The parents of teenagers will not be surprised to learn the video games their kids play are a part of a global industry worth $70 billion a year and $25 billion in the U.S alone. But New York's share of the business is only a tiny fraction of that.
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Locally, it lags far behind the west coast, but there's evidence that's changing.
The "Guardians of the Galaxy" were on the big screen at the TriBeCa Film Festival recently, not in a movie, but as a part of a video game.
Julie Menin, Mayor Bill de Blasio's commissioner for media and entertainment, recently announced a grant of $6 million to fund a "virtual reality" lab in the city.
New York state is giving money to NYU, where Professor Frank Lantz's students can earn a degree playing video games.
"We're trying to train the next generation of great game designers," lab supervisor Gwynna Forgham-Thrift said.
Each week, talent meets talent and eats pizza at a "play test."
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NYU seniors Elija Richmond and Marisa Lawrence welcome diversity to gaming, saying it's mostly been dominated by white males. But recently, that's changing.
The city's diversity has made the area a center for what's called "indie gaming." It's a term that refers to games created by people outside the existing industry, and the trend away from big budget titles could help these students prosper in the years to come.