Retailers introduce console streaming

There will soon be no need for trips to the local GameStop. All of the big-name retailers’ video games are going to be coming straight to your living room with the advent of game streaming.

GameStop recently announced plans to begin streaming console and PC games nationwide to PlayStation 3s, Xbox 360s and PCs sometime next year.

The company has already begun beta testing the service after acquiring Spawn Labs, a company specializing in game streaming technology, last March. A closed beta testing session is scheduled to start in the next couple months.

In short, GameStop is basically pulling a Netflix by trying to capitalize on instant streaming.

But what does the future hold for this new technology?

So far, GameStop has announced few details, but the idea sounds solid. We live in an era in which entertainment is instantly accessible with the click of a mouse. If we can stream movies and TV shows, then why can’t we stream video games?

GameStop’s business move is more than practical: it’s respectable. Considering the immensity of the market, instant streaming is the next logical step. Contrary to stereotypes portraying gamers as primarily reclusive young males, a 2006 study conducted by Associated Press-AOL Games concluded approximately 40 percent of Americans play video games.

With such a large number of potential gamers, GameStop’s plans for instant streaming hold a lot of potential for future success. People won’t have to buy games at full price or wait for GameFly discs to arrive by mail anymore. The technology will give consumers the ability to casually browse and test games without having to commit to buying them.

Given the current status of our economy, people aren’t so quick to run out and buy a single game with a $50 price tag. Thus, a leisurely streaming service offering full access to numerous games is an ideal way to keep gamers interested.

GameStop’s plans signal that the video game industry is changing to become more of a “can-do-everything” service. Remember the days when consoles were built for the sole purpose of playing compatible video game cartridges? Now PlayStation 3s double as high-definition Blu-ray players and Xbox 360s carry internal Wi-Fi and 250GB hard drives. It’s as though console is the new word for computer.

With such possibilities, it’s no wonder GameStop wants to expand the game industry. If anything, GameStop’s move is an incredibly intuitive one that is responding to the public’s increasing desire for convenient, multifunctional technology. People should have the option to stream games directly to their consoles just like they can stream movies and TV shows to their laptops.

Of course, with any new technological development, there are bound to be initial problems with the service once it is released.

For one, GameStop will be competing with Gaikai and OnLive, two companies that offer streaming services exclusively for PC games. But GameStop’s addition of console games puts the other two companies at a significant disadvantage, and it is difficult to tell whether or not the competition will be brutal.

Some people are also hesitant to laud GameStop’s plans so soon. Internet posts are already speculating problems to accompany the future service, namely how much bandwidth it will require, how high the prices will be and whether multiplayer will be a viable option.

If GameStop has learned anything from its Netflix doppelgänger, it should be that price hikes are out of the question. Streaming must remain at a reasonable price if GameStop hopes to create a stable, dedicated coalition of subscribers.

Though several of these concerns are indeed plausible, it is too early to tell whether GameStop will invest enough time and energy into its service before launching it. Once the closed beta testing session begins by the end of this year, hopefully it will become clearer as to what type of service this will really be and whether or not GameStop is truly serious about making this technology a reliable and efficient one.

The idea of instant streaming has the potential to be revolutionary for the game industry, but it cannot succeed without price checks, quality streaming and, above all, a more-than-satisfactory game collection.

Hannah Muniz is a junior double majoring in East Asian languages and cultures and English (creative writing). Her column “Game Over” runs Wednesdays.