Editing Video game (section)

===Industry roles===
Video games have a large [[network effect]] that draw on many different sectors that tie into the larger video game industry. While video game developers are a significant portion of the industry, other key participants in the market include:<ref>{{cite journal | title = Value Creation in the Video Game Industry: Industry Economics, Consumer Benefits, and Research Opportunities | first1 = André | last1 = Marchand | first2 = Thorsten | last2 = Hennig-Thurau | journal =[[Journal of Interactive Marketing]] | volume = 27 | issue = 3 | pages = 141–157 | date = August 2013 | doi = 10.1016/j.intmar.2013.05.001}}</ref>
* [[Video game publisher|Publishers]]: Companies generally that oversee bringing the game from the developer to market. This often includes performing the [[marketing]], public relations, and advertising of the game. Publishers frequently pay the developers ahead of time to make their games and will be involved in critical decisions about the direction of the game's progress, and then pay the developers additional royalties or bonuses based on sales performances. Other smaller, boutique publishers may simply offer to perform the publishing of a game for a small fee and a portion of the sales, and otherwise leave the developer with the creative freedom to proceed. A range of other publisher-developer relationships exist between these points.
* [[Distribution (marketing)|Distributors]]: Publishers often are able to produce their own game media and take the role of distributor, but there are also third-party distributors that can mass-produce game media and distribute to retailers. Digital storefronts like [[Steam (service)|Steam]] and the [[App Store (iOS)|iOS App Store]] also serve as distributors and retailers in the digital space.
* Retailers: Physical storefronts, which include large online retailers, department and electronic stores, and specialty video game stores, sell games, consoles, and other accessories to consumers. This has also including a trade-in market in certain regions, allowing players to turn in used games for partial refunds or credit towards other games. However, with the uprising of digital marketplaces and [[E-commerce|e-commerce revolution]], retailers have been performing worse than in the past.
* Hardware manufacturers: The [[video game console]] manufacturers produce console hardware, often through a value chain system that include numerous component suppliers and [[contract manufacturer]] that assemble the consoles. Further, these console manufacturers typically require a license to develop for their platform and may control the production of some games, such as Nintendo does with the use of game cartridges for its systems. In exchange, the manufacturers may help promote games for their system and may seek console exclusivity for certain games. For games on personal computers, a number of manufacturers are devoted to high-performance "[[gaming computer]]" hardware, particularly in the graphics card area; several of the same companies overlap with component supplies for consoles. A range of third-party manufacturers also exist to provide equipment and gear for consoles post-sale, such as additional controllers for console or carrying cases and gear for handheld devices.
* [[Video game journalism|Journalism]]: While journalism around video games used to be primarily print-based, and focused more on post-release reviews and gameplay strategy, the Internet has brought a more proactive press that use web journalism, covering games in the months prior to release as well as beyond, helping to build excitement for games ahead of release.
* [[Influencers]]: With the rising importance of [[social media]], video game companies have found that the opinions of influencers using [[streaming media]] to play through their games has had a significant impact on game sales, and have turned to use influencers alongside traditional journalism as a means to build up attention to their game before release.
* [[Esports]]: Esports is a major function of several multiplayer games with numerous professional leagues established since the 2000s, with large viewership numbers, particularly out of southeast Asia since the 2010s.
* Trade and advocacy groups: Trade groups like the [[Entertainment Software Association]] were established to provide a common voice for the industry in response to governmental and other advocacy concerns. They frequently set up the [[List of gaming conventions|major trade events and conventions]] for the industry such as [[E3]].
* [[Gamer]]s: Proactive hobbyists who are players and consumers of video games. While their representation in the industry is primarily seen through game sales, many companies follow gamers' comments on social media or on user reviews and engage with them to work to improve their products in addition to other feedback from other parts of the industry. Demographics of the larger player community also impact parts of the market; while once dominated by younger men, the market shifted in the mid-2010s towards women and older players who generally preferred mobile and causal games, leading to further growth in those sectors.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/female-adults-oust-teenage-boys-largest-gaming-demographic | title = Women significantly outnumber teenage boys in gamer demographics | first = Charles | last = Pulliam-Moore | date = 21 August 2014 | access-date = 2 April 2021 | work = [[PBS News Hour]] | archive-date = 12 March 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210312225703/https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/female-adults-oust-teenage-boys-largest-gaming-demographic | url-status = live }}</ref>