The Unforseen Effect of 9/11
The message the 9/11 Bombings carry was loud and devastating: shatter its defenses and raze to the ground Corporate America. Five years later, little did everyone know this would catalyzed a new industry: homeland security. The gaming world didn’t not go unchanged as well. Some of the companies underwent transformation to adapt and to survive.
Take for example the case of BreakAway Ltd. Prior to the attack, this developer was primarily known in the strategy game market and focuses largely on entertainment. Some of its more known titles include Sid Meier’s Antietam (1998), the 2000 expansion Cleopatra: Queen of the Nile for Pharaoh and Waterloo: Napoleon’s Last Battle. After September 11, reinvention for them occurred.
According to Breakaway Ltd. Chief Executive Officer Doug Whatley, “Since 9/11 what we call the ‘serious side’ of gaming exploded.” Now his company is one of the largest developers of serious game, with 80% of their output related to defense and homeland security. The games they make today primarily train people with war and disaster simulations.
Also, BreakAway has a standing partnership with key private companies (AAI, Boeing, Booz Allen Hamilton, GMA Industries, and General Dynamics among others). Many government and military organizations including U.S. Military and the U.S. Department of Justice use BreakAway-developed software, as well.
America was changed yes, after almost 3,000 people perished that fateful day. As for the gaming industry, we can only imagine what more transformation it will undergo – what new more directions it will eventually turn to.
Via BaltimoreSun
The message the 9/11 Bombings carry was loud and devastating: shatter its defenses and raze to the ground Corporate America. Five years later, little did everyone know this would catalyzed a new industry: homeland security. The gaming world didn’t not go unchanged as well. Some of the companies underwent transformation to adapt and to survive.
Take for example the case of BreakAway Ltd. Prior to the attack, this developer was primarily known in the strategy game market and focuses largely on entertainment. Some of its more known titles include Sid Meier’s Antietam (1998), the 2000 expansion Cleopatra: Queen of the Nile for Pharaoh and Waterloo: Napoleon’s Last Battle. After September 11, reinvention for them occurred.
According to Breakaway Ltd. Chief Executive Officer Doug Whatley, “Since 9/11 what we call the ‘serious side’ of gaming exploded.” Now his company is one of the largest developers of serious game, with 80% of their output related to defense and homeland security. The games they make today primarily train people with war and disaster simulations.
Also, BreakAway has a standing partnership with key private companies (AAI, Boeing, Booz Allen Hamilton, GMA Industries, and General Dynamics among others). Many government and military organizations including U.S. Military and the U.S. Department of Justice use BreakAway-developed software, as well.
America was changed yes, after almost 3,000 people perished that fateful day. As for the gaming industry, we can only imagine what more transformation it will undergo – what new more directions it will eventually turn to.
Via BaltimoreSun
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