OHAI.

My name is Eduardo Marisca and I recently finished my Master's thesis in the Comparative Media Studies program at MIT, researching the emergence of the video game industry in Peru. This work is the result of several months of qualitative research carried out in Lima, Peru, primarily between May and August 2013. It is an effort to map the history and current configuration of the game industry in Lima, as well as its potential and challenges as it consolidates into a growing technology sector and creative industry.

The results of this research are available in several forms:

• Developing Game Worlds: Gaming, Technology, and Innovation in Peru. The main thesis document, an in-depth qualitative study on the Peruvian video game industry and its potential as a technology and creative industry.
• Developing Game Worlds: Research Summary. A ten-page summary document including the abstract, key findings, as well as high-level conclusions and recommendations stemming from this research.
• Playful Ventures: Technology Entrepreneurship and Peripheral Innovation
in the Peruvian Game Industry. The slides from my presentation at the CMS public thesis showcase in April 2014.

The project was evaluated by T.L. Taylor (my main advisor) and Ian Condry from the Comparative Media Studies program at MIT. This work is one of a handful of studies available on game industries in Peru (and Latin America in general) — at least that I've been able to find. It also attempts to contribute some ideas about how to identify, map, and strengthen technology industries in developing economies by looking at the work of existing creative communities that are invisible to most measures and indicators.

Any and all feedback, questions and comments are more than welcome.
You can reach me over e-mail at emarisca [at] mit [dot] edu,
or you can find me on Twitter as @piscosour.