Activision Blizzard is one of the largest gaming companies in the world, with numerous A-list titles such as World of Warcraft, Call of Duty, and Overwatch. Activision is one of three gaming companies ever to make the fortune 500 list, and presumably should be a forerunner in the gaming industry with strong titles competitively and for single player. Recently, however, the … [Read more...] about New Millennium Business: The Call of Duty Problem
Archives for November 2018
New Millennium Business: The Chess Economy
As Magnus Carlsen successfully defends his title by winning tiebreakers at the World Chess Championship, chess as a sport has garnered a great deal of attention in the past few weeks. Viewership numbers on twitch and YouTube have indicated that the audience following the match is likely far greater than just regular consumers of chess-related content. The challenger, Fabiano … [Read more...] about New Millennium Business: The Chess Economy
The Music Industrialist: Pop Song Formula
An oft-lodged complaint at mainstream, Top 40 pop music is that it lacks musical diversity, following a consistent “formula” of sorts. Indeed, a cursory listen to the radio reveals countless songs that follow the same structure, (ABABCB - “Verse-Chorus-Verse-Chorus-Bridge-Chorus”), the same chord progression (I-V-vi-IV or any combination thereof), and the same tempo, usually … [Read more...] about The Music Industrialist: Pop Song Formula
Stand Up or Kill Yourself: The Moral Balancing Act of Suicide-Related Comedy -Michael Savio
If you’ve ever felt sad or lonely, wished you could just be anyone but yourself, and been so down in the dumps that you didn't know what to do next, then Bo Burnham has the perfect remedy for you: kill yourself. Via an up-tempo piano ballad in his most recent Netflix special Make Happy (2016), Burnham wistfully, yet ruthlessly, indicts both the pop music stars who commodify … [Read more...] about Stand Up or Kill Yourself: The Moral Balancing Act of Suicide-Related Comedy -Michael Savio
New Millennium Business: Modern Marketing
With the rise of online streaming services and subscription based profit models, the way large firms advertise to their audiences is drastically changing. While in many ways, the advertisements remain similar, the research behind the ads themselves has become more informed and more involved with their audience. In fact, marketing as an industry has become more technology … [Read more...] about New Millennium Business: Modern Marketing