Video game enthusiasts, guess what? 2011 is well under way and we can already see some interesting developments taking shape in the interactive gaming industry. But one can’t help but wonder what the entirety of the year will bring. I thought I’d put my neck on the line and make some predictions that may be bold but are not totally unbelievable. So Here it goes!

Microsoft’s Xbox Kinect will flop terribly.

To me the device seems to be no more than a novelty. Sure it’s been doing great in sales up to this point but we just finished the busiest shopping season of the year. Now that Christmas is long gone lets see if Kinect sales will continue to rise. It may do great for games like Dance Revolution but unless developers can come up with some really innovative titles for the Kinect, hardcore games won’t find it very useful. Lets face it, we like to SIT back and play our favorite games. Relaxation is the name of the game, even if our butt-cheeks are clinched tightly as we engage in fire-fights in a virtual Afghanistan village. I don’t want to have to stand, let alone lean, twist and wave my arms to interact with a game. The Wii just barely gets away with this as you can use the Wii remote like a traditional game pad or just plug in the classic controller. So the question is can they make games for the Kinect that are so good gamers don’t mind standing up to play? I don’t think they can. And with limited titles and little crossover appeal the Kinect will be found sitting in the corner collecting dust with all the mock musical instrument controllers.

Average Joe gamer will play a bigger role in game creation and development.

Lets face it, developers are running out of fresh ideas for games. We’re getting the same old concepts with upgraded graphics and a new coat of paint slapped on them, nothing more. Small studios and home-brewers will start to get snatched up by the big boys who will start scrambling for new talent. This means little Johnny coder who has dreamed of creating a killer game that’s played by the masses just might get his wish. Not only that but companies will really start listening to the consumer and design games accordingly. They just need to be reminded, gaming is not about pixels and processors, it’s about us the gaming community.

Game developers will start making more games for the iPad, iPod, and Macbook, making Apple the hottest thing in gaming for 2011.

What? Is it so hard to believe that the Mac OS could be a legitimate gaming platform? Lets not forget that the predecessor to the Halo franchise and Bungie itself all started on the Mac. Marathon: Durandal anyone? With the new Apple products hitting the market and marketing campaigns that clearly seek to peek the gamer’s curiosity, Steve’s company seems to be slowly moving under the radar as a interactive entertainment alternative. Just last year they made Steam, the downloadable game delivery site, available for the Mac OS. And with this alliances alone Apple can greatly increase its number of gaming titles. At the end of the day It’s all about dollars and cents, and as long as plenty of potential gamers keep buying the iPhone, iPad and iPod, the demand for interactive entertainment will only grow stronger. I can even see this tying in nicely with my last prediction.

Well that’s all I got. I would share some other ideas but they border on being more of a wishlist. Like the possibility of there being a cross platform online multiplayer that can shift from a first person shooter to a real time strategy game. Or a game were you go to hell as Jesus, kick satan’s @#%$ and rise from the dead. Like Dante’s Inferno only good.