IDENTIFYING TRENDS AND OPPORTUNITIES IN THE VIDEO GAME INDUSTRY
ABOUT ME
I graduated from the University of New Haven with a Bachelor of Science in Sound Recording, and I took a minor in Computer Science because I have been interested in the subject since high school. I am looking for opportunities involving data analytics because I am fascinated by the increasing power of data in today's business landscape, and the abilities we have using data-based applications to solve problems.
I was introduced to SQL while completing my minor, and using the online resources Codecademy and LeetCode I have recently reinforced my skillset. I want to work in a position where I feel as though my ideas are making a difference and that the problems I solve are helping my employer improve their company, so I created this project page to demonstrate my abilities with SQL, critical thinking, and using data to draw conclusions.
PROJECT MISSION
I chose to work with a set of video game sales data to explore how a game developer can use such data to identify opportunities in different markets. I looked at regional sales, sales by genre, and sales by platform to see how these factors play into a game's success. My ultimate goal was to discover underserved sectors of the industry that exhibit opportunities for growth. I also found it to be an interesting challenge for myself, as I didn't have any predetermined questions to answer or paths to travel through the data. I felt that telling a story where I wasn't sure one would even exist would be the best way to display my abilities with SQL.
THE DATA
This data was sourced from a third party intending it for project use. I created a database using a free service online, imported the .csv file that I downloaded from the project site into a table, and set up a SQL server connection in MySQL 8.0 in order to run queries on the data.
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Below is a sample screenshot of how the data appears in the SQL table. The columns represent the following:
​1) id - The primary key of the table, this represents its position in the data set, and the entries were ordered by total sales descending
2) title - The published title of the game
platform - The console on which the game was released
3) year - The year of release, this data set only extends to 2015, which eliminates the most recent consoles, and it is unclear to which month
genre - The primary genre the game is classified as
4) publisher - The company that published the game, it is important to note this is separate from the developer, which is not included in this data set
5) Sales - Sales numbers for North America, Europe, Japan, and other regions, listed in millions
NOTES BEFORE READING
There are a couple of things I want to explain about the nature of the data and its contents just in case any of it is unfamiliar.
1) The data represents publishers, and these are often distinct from developers. Publishers are the companies that typically fund a game's development and handle the marketing and distribution, while developers are the ones coding the game and handling the art, writing, and animation. Many large scale publishers have internal teams of developers, but a third party developer can also be picked up by a publisher for a single project.
2) When talking about "Other Regions,"Â the data presumably groups all other regions of the world besides the three that are named into a single category. My source did not offer any explanation as to how many regions are included, so I will be assuming that it is all-encompassing.
3) The data in the table extends from the mid 1980s to 2015, so the most modern gaming trends are not reflected and given the dynamic nature of the industry that you will see in my analyses, it is possible that big changes have already happened. I will still be presenting my takeaways as if a developer or publisher in 2015 was looking for advice.