Major publishers are losing interest in the category of single-player games and looking to networks for the answer. Some consumers and professionals criticize the direction. Publishers seek to extend franchise life cycles and increase revenue.

Throughout the 1980s, the first studies into the psychological effects of video games began to appear. Mature themes in video games have always been present and debated. Scientific research remains inconclusive about the psychological effects of video games.

At GDC Europe, EEDAR cofounder Greg Short caused a stir when he suggested that games-on-demand services, such as Gaikai, will put social games on the chopping block. Will games on demand kill social games? Let’s look at the marketing problem.