PET News

“It turns out that gaming is window into the future of media, entertainment, work and learning,” says Jim Brazell, VentureRAMP principal. “In the next 10 years, we will see our concept of cyberspace transformed from web pages and bookmarks to network worlds and new forms of human communication, work and collaboration.” Gaming: A Technology Forecast delves into these ideas and illustrates how gaming is linked to 21st Century Science and an emerging academic revolution called transdisciplinarity.

The highly anticipated forecast covers the game market, industry, technologies, workforce needs, and implications to Texas technical colleges and universities. The report may be of interest to students, teachers, policy makers, economic development officials, academic administrators, game industry businesses and investors.

Highlights of the forecast include predictions related to the global US$50 billion industry: acceleration of network gaming, fueled by next generation “super computer” gaming consoles, broadband, and wireless technologies; relations among gaming and 21st Century science (nano-bio-infor-cognoenviro), design-related industries (industrial design, architecture, instructional design, aerospace, architecture), specialized industries that require transdisciplinary knowledge workers (robotics, IT security, national defense, and homeland security) and education; and San Antonio’s academy model for innovation, education and economic development.

The mandate for TSTC reports came in 1999 from the Texas State Senate in SB1819. In 2001, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board provided funding to TSTC to develop a process, later called the Program for Emerging Technologies (PET). Ventureramp is now collaborating with the Texas State Technical College System (TSTC) and IC2 Institute to study emerging wireless technologies. The wireless report is expected during the summer of 2004.

About PET
TSTC’s Programs for Emerging Technologies (PET) identifies, evaluates and forecasts potential emerging technology programs which are likely to have a positive impact on the State's economy. This research is intended to increase awareness of specific emerging technical programs and proactively advance the development of applicable high-technology curriculum in Texas community and technical colleges. By doing so, PET hopes to enhance the economic competitiveness of Texas and ensure a competitively skilled workforce for future Texas employers. See www.forecasting.tstc.edu for more information.

About Texas State Technical College
Texas State Technical College (TSTC) is a public coeducational institution of higher education offering courses of study in technical education leading to the award of Certificates and Associate of Applied Science degrees. TSTC also provides technical education and training to business and industry, continuing education to the public, and training programs for community and state economic development. TSTC colleges are located in Harlingen, Marshall, West Texas and Waco with extension centers in Abilene, Brownwood and Breckenridge. TSTC serves students from more than 200 counties in Texas and TSTC graduates begin their careers in high-paying jobs across the state or continue their education at colleges and universities. TSTC graduates are highly valued by business and industry for their work ethic, knowledge, and workplace skills. Texas State Technical Colleges are accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097: Telephone number 404-679-4501) to award Associate of Applied Science degrees and Certificates of Completion. For more information, visit TSTC on the web at www.tstc.edu or call (800) 792-8784.

About The IC² Institute
The Institute for Innovation, Creativity, and Capital (IC²) at The University of Texas at Austin is an international, transdisciplinary "Think and Do" tank devoted to solving unstructured problems to accelerate wealth and job creation and shared prosperity at home and abroad. As a research unit, IC² is focused on knowledge exploration, dissemination, and application, across a broad range of academic and applied areas. See the IC² web site www.ic2.org for more information.

About VentureRAMP, Inc.
VentureRAMP is a technology commercialization and market research firm based in San Antonio and Austin, TX. The company’s web site is www.ventureramp.com.