as evidenced by breakthroughs like the Wii and Kinect. The formerly niche pastime is seeing a mainstream revival as it evolves as a form of art as much as a form of entertainment. Now, console and game developers are further expanding their cultural reach by introducing new formats designed to engage increasingly diverse audiences.

Hackable Gaming: Hacking has become an integral—and even respected—part of Gen Y culture. The release of the Kinect introduced many to the creativity afforded by open source hardware. More recently, a new Kickstarter project is raising money to launch the first intentionally open source console. The OUYA is a $99 Android-powered TV console that’s built to encourage hacking and the development of low-budget games. The device is intended to reignite the communal experience of “living room gaming” by giving developers a more imaginative platform than typical mobile and social games afford. Set to be released next spring, it’s already raised more than $5.5 million in crowdfunding.

Cloud Gaming: Cloud technology has altered young people’s music consumption habits and now it's now wielding influence on videogames. OnLive, a popular subscription service once rumored to be a “potential acquisition target” for Microsoft, provides unlimited access to a cloud library of more than 200 high-end titles. Big Fish Games just announced Big Fish Unlimited, a service through which subscribers can play up to a thousand games from its expansive collection. All titles are available within four seconds, and accessible from any device. Meanwhile, Sony Computer Entertainment just purchased cloud-based gaming service Gaikai for $380 million, an acquisition that has caused much speculation about the future of PlayStation.

Hardcore Tablet Gaming: It seems like just yesterday that Project Fiona was the sweetheart of CES. Since then, hardcore tablet gaming has found a committed audience, thanks to groundbreaking app titles like Aurora Feint. Phoenix Guild, a new startup from Aurora Feint founder Jason Citron that’s raised $1.1 million in funding, seeks to expand the genre by developing “post-PC” games that leverage touchscreen capabilities and other unique tablet features. At the same time, Amazon just announced GameCircle, a new service for the Kindle Fire that connects players and even syncs games between devices. Launched with APIs available to developers, fans of the tablet device now have another reason to remain Amazon-loyal.