Image Of Game Player Types By David Drell
Microsoft's announcement that it will release a free toolkit for video game developers shows that the lumbering digital industry giant does have a division or two who understand the power of open networks. Called XNA Game Studio Express, the toolkit will be available for free and is to debut by the end of this month.

Everyone knows that the digital gaming business needs some new ideas. Nintendo's successful "Brain Age" games illustrate there are markets for more than just first-person shooters out there. Scott Henson, director of platform strategy for Microsoft's game-developer group, says:

"Some of the stuff we're going to do will help spark more excitement," he said. "You don't see a lot of fresh, new ideas. There aren't enough of those."

Henson also goes on to say that Microsoft wants to host a community-powered arcade that features homegrown games. By making development tools more broadly available to gamers, Microsoft hopes to improve the number and quality of games available - and that is a good thing.

The digital gaming industry has developed simulation tools that far exceed anything the military or construction industries might have come up with. It is time to start applying those new tools to other fields.