Boom

I think it's fair to say that the video game industry is in it's prime. No doubt it'll fly higher in the future but in the present the industry is a serious force to be reckoned with. Despite a large percentage of the population thinking games are just for kids etc, now, more so than ever the games industry is a successful, established and profitable industry.

The industry itself is constantly continuing to develop and new technology is the hallmark of an evolving industry. In order for the industry to continue, new developments consistently need to be realised so it doesn't stagnant. Consumers, fickle though it may be, will soon grow bored if nothing new is on offer or is likely to be offered in the foreseeable future. Happily though, at the moment the industry is going well.

Having said that it too is suffering the effects of the recent 'recession' and last year many games companies had to fire many employees as cutbacks were made. People working in this industry should try not to feel too secure at any given time. Although the industry is not in danger, due to it's very nature cut backs are made all the time. For example after a game project is finished the team working on it may be trimmed. For that reason many employees have had to deal with periods of no work and competing for new jobs and opportunities.

The main problem with this industry is that when it booms, it bloats and generally does itself more damage than good. There are a vast amount of established companies now which theoretically can stand the test of time, but the number if third party developers coming and going is still very high.

I think at the end of the day there will always be a demand for talent. However the industry is now extremely saturated with talented individuals, experienced and novice alike. This means that the level of talent demanded is even higher. So yes there will always be a demand for talent, but the bar is ever rising.