Structure of the digital gaming industry as a domain of the digital economy: contemporary endemics and their interconnections

Abstract

Since the sales of the first computers and game consoles, the digital gaming industry has rapidly evolved and grown into a distinct sector of the digital economy, which has a global impact on culture and entertainment. The process of evolution has not only complicated the structure of the digital gaming industry, but has also formed several endemic spheres within it, each with different categorization, roles in the production of the final product, means of production, and individual gaming products. It is the interaction of the aforementioned endemic spheres that shape the functionality of the digital gaming industry as a sector of the digital economy and determines its production levels. Therefore, the article aims to characterize the structure of the digital gaming industry as a sector of the digital economy. According to the research findings, it has been proven that the structure of the digital gaming industry is complex and encompasses various endemic spheres, including hardware devices, software development, game creation, game publishing, game journalism, and gaming itself. The research findings have demonstrated that each endemic sphere plays an important role in the development of the digital gaming industry and has its functions in the production of digital games. For example, the endemic sphere of hardware devices is focused on creating the necessary devices for generating interactive visual images. The endemic sphere of software development is focused on managing hardware devices through specialized software. The game creation endemic sphere, on the other hand, utilizes existing gaming platforms and software products to create unique digital games based on their creative ideas, often referred to as "master copies" of the games. The endemic sphere of game publishing facilitates the sale and distribution of created digital games through specialized channels. The game journalism endemic sphere, on the other hand, is responsible for disseminating information about games among a large number of gamers, providing reviews, news, and coverage related to the gaming industry. The еndemic gaming sphere organizes the effective consumption of products within the digital gaming industry. Research has shown that the interconnections between the endemic spheres of the digital gaming industry are crucial factors for its development. The presence of interconnections allows for the simultaneous existence of both large companies producing high-budget blockbuster games and individual creators developing their independent games without financial backing.