ABSTRACT
The application of user-centered design methodologies has had a tremendous impact on the aviation, medical, and technology industries over the past several decades. Video games are one of the fastest growing forms of entertainment to date, and today the video games industry generates enormous revenue. According to the Entertainment Software Association, revenue from computer and console games has grown from 2.6 billion dollars in 1996 to 11.7 billion dollars in the year 2008. The revenue created by the games industry, one that rivals the US film industry, suggests that gaming appeals to more than just a niche market. In fact, video games are no longer associated with the stereotypical image of a gamer as an adolescent male; women aged 18 and older represent a larger portion of the game playing population compared to boys aged 17 and younger, and the average age of those who play video games is 35.
