In December of 2010, Bobby Kotick, CEO of the leading video game publishing company Activision Blizzard, was invited to speak at the Economics Club of Chicago. Under the assumption that very few of those in attendance played video games, Kotick discussed his thoughts on the evolution of entertainment and how technological advances are opening new doors for communication, entertainment, and self-expression.
Kotick began his talk with a brief history of his journey from college to becoming the CEO of Activision Blizzard. His story began with his unlikely introduction to Las Vegas real estate mogul Steve Wynn in Dallas, Texas in 1982. Their conversation eventually led Wynn writing Kotick a $300,000 check as seed money for his software startup.
Less than ten years later, Kotick along with other investors bought a controlling stake in Activision in 1991. Months after acquiring the company, Kotick was named the Activision chief executive officer. Over the past 20 years he converted an insolvent company into an industry powerhouse, and along the way created some of the industry's most popular and successful brands like the Tony Hawk, Guitar Hero, and Call of Duty game series.
For the majority of his talk, Kotick shared his thoughts on how media and entertainment will continue to transform as a result of current technological advances and the advent of social media.
"If you think about the tools of production and how they have changed. And the means of distribution of media and how they've changed. And the profound shift that we've seen from passive media consumption to active involvement. And you begin to realize that the pace and magnitude of change that's taking place in media is profound."
He discussed why videogames are now a form of mass media like television and film.
"We are finally at a place where video games -- a visceral, physical and immersive medium -- is also becoming a story telling medium. The ability to have characters that you can empathize with and relate to, that can make you laugh, that can make you cry, that didn't exist until now in video games. And when you think about the future of video games and how accessible they'll be by having that ability to tell a story, to deliver you an interaction with a character that gives you the same emotional satisfaction that you have with film or television, you realize that this will have the most profound shift on media that we have probably seen in our lifetimes."
With the unparalleled success of the Call of Duty series, which is one of the most popular games with active U.S. military, Bobby Kotick realized he had a huge opportunity to give back to the members of the armed forces. In 2009, Kotick formed The Call of Duty Endowment to help soldiers transition to civilian careers after their military service by assisting organizations that provide job placement and training to veterans.
"They are real-life heroes and upon returning from military duty, many struggle to find jobs. One of the things I found in my travels with members of the Armed Services is that the men and women who serve our country are really grateful for the opportunity to do so. And so and I'm really grateful that we have a platform that allows us to find jobs for the returning veterans who have so ably served our country," said Kotick.
Outside of his role as CEO of Activision Blizzard, Kotick is a member of the Board of Trustees for The Center for Early Education. He is Chairman of the Committee of Trustees at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art where he also serves as Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors and he is a member of the Board of Directors for the Tony Hawk Foundation.
Kotick began his talk with a brief history of his journey from college to becoming the CEO of Activision Blizzard. His story began with his unlikely introduction to Las Vegas real estate mogul Steve Wynn in Dallas, Texas in 1982. Their conversation eventually led Wynn writing Kotick a $300,000 check as seed money for his software startup.
Less than ten years later, Kotick along with other investors bought a controlling stake in Activision in 1991. Months after acquiring the company, Kotick was named the Activision chief executive officer. Over the past 20 years he converted an insolvent company into an industry powerhouse, and along the way created some of the industry's most popular and successful brands like the Tony Hawk, Guitar Hero, and Call of Duty game series.
For the majority of his talk, Kotick shared his thoughts on how media and entertainment will continue to transform as a result of current technological advances and the advent of social media.
"If you think about the tools of production and how they have changed. And the means of distribution of media and how they've changed. And the profound shift that we've seen from passive media consumption to active involvement. And you begin to realize that the pace and magnitude of change that's taking place in media is profound."
"We are finally at a place where video games -- a visceral, physical and immersive medium -- is also becoming a story telling medium. The ability to have characters that you can empathize with and relate to, that can make you laugh, that can make you cry, that didn't exist until now in video games. And when you think about the future of video games and how accessible they'll be by having that ability to tell a story, to deliver you an interaction with a character that gives you the same emotional satisfaction that you have with film or television, you realize that this will have the most profound shift on media that we have probably seen in our lifetimes."
With the unparalleled success of the Call of Duty series, which is one of the most popular games with active U.S. military, Bobby Kotick realized he had a huge opportunity to give back to the members of the armed forces. In 2009, Kotick formed The Call of Duty Endowment to help soldiers transition to civilian careers after their military service by assisting organizations that provide job placement and training to veterans.
"They are real-life heroes and upon returning from military duty, many struggle to find jobs. One of the things I found in my travels with members of the Armed Services is that the men and women who serve our country are really grateful for the opportunity to do so. And so and I'm really grateful that we have a platform that allows us to find jobs for the returning veterans who have so ably served our country," said Kotick.
Outside of his role as CEO of Activision Blizzard, Kotick is a member of the Board of Trustees for The Center for Early Education. He is Chairman of the Committee of Trustees at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art where he also serves as Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors and he is a member of the Board of Directors for the Tony Hawk Foundation.
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