The Toys and Games Industry - Essay Example

The Toys and Games Industry By Introduction The toys and gaming industry for a long time has been an ignored sector of the economy. Investors rarely thought of the industry as a viable business project, rather it was considered a pushover, while evaluating other sectors like farming and education for instance. However, as the saying goes, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Recent statistics has been evidence to the fact that the toy and gaming industry is considered as a potential moneymaker for interested financiers. The sector has undergone a major revitalization from late 20th century majorly boosted by the great advancement in technology (Chris, 2010, 3). Toys and gaming go hand in hand with the level in technology. For this reason, the recent discoveries and innovations on technology have resulted as a new lifeline for the toys and gaming industry. More to that, the opening up of markets thanks to liberalization and globalization has seen huge strides being made to enter new markets. Products made in Japan for instance have seen their way to countries in Europe and those in Africa. Probably motivated by the lack of key players to dominate the market, the toys and gaming industry has seen a great increase interested players in the market, each potential manufacturer seeking to establish a name and satisfy the niche in the provision of gaming products. The fact that toys and games are universal products makes the commodity and another kid in London would play easy target for globalization as a game played by a kid in Dubai for instance (White, 2011, 1). It is therefore really an object not influenced by subjectivity rather sales will be affected by the strategies employed sales and marketing Thesis Now this paper will attempt to address the growing industry of toys and gaming as regards to globalization. Focus will be given to the issues arising in the industry because of globalization and industrialization. Unambiguous points will be highlighted on the recommended form of parental control to handle children involved in the toys and games. The general mood of the public will also be described following the revamped area of the economy. Background The toys and gaming sector started very long ago (Chris, 2010, 3). In fact, the ancestors are said to have participated in games such as stick and dirt among other games of play. Science lays proof on the vital need for play in a child’s development. Doctors suggest that the play is highly essential for the proper growth of a child as it improves their cognitive abilities through induction and deduction. Experiments have even further confirmed this as evidenced through poor reasoning abilities among children who have not had the play included in their daily regimes. These shocking revelations might have come as a shock to many given the low regard to toys and gaming especially by the strict kinds of parents. Consequently, they have had no other choice but to loosen their strictness and allow room for play. Possibly, it would yield a great boost to the toys and gaming industry, and a boost it was if recent statistics is to go by (White, 2011, 1). The increased numbers of gaming stores are a practical manifestation of the game being changed. Posters everywhere as well as use of marketing strategies not commonly used such as the use of social media are a true testimony of the above assertion. Body The integration of economies in the world has the obvious outcome of establishing an economy that is of a capitalism nature. Singularity in doing business makes businesses open to availability of new markets in regions all over the world. More to that, companies seek to find the cheapest costs available in producing commodities to the extent of outsourcing certain services, given the objective of making profit. For this reason, division of labor becomes an important concept to be employed by management of a given company. The concept of globalization also opens forums for benchmarking in order to asses one’s performance with comparison of other appropriate companies. Chances of merging and acquisitions are also very accessible with the long-term objectives of market dominance and profit. Such are the repercussions of globalization in the broader scale. Disentangling from previous ways of toy making has been one way that has helped revamp the gaming industry (Fegerson, 2006, 4). In the past, children were used to hearing messages of what adults wanted out of them. It would seem as a way of making a child grow up in the proper manner. However, thanks to the restrictive nature of the commodities children were not getting entertained, leading to a huge drop in sales of the products. Ultimately, companies such as Disney who for a long time seemed to be the leading giants introduced a new form of toys that would simulate rather than repeat a constant message that was probably not interesting for the children (Consalvo, 2009, 12). On its own, this new form of play came as a revelation for players in the industry. It was clear that the toys and games needed to be interactive for them to be interesting enough. They had to take the child out of the serious, boring world and take them on a roller coaster full of fantasies. That way children will keep on consuming the product without tire leading to increased sales for the company in question. Another issue that comes up has been the emerging cultivation of a fashion cycle. Through this cycle, children are drawn to wanting some preference, which is in a given form. This trend is universally being experienced if sales figures on games such as the famous Grand Theft Auto V are to go by. That form of gaming is the kind that seems to be drawing children to an adult fashion rather than keep children within their cocoons. This is considering the level of secular content that is within those games, which is characterized with much sexual content, as well as violence (Fegerson, 2006, 6). Sadly, enough, those very attributes keep the customers, children in this case consuming the product. Good examples are the Barbie doll and G.I Joe, which seemed to contravene the parents’ concept of toys. The two products were different from what parents were used to; rather they broke the tradition with an air of commercialism. They were marketed with the help of certain major media events and the trend rose at great strides leading to the likes of Pokémon, Harry Porter and Super Mario. Gaming and toys were revolutionalised indeed with the cultural aspects of the new toy industry being justified by the new role that parents took. Children received autonomity as human beings and parents were reduced to only mediators in the gaming and toy industry (Fegerson, 2006, 5). Furthermore, the feminism uprising that was resurgent at the time threw a turmoil to parents as they were not sure what message was appropriate for their children. It was not clear to them, the amount of violence and sexual content was manageable to include in toys and games (Fegerson, 2006, 6). That was an occurrence in the gaming firm took full advantage of and getting the outcome of increased attention from children. It was adventurous for the children getting to relate to something that is rather fun and out of the ordinary. The globalization illustration is through two toys whose presence in the toy industry marked the evolution of the industry. Matter of fact it would be in order considering them as game changers, given the influence that they brought to the industry and the economy as a whole. First, the Barbie doll, started in the United States was one toy that gained popularity quickly. The toy’s skin color and mode of dressing represented a rather strange outlook that traditional mothers found provoking. Nevertheless, the ability of the doll to relate with a big number of female children saw a rise in its fame to the extent of even spreading to other countries. Alterations, however, were necessary to make the toy appropriate in different cultures, given the fact that the product came to be consumed in over 140 countries (White, 2011, 1). The Islamic Barbie for instance was dressed in a hijaab and made to speak in Islam. The initial Barbie with the natural American traits that seemed to be naturally appealing. Nevertheless, this did not stop the great lengths that the mother company took at marketing the product across to even Mexico (White, 2011, 1). Barbie was a perfect definition of accessorizing with the ideology of happiness could be easily achieved as through wearing a fur coat or some other classy form of dressing. That notion of consumerism can be related to that of the post-war economy experienced among adults that led to increased business for consumption goods. Favorable transport, as well as the strong marketing strategies, supported the popularity of the commodity as reflected through sales levels. Secondly, Bob the builder was another toy developed in the concept of a commercial toy. It was built behind the theme of the television show that was airing in America. Significantly, the same show contributed greatly to the popularity of the product, resulting in increased sales and growth of the mother company to the extent of venturing new markets. Just as the Barbie doll, Bob was tailored to suit the very differences that various groups of people have (White, 2011, 1). Countries that the toy is known to have ventured include Japan, Australia as well as Britain. Contrary to tradition, toys that have taken the form of commodities out of industrialization and globalization have acquired the stimulating effect different from the ancient one of satisfying desires. Given their different themes and contexts, these items are perceived as collectibles, which tend to be insatiable. The result is a series of gaming products for the children, which is reflected in greater sales for the company producing them. It is that play value of a commodity given much focus especially when creating the commodity leading to it being desired as something adventurous. However, a deep look into fashion relays a relationship with the past with capitalism perceived guilty of laying those past events to rest. Through capitalism, accounts in the past are overwritten by a more appealing story in the name of fashion. Nonetheless, aspects that can be traced from the memories of the past are evident although the zeal created by commodity culture overshadows the whole experience. It is the actual phenomenon on the modern globalized gaming and toy industry. Parent Control Because of the globalized system especially in the toys and gaming industry, there is a need for parents to be on keen attention of what their children are in contact with at playtime. The fact that control of what is produced in the market in terms of games and toys is out of their scope, they can only control what effect those commodities have on their children. It is not appropriate to assume that with modernization parent became less concerned with their children’s welfare rather it creates an opportunity for them to hover around when their kids are playing (Fegerson, 2006, 8). If anything, they are wiser and well informed, thus capable of making appropriate decisions as regards to the kind of gaming facilities healthy for their kids. Nevertheless, it is worth noting the trend in the toys industry where items with reduced parental messaging have greater demand compared to the traditional ones structured in such a way to mold the child into a future better person. The explanation for this scenario may be simple to understand as the matter can be traced back to when and where the toys were manufactured for instance. Usually, the intended theme to be passed across by such toys comes with some side story that might be ignored by the guardian. Considering that some of the toys were manufactured at an era when major social and political issues were raised through various avenues, some of the commodities too contain values of the issues being raised. More often than not, such attributes of the toys pass unnoticed by the guardians and end being too complex for the kids to comprehend. Conclusion The toys and gaming industry has witnessed the venturing of large corporations pushing craft businesses out of the market thanks to their muscle. Consequently, traditional toys and games have evolved into animated an interactive forms of play. With the industrialization also having a huge role to play in the sector, the traditional games such as blocks and trains have been replaced by games, which have a sense of novelty incorporated to their theme. Ultimately, children are stimulated due to higher the value of play. In turn, this has been reflected by more duration in playing and leading to increased sales to the companies responsible. In fact, the giant companies have introduced an element of insatiability in gaming meaning that the game is just like another commodity consumed repeatedly. Thanks to globalization huge support from movies and television has been witnessed in the toys and gaming industry. A practical example would be the commercialization of games like Tomb Raider through movies usually based on the same theme. For this reason, children are no longer purchasing generic toys as they can purchase easily, toys from all over the world containing their interests at heart. Part II Working on this project is enlightening as one is able to acknowledge the revolution that has taken place in the industry. Personally, learning on the effect of globalization in the toys industry was most interesting as I was capable of appreciating the benefits that accrue from it. Assessment of performance during the project is important as it helps give a sense of direction that is vital for this kind of business. For this reason the approach used in the project focuses on establishing the key factors that have resulted in the major shift in the industry. Addressing this specific items would help me assess the performance of the industry in the economy. Now having tackled those issues, a hypotheses can be generated for use that is not only relevant but also appropriate. Such a statement will be used to gauge the level of my research and thus determine my performance. Following this study, I have learnt that technology will greatly influence the toys and games industry and thus imperative to pay attention to the changes coming with it; more to that, learning of the reactions of the gaming industry has offered me knowledge in that aspect. Besides, the different ways in which the industry will respond to stimuli will offer a guide as to the approaches that ought to be used in future studies for example. References Barboza, D. (2007, September 11). Why Lead in Toy Paint its cheaper. The New York Times, p. 12. Barry, P. (2001). Classical Myth. Toys, 2(3), 1. Bordwell, D. (2006). A Brief History of making talking Dolls. 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