Changing Architecture
The historical reasons why technical standards vary across gaming markets
The creation of open communication standards in gaming, in the manner of USB devices or Bluetooth equipment found in the personal computer and telecommunications industries, is one of the founding principles of the Gaming Standards Association.
The Association’s president, Peter DeRaedt, acknowledges, however, there were practical reasons as to why proprietary standards were developed in the gaming industry in the first place.
“Some gaming markets developed before others,” he says.
“Those markets that developed first naturally tended to develop intra-market standards. As a result, in order to become global suppliers, gaming equipment companies had to maintain and support multiple [communication] languages, or protocols, as we call them,” explains Mr DeRaedt.
“That allowed the suppliers to sell their products in various jurisdictions. The problem is that’s an expensive proposition. Every gaming manufacturer knows the pain and the cost of needing to have equipment tested in many different countries.”
The need to develop products market by market also stifles innovation, explains the GSA President.
New horizons
“You are restricted to what the [localised communication] language allows you to do. If you only have to do that testing once, it means if you get into a market that’s signed up to the common standards, it opens up a lot of possibilities [for vendors]. It reduces R&D [research and development] costs and significantly decreases the time it takes to get products to market.
“There are operators in countries here in Asia that want [gaming] technology from the United States because they like the functionality that it offers. But they cannot get it because regulations prohibit them. What’s happening in some cases is the jurisdictions are changing the regulations so the operators can get the technology.
“For the vendors that already provide products for the American market, open standards are a dream come true. Instead of doing custom designs on equipment for markets outside the US, they can ship those [US-compliant] products around the world. That’s where the saving lies. That’s the reason our members support GSA initiatives. It enables them to grow a business,” asserts Mr DeRaedt.
