Video games in Megelan

The history of video games in Megelan dates back to the late 1970s; in 2009, the profits of Megelan's video game industry exceeded those of its film industry for the first time, with video games being seen as an art form not unlike more traditional formats such as painting and theatre. Several internal subdivisions of the Community give special tax breaks to video game companies - just as they give special tax breaks to other companies that concern themselves with other creative endeavours.

Demographics

In Megelan, 59% of gamers are male, while 41% of gamers are female; the average gamer is either between the ages of 25 and 34, or between the ages of 35 and 44: the first group tends to prefer tablet computers and smartphone devices, while the second group tends to prefer personal computers.

The most popular genres among tablet and smartphone gamers are puzzle games, strategy games and arcade games, while the most popular genres among computer gamers are action/adventure games, strategy games and simulation games; adventure games and role-playing games, on the other hand, are fairly popular across all platforms.

History

In the late 1970s, Alba-based company Geloso began to build and develop coin-operated video games, often clones or licensed versions of Akashian and Gylian products; around the same time, Gradaro-based company Hi-Toro debuted a line of home computers, that began to be used by bedroom coders with no formal experience in computer programming to develop video games.

A legal dispute between Geloso and Hi-Toro, concerning the appearance of a video game developed on Hi-Toro hardware on a coin-operated arcade built by Geloso was then brought to the court of the Guild of Mechanical Engineering, but the dispute was retracted when the owners of both businesses decided to collaborate under the aegis of the Guild itself.

In 1982, the Geloso/Hi-Toro CD 8 was born, a 8-bit console that, if upgraded with keyboard, floppy drive, hard drive, RAM and mouse, could turn into a full-fledged home computer; this home computer/video game console hybrid was followed in 1987 by a 16-bit version, the Geloso/Hi-Toro CD 16, and then in 1992 by a 32-bit version, the Geloso/Hi-Toro CD 32.

The success of these products prompted hardware and software company Genuino to release a couple of 8-bit handheld game consoles, the Genuino Mono in 1989, featuring a monochrome screen, and the Genuino Poly in 1998, featuring a polychrome screen. The planned release of a 128-bit console by Hi-Toro was cancelled, either because of changes in leadership and strategy, or because the CD 128 prototype was considered inferior to the planned Delkoran and Gylian consoles.

As Genuino transitioned into an open-source hardware and software company designing and manufacturing single-board microcontrollers, and as Hi-Toro abandoned the video game console industry to focus solely on their home computer hardware and software, no video game console has been released by a Megelanese company since, despite the strength of the Megelanese PC gaming and retrogaming scenes, and the prominent role Megelanese video game developers and publishers play in Tyran.

Video game companies from Megelan

Video games in Megelan are commonly created by individual or small teams of video game developers; these games may take years to be built from the ground up, or can be completed in a matter of days or even hours, depending on complexity, participants, and design goal. The origins of Megelanese video games may be traced back to the 1970s, when there was virtually no established video game industry.

They are published by one of the several video game publishers regularly affiliated to the Guild of Mechanical Engineering; these video game publishers often finance the development of Megelanese video games as well, by paying the aforementioned individual or small teams of video game developers and - very rarely - by paying an internal staff of developers; they may also attempt to boost efficiency across all internal and external development teams by providing a variety of services.

Popular titles from Megelan

Stand-alone video games

• Fotonica
• Last Day of June
• Murasaki Baby
• Santa Paravia and Fiumaccio
• Wheels of Aurelia

Video game franchises

• Art of Fighting
• Mario
• Metal Slug
• Punch-Out!!
• Ride

Video game conventions in Megelan

The main video game convention in Megelan is the annual Alba Games Week, that has been held since 2011; the latest editions have seen the participation of more than 150 developers and publishers, and the attendance of more than 150,000 people. The Alba Games Week features cosplay and eSport contests, as well as a section devoted to Megelanese indie games.

The Megelanese Video Game Awards, on the other hand, have been held since 2013, awarding prizes in 19 different categories, up to and including prizes for Best Indie Game and Best Narrative. The prizes are in the shape of a stylized golden dragon, and the ceremony, held in Alba's oldest aquarium, is also streamed live on the internet.

Game ratings and government oversight

Megelanese developers and publishers adhere to a self-rating system according to which the developers and publishers themselves can choose one of three rating levels for their video games (Adult Content, Teen Content, Family Friendly) without having them be tested by external rating bodies, be they private or public; they can, however, be charged with false advertising if this rating does not reflect reality.

No video game can be refused classification and banned from sale, and video game censorship is not enforced in Megelan for any reason beyond the extent stated above, not even if they depict, express or otherwise deal with matters of sex, drug misuse or addiction, crime, cruelty, violence or revolting or abhorrent phenomena.