Video games were around well before the wide adoption of the personal computer. What first started as a technical oddity at a 1950s science fair, gained national attention and wide-spread popularity by the early 1970s. Played predominantly on TV-connected consoles, and free-standing video arcade machines, games such as Spacewar! and Atari’s Pong, began captivating a growing population of video gamers across the nation and the globe by the early 1970s. Flash forward 40 years and the video game industry looks starkly different.

Today, by last count, there are over 50 national TV networks (broadcast and cable), running over 300 stations, all driven by advertisers willing to pay for access to their potential customers. In 2017, TV advertising spend is projected to reach over $72 billion with annual digital ad spend projected to reach a total of $77 billion.  Ratings are the currency of the market and for over 60 years, the Nielsen Company has been the arbitrator of the critical advertising rates that broadcasters from across the globe charge advertisers.

Robots have fascinated humans for years. While some think these machines are limited to only simple tasks or the silver screen, I got an inside look at the robotic workers being developed by Rethink Robotics. Jim Lawton, the Chief Marketing Officer, showed me the two current robots, Baxter and Sawyer, which Rethink produces. These robots are automated workers that are able to “learn” and preform precise tasks that can be done alone or in collaboration with a human.