Mark Ecko, a fashion designer and entrepreneur, has a video game coming out soon and has challenged the industry. Find out just what he wants inside.

Speaking at the D.I.C.E. summit Mark Ecko, who has worked with The Collective to make Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure for PS2 and Xbox, challenged publishers and developers to look at the industry in a new way.

While Ecko has no real knowledge in the technology behind the industry he is quite knowledgeable when it comes to business. His clothing label, *ecko unlt., has become quite a success in a short space of time, so he has turned his attention to his passion for video games.

Ecko is not worried about the "die-hard" gamers but rather the mass market of gamers, something Sony picked up on for the PlayStation. While there is general concern within the gaming industry fan community that "casual" gamers are ruining creative-freedom from a business point of view it is logical to go after these people. Ecko believes "We're missing the boat on the consumer. We're missing the boat on the culture."

"Demystify the code," is Ecko's advice to marketers and the industry as a whole. Gamers tend to not care about the latest graphical powers of their games, but rather the games themselves, the "emotional experience," as he put it. Ecko employed a metaphor to further his point. "The consumer doesn't give a f--- that there's 20 bulbs and that there's a certain special light that needs to be on the stage at an angle. All that stuff on stage, it's supposed to be there. None of that matters to the guy watching. It's all just a stage. He simply wants to be entertained and it's our job to know how to do so."

Ecko continued his presentation with details on how he believes the industry as a whole could improve. He had five main areas of concern, which he believes if listened to would benefit both the hardcore and casual gamers out there.

#1 Popstalgia

We all love nostalgia, who doesn't love the occasional game of Pac Man or Donkey Kong? With this in mind Ecko spoke about the car industry and how it went downhill during the 90s, "It was designers making cars for other car designers." However once the car designers realised the errors of their ways the industry picked up again. Ecko believes that this sense of history and nostalgia is important.

#2 Instant Gratification

A lot of gamers don't have days, or even hours, to spend playing video games, so they need something that can be played in short bursts. "Masses divide their consumption times based on the years of conditioning from television and film -- half hour, to one hour, to one-and-a-half hours. It's a fact." He doesn't think all games should take an hour to complete, but rather have segmented game play.

#3 Marketing of the Apocalypse

We're forced into buying things out of fear, if we don't have the latest Nike trainers we'll be uncool, if we don't buy the latest security devices we'll be robbed, and if we don't give to charities we may end up like the people in the adverts. With increased fear in terrorism around the world Ecko believes you can't control terrorism but "you can control the things you consume, the things that you buy." This is apparently comforting for the consumer, that in their life they have some control.

#4 Customization

Customisation is a point which developers have started to realise already. Gamers crave something that makes them feel they have something special, just look at the Nintendo DS VIP packs. He also believes that gamers enjoy having control over the games they play, through internet polls and the like.

#5 Democratization of Design

Ecko states that "just because something is well-designed, doesn't mean that it's an essential product. He believes that developers know the hardcore marker well but warns that what may work for them may not work for the consumer market. "Design is no longer an added value, but a necessity."

It would be quick to criticise Ecko as being arrogant for believing he knows how the industry should be run, but he raises some fair points. During the presentation half of the audience were apparently shocked by what he was saying, believing it to be rubbish, while the others were very interested in what he had to say. It will be interesting to see if the industry reacts to what he has said.