BYRON JOHNSON / Associated Press IT’S THE END OF THE WORLD as we know it.
It’s the end of the Internet.
We all know it, we all hear it.
And it’s not that hard to imagine it.
We’ve all had our computer-savvy friends and family members who don’t want to get in the way of that new, shiny thing.
But you won’t hear that from the folks at the free computer-game store in Washington, D.C., where people spend thousands of dollars a year to play games.
The space is closed, but there’s a place for the old and the new, if you want to play old games.
It was the original location of the Game Developers Conference, which runs through Saturday, when the store has been running since 1998.
But since then, the space has been a haven for game makers, designers, and programmers, and many of its owners say they want to go somewhere that’s more open to the public.
It also helps to understand the history of the free-to-play gaming industry.
For more than a decade, the gaming industry has been growing in popularity and its share of the U.S. gross domestic product has grown to nearly 20 percent.
But the business model has been challenged by the rise of online game sales and the growth of mobile gaming.
And as the industry’s influence has grown, so too has competition.
In 2009, the U,S.
government created the Entertainment Software Rating Board, which is supposed to monitor the rating of video games and other media, including free-content sites.
But in 2010, it made the decision to take a hands-off approach to the ratings.
It issued a formal statement that said that the agency would be “evaluating the industry and its practices to determine if they are compliant with the ESRB’s requirements.”
This led to the closure of several games-and-technology companies, including the company that created the game-selling app Candy Crush, the company behind the popular Candy Crush Saga, and other publishers like Electronic Arts and Zynga.
And this year, the Entertainment Technology Association, the industry trade group, also shut down its membership.
It took its membership to the brink of bankruptcy.
In addition, the companies that make games for mobile devices and other devices that can play online have faced the same challenges.
The Entertainment Software Alliance said in a statement that it “continues to evaluate the industry, and we are open to working with the industry to make it better.”
For many, the closed-down store is an important reminder that the industry is not immune to change.
“This is not a place to be the only place you go,” said Robyn Fiske, an industry consultant and former member of the ETA.
She said the industry could benefit from the availability of a dedicated, open-ended space where people can play games, without fear of being penalized for buying games they don’t like.
But Fiskes also said the closed space was a reminder of the importance of the industry being open to all, regardless of their skill level.
“The industry is growing.
The market is growing, and the games are growing,” Fiskes said.
But many in the industry worry that some people will be left behind if the game store shuts.
“People who can’t play games on their computers won’t be able to play online,” said Steve Zaslavsky, president of the Entertainment Industry Association, a trade group for the industry.
He said the ESA needs to focus on keeping up with the growth and innovation in the free market.
“It’s important to keep the door open,” he said.
The closed-door game store has drawn criticism from some gamers who say it is a sign of how the industry has shifted away from traditional, traditional games.
“I think there’s just so much more out there,” said Brian Loughran, a former member and a game designer at Activision Blizzard.
Loughrand, who moved to Washington, was a longtime member of ETA and is now a partner at a gaming startup.
He says the closure was not necessarily a reaction to the ESA’s move to the rating board, but more to an issue of the games being more valuable to consumers.
“They’re now just selling games for a lot less money than they used to,” he says.
“That’s the new market.”
And he added, “We have to start selling those games.”
He also said he doesn’t think it’s good for the game industry to be closed.
“If you’re just sitting in your corner, you’re probably not paying attention to what’s going on in the marketplace,” he told The Associated Press.
“When the games become more valuable, the people who aren’t paying attention have to do more work.”
But there are some who disagree with Loughs view.
Chris Dolan, a game developer at Double Fine and co-founder of Steam