Forbes -- Why Steve Jobs Deserves Credit as a Video Game Pioneer

Recently, Apple and Steve Jobs were cited by 1,000 industry professionals as the most influential person in gaming. Now Forbes is helping validate that claim with an analysis of the industry we all enjoy. I've pulled a couple noteworthy sections for your reading pleasure.

Anyone who's paid close attention to the gaming industry today - and not those who just play the top-tier console and PC games - can see that the future of games is migrating away from the console and to mobile devices. Apple's iPhone ushered in a revolution in smartphones, which in turn changed the dynamic of games. Look at how much money game giants like Electronic Arts have invested in the mobile space, acquiring game studios like PopCap, Chillingo and Firemint. That wouldn't have happened without the iPhone.Forbes

Indeed. The article continues.

The future of gaming is not the PS4 or the next Xbox. And I wouldn't have written that before the iPad launched. The future of gaming is having a portable tablet device that's as powerful as any console; that you can take with you with all of your games and entertainment. And Jobs was a pioneer in steering the game industry in this direction.Forbes

Correct.

So where does that leave us? What do you think of the influence Apple and Steve Jobs had on gaming? Do you agree with it, or disagree with it? Do you think there was someone else who had a bigger influence? If so, who and why? Article credits in the spoiler.

John Gaudiosi:I've been covering the video game space for almost 20 years for outlets like The Washington Post, Reuters, CNET, AOL, Wired Magazine, Yahoo!, Entertainment Weekly, NBC, Variety, Maxim, and Rosebud Magazine. I serve as EIC of Gamerlive.tv and co-founder of LiveContent Networks, a video game and technology video syndication network, and cover games for outlets like The Hollywood Reporter and GamePro Magazine.

(Bonus quote and linkage below.)

Before the iPhone and iPad, Apple was never a company interested in games. Most big titles shipped on PC only. Even today, few big games are released for Mac. But none of that matters. Jobs was able to create devices that successfully took gaming, and entertainment, to the masses through simplified functionality and a quality experience.Forbes

Booyah.

UPDATE: For those saying it was just because he died, it's obvious you didn't take the time to peek at the article. This is for you:

The people filling out those forms weren't just giving Jobs credit posthumously; they were also looking to the future of gaming. And when we look back at the game industry 10 years from now, it will be obvious how influential Jobs smartphones and tablets were in steering the game industry in a new, more mainstream direction.Forbes

Please do your due dilligence before spouting the traditional racket, thank you. Discussions are so much more interesting when posts aren't meaningless.

Why he doesn't: Because he didn't actually do anything to pioneer video games.

Why they say he did: Because he died.

How many games did he make again?

Oh...i see, he died, that's why they want to include him in everything.

Why he doesn't: Because he didn't actually do anything to pioneer video games.

Why they say he did: Because he died.

Busted.

Read the article. Here's another quote for your sake-

The people filling out those forms weren't just giving Jobs credit posthumously; they were also looking to the future of gaming. And when we look back at the game industry 10 years from now, it will be obvious how influential Jobs smartphones and tablets were in steering the game industry in a new, more mainstream direction.Forbes

So it is written.

"This wouldnt of happened if it wasnt for the iPhone" stopped reading there, it was happening either way. apple was just the first most popular singular branding that influenced it... nothing more.

Jobs did nothing towards this.... it was just a coincidental occurance.

Ontop of that, there are different tiers of gaming, even if a tablet had as much power as a console (easily possible now.) youd be cutting down on a whole load of genres to make that work.

But yea, praise jobs for accidentally doing something, doesnt change the fact that OS X for gaming is LOL let alone iOS outside of those simple games....

And then his lack of anything dedicated to developers.... or open source material.

I could go on, but then you are incapable of a proper debate on this subject as displayed in previous threads.

The only actual game he made was Break Breaker.

At Best, he only indirectly helped the game industry by promoting the multifunctionality use of the Iphone

He was a great businessman, nothing else.

[QUOTE="MacBoomStick"]

Why he doesn't: Because he didn't actually do anything to pioneer video games.

Why they say he did: Because he died.

musicalmac

Busted.

Read the article. Here's another quote for your sake-

The people filling out those forms weren't just giving Jobs credit posthumously; they were also looking to the future of gaming. And when we look back at the game industry 10 years from now, it will be obvious how influential Jobs smartphones and tablets were in steering the game industry in a new, more mainstream direction.Forbes

So it is written.

Another example: "Micheal Jackson was the greatest artist of all time!"

They say that they aren't giving credit because he died but they actually are. Same deal with Michael Jackson

I personally agree the the iPhone and the iPad are going to be the most influential devices heading of this decade (until 2020), and will reshape console/handheld gaming entirely.

Nintendo's been worrying about Apple since the iPhone, and Sony's in the red with their current "big budget, big losses" strategy (no surprise there).

Microsoft seems to be moving forward within the industry, but not quite as fast as Apple. Next gen should see drastically different pricing schemes on the consoles, and online market place, and probably way, way more emphasis on all things entertainment in a box (which we already see the PS3/360 heading in that direction).

I'm honestly pretty excited to see how things turn out. I mean who knows what these changes will result in? Entire companies could crumble because of them.

"This wouldnt of happened if it wasnt for the iPhone" stopped reading there, it was happening either way. apple was just the first most popular singular branding that influenced it... nothing more.

Jobs did nothing towards this.... it was just a coincidental occurance.

Ontop of that, there are different tiers of gaming, even if a tablet had as much power as a console (easily possible now.) youd be cutting down on a whole load of genres to make that work.

But yea, praise jobs for accidentally doing something, doesnt change the fact that OS X for gaming is LOL let alone iOS outside of those simple games....

And then his lack of anything dedicated to developers.... or open source material.

I could go on, but then you are incapable of a proper debate on this subject as displayed in previous threads.

Another example: "Micheal Jackson was the greatest artist of all time!"

They say that they aren't giving credit because he died but they actually are. Same deal with Michael Jackson

So how can we bash/praise this if no system is really involved? This thread seems out of place here. Either way I don't see how he is a video game pioneer, he just created a popular platform for games to be put on.

Another example: "Micheal Jackson was the greatest artist of all time!"

They say that they aren't giving credit because he died but they actually are. Same deal with Michael Jackson

Nah, Il have a windows 8 tablet that is actually able to do what a laptop/pc can do. not some phone O.S on a blown up screen ;)PC360Wii

I'd love to see what a Windows 8 tablet can do.

Imagine it being able to play all PC games from like 2003ish and before? That is of course if you get a keyboard attachment for many games...

Or if a website such as GoG were to create a 'GoG app' for Windows 8 that would allow you to play all those really old PC games with a virtual on-screen keyboard, and you could use touch controls in place of a mouse? BEST PORTABLE EVER!!!!!!!!!

I too am waiting for the Windows 8 tablets before I make the jump. Mostly because if they support MS Office then I can ditch carrying around six pound laptops!

Steve Jobs isn't directly linked to the game sidustry nor was that one of his top priorities. Tablet and smart phone gaming hasn't taken off enough or been around long enough to call him a pioneer. Just becasue Steve Jobs influenced technology, it dosen't mean he has been impactful for gaming. Tablet gaming hasn't given us anything we haven't seen before. The best games for the platfors are ports like PvZ and Machinarium and the most popular are console rip offs. Videogame pioneer, I say no.

I don't think he influenced video gaming the way the article states. I think definitely, Apple and Jobs changed the way the handheld market works. More mainstream players find it OK to play games on a cell phone than carrying around a dedicated machine. I think iOS is a great avenue for developers to break out into the industry, there's lots of indie developers with neat ideas that work on the iOS store. It has a low barrier to cost and you can reach a wider market than a dedicated console machine. That being said, do I think Steve Jobs himself is a "video game pioneer"? No, not yet anyway. All of this is relatively short term. I'd be more interested to see the direction things head in the next 10 years or so.

In terms of personal preference, I hate playing games on a phone. I don't like touch only controls generally and I don't really like virtual buttons on the iPhone. I much prefer a dedicated machine like a 3DS, plus I'm more willing to pay top dollar for Mario than buy a game for 0.99 and have it be disposable after a few minutes.

In terms of consoles I don't think Jobs or Apple have much influence. They might, if they have something else up their sleeves.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2011/11/04/steve-jobs-and-apples-influence-on-gaming-massively-overstated/.

nice source mod.

Glad to see there is some sanity on that website...

Steve Jobs isn't directly linked to the game sidustry nor was that one of his top priorities. Tablet and smart phone gaming hasn't taken off enough or been around long enough to call him a pioneer. Just becasue Steve Jobs influenced technology, it dosen't mean he has been impactful for gaming. Tablet gaming hasn't given us anything we haven't seen before. The best games for the platfors are ports like PvZ and Machinarium and the most popular are console rip offs. Videogame pioneer, I say no.

15strong

This. Jobs and Apple may have had an impact on the direction of technology in general, but he really hasn't done anything for gaming.

Oh, and the Angry Birds example? People just found a way to monetize previously free content, kinda like DLC. That's not an advancement for gaming in general, just marketing.

nice source mod.

illmatic87

Worms want to turn him into some kind of legend, but I heard he was really kind of a jerk and tyrant that was very weird and hard to deal with.

Worms want to turn him into some kind of legend, but I heard he was really kind of a jerk and tyrant that was very weird and hard to deal with.

Bigboi500

I called this a long time ago and I think once we get proper iTV/Apple TV styIe TVs it's going to absolutely destroy the traditional games console model as we know it.

Mobile lifestyIe devices like the ubiquitous smartphones and soon to be ubiquitous tablets along with the already ubiquitous home entertainment unit, the TV, are the future of all the entertainment needs for the vast majority of consumers out there.

In the future you won't see someone carrying around portable handheld consoles or playing games on their dedicated home console boxes and instead you will see most people playing games on their phones, tablets and TVs, as well as using them for all their other entertainment needs too, like watching movies, listening to music, surfing the Internet, reading books, checking emails, face to face chats with people, even things like document creation and drawing/painting etc etc etc.

Phone, tablet (with proper stylus support) and TV. Those 3 devices will pretty much covers all your bases.

[QUOTE="Bigboi500"]

Worms want to turn him into some kind of legend, but I heard he was really kind of a jerk and tyrant that was very weird and hard to deal with.

PC360Wii

Worms want to turn him into some kind of legend, but I heard he was really kind of a jerk and tyrant that was very weird and hard to deal with.

Bigboi500

How's that different from other famous people? Strangely enough, even the most influential people in history can be d!cks as well. It's natural.

[QUOTE="MacBoomStick"]

Why he doesn't: Because he didn't actually do anything to pioneer video games.

Why they say he did: Because he died.

musicalmac

Busted.

Read the article. Here's another quote for your sake-

The people filling out those forms weren't just giving Jobs credit posthumously; they were also looking to the future of gaming. And when we look back at the game industry 10 years from now, it will be obvious how influential Jobs smartphones and tablets were in steering the game industry in a new, more mainstream direction.Forbes

So it is written.

Didn't Nintendo already do that with both the Nintendo DS and Wii and Sony with the Playstation 2? :?

Yes, it is understandable from a business point of view. However, from a creative point of view, his very presence in lists like this is insulting. So it just depends on the parameters.

[QUOTE="MacBoomStick"]

Why he doesn't: Because he didn't actually do anything to pioneer video games.

Why they say he did: Because he died.

musicalmac

Busted.

Read the article. Here's another quote for your sake-

The people filling out those forms weren't just giving Jobs credit posthumously; they were also looking to the future of gaming. And when we look back at the game industry 10 years from now, it will be obvious how influential Jobs smartphones and tablets were in steering the game industry in a new, more mainstream direction.Forbes

So it is written.

If Forbes said it wasn't posthumously credited, it musn't be then. :roll:

Damage control :lol:

most influential, sure.. but it's not a very good influence imo.

Well then I'd say whoever invented the television was the biggest video game pioneer of all. :P

[QUOTE="illmatic87"]

nice source mod.

musicalmac

Why he doesn't: Because he didn't actually do anything to pioneer video games.

Why they say he did: Because he died.

MacBoomStick

If tablets take over the market, I'll have one less expensive hobby.

All that really needs to be said.

Portable devices existed before Jobs, and they will exist after him. Like everything with Jobs, his influence is massively overstated.

Dennis Ritchie died around the same time and he DEFINITELY did a lot more for video games than Jobs.ActionRemix

If tablets take over the market, I'll have one less expensive hobby.

All that really needs to be said.

TreyoftheDead

Ditto. I have little interest in portable gaming.

The future of gaming is in the cloud.

The future is not on one specific deivce, but all devices big and small.

this article is full of such total horse ****, i dont even know where to begin or end.

It is a pretentious magazine, talking on a subject of which they have shallow if not downright laughable knowledge of, in order to pretentiously idolize a man whose influence in this area, if any at all, is generally recognized (by actual gamers) as a 100% negative one.

That is the "swear free," cliff notes version.

The future of gaming is in the cloud.

The future is not on one specific deivce, but all devices big and small.

Rikusaki

that is just as horrific as Forbe's vision for what gaming will become. If that is the case, I will stop gaming entirely (at least on any new games).

The future of gaming is in the cloud.

The future is not on one specific deivce, but all devices big and small.

Rikusaki

oh god, you're still alive.BrunoBRS

Of course I'm alive, silly!

Just took a break from SW, that's all.