Cloud Gaming Demystified: An Introduction to the Legal Implications of Cloud-Based Videogames

This seminar is hosted by the Centre for Law, Science and Policy and the School of Law Research Seminar Series. Our series offers exciting insights into ongoing research projects within the law school and conducted by our external research partners. Our work is often transdisciplinary, dealing with law's relationship with broadly defined social justice, policy-making, science and much more. Join us for invigorating discussion! 

In this session, we hear from Dr Mitchell Longan who has a J.D. from Tulane University School of Law as well as a Ph.D. in law from the University of Sussex. He has worked as a researcher for the Ministry of Culture and Fine Art in Cambodia and, more recently, as a part of the Microsoft Cloud Computing Research Centre through the Cloud Legal Project at Queen Mary University. His research interests primarily focus on intellectual property issues related to new technology. The bulk of his recent work focuses on the legal implications of cloud computing technology for the videogame industry.

In this session, Dr Longan will give the following presentation, followed by an interactive Q&A:

Cloud Gaming Demystified: An Introduction to the Legal Implications of Cloud-Based Videogames

Abstract

In this paper, we set out to ‘demystify’ cloud-based videogaming and its legal implications. We do this in two stages. First, we offer a descriptive analysis of the videogame sector, including relevant markets and value chains. We explain the basics of cloud computing technology, traditional videogame technology, and how the two converge in cloud-based videogame ecosystems. We also analyse market structures for both the cloud and videogame industries as well as relevant value chains in order to understand how these markets will overlap. Based on these analyses, we make predictions about how the cloud gaming market will be structured, including a breakdown of three separate models for cloud gaming services: the ‘layered’ model of Gaming-as-a-Service (‘GaaS’), the ‘integrated’ model of GaaS, and the ‘consumer infrastructure-as-a-service’ model. Finally, we use these three models to analyse how certain intellectual property rights, contractual rights, and regulatory issues will develop in this novel environment for videogame distribution and access.

If you have any questions, contact Dr Iyan Offor, the Research Seminar Series leader, at iyan.offor@bcu.ac.uk.

This seminar has now concluded but it is available on demand here. If you find that you do not have access, you can email the research seminar series leader at iyan.offor@bcu.ac.uk in order to gain access.