Caught in the game.(editor's note)

Whatever happened to Pong? As a child of the '70s, I remember seeing Pong, on the Atari Game System, for the very first time at my neighbor's house. All it took was a few spins of the dial and blips of the paddle, and I was hooked. Who needed Saturday morning cartoons? Pong was much more entertaining. Before long, the neighbors kicked me out, and I faced a much bigger challenge--convincing my parents that we needed a Pong of our very own. The undertaking was bigger than I imagined, but eventually my parents gave in and bought me "the blasted" game. The kids in our neighborhood would gather together on the weekends for Pong-a-thons. We'd play for hours on end, hanging on every hit of the paddle, every bounce of the little white square. Competition was fierce. And even though it was a simple game with uncomplicated graphics and no special effects, it was our first encounter with sports-like video games, and we were consumed--until, of course, something better came along.

Today game developers rely heavily on CG artistry and specialized programming to deliver ultrarealistic, robust gameplay on all types of devices. The big-money business of sports games, for example, continues to blur the lines of creativity and technology as game developers and publishers push to drive profitability and exceed customer expectations. This month in "The Art of the Deal" (pg. 15), Martin McEachern explores the behind-the-scenes battles game developers and publishers encounter when producing sports games. From repurposing content and reducing polygon counts to integrating motion capture and Al programming, streamlining the production pipeline is paramount for success. Visual ...