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Gaming Communities Cause Of TV Ratings Decline?

Posted by simoniker on from the terrorists-have-won dept.

Bendebecker writes "We all know about the falling popularity of television this season, but Mike Malone of ABC News has a very interesting viewpoint on why this is happening. He seems to think that the growing popularity of online gaming communities (the example he gives is Counter-Strike) are causing the decline, which is particularly noticeable among the young male demographic."

6 of 377 comments (clear)

  1. Crap? by jeffkjo1 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    So young males are playing video games, and that is the source of your falling ratings? Could there perhaps be a correlation between crap, and lower ratings, which in turn leads to higher video game consumption?

    1. Re:Crap? by penguinland · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I cannot agree more. Given the choice between watching another "reality" series and playing Neverwinter Nights or another suitably awesome game, there is no contest. Game sales are up because the newer games have better graphics, AI, and gameplay, but also retain the same quality of the old games. Television, on the other hand, has not had any major advances since... um... whenever they started making them in color. It's getting old, and the TV stations have all but run out of new ideas for shows. If they start playing good, entertaining shows, people will watch them. Until then, people will find other sources of entertainment, such as games.

      --
      "Flying is the art of throwing yourself at the ground and missing." - Douglas Adams
  2. Makes sense to me by nystul555 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    When a new form of entertainment emerges, it can take away from the time spent with current forms.

    People only have so much free time in a day. If they begin spending 2-3 hours a day playing video games, that's 2-3 less hours they have for tv, music, reading, etc.

    There was a time when you read books for entertainment, and that's about all you COULD do. Then radio came along, and families sat around in the evening listening to radio shows. Then TV, now video games. It makes perfect sense.

    I do want to say that I think this is a good thing. For the most part TV is the most mindless, unstimulating, unsocial form of entertainment we have today. If more people play games (still maybe not the best entertainment, but challenging and oftentimes social none the less) than watch TV, well, I'm all for it!

  3. Or maybe... by TeslaDAC · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It's just that the new shows are increasingly like the music comming out today. It's all the same: Reality this, real life that, American Wannabe, they're all modeled after a small group of once successful shows. I presently only watch maybe 3 to 4 hours of TV per week, and it's usually educational stuff (TLC, Discovery, Travel, etc). If the people in Hollywood were to do some real research and come up with something original again, maybe people would start watching again. But it will have to happen soon, or their only audience will be folks who dont have a net connection.

  4. not trying to be extreme.. by viniosity · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I sold my TV 3 years ago and haven't looked back since. I get my entertainment from books, the Internet, and games. Living without a TV was tough for about the first 6 months and then I stopped missing it. I don't smoke, but I wonder if it's something akin to giving up a cigarette habit..

    When I am exposed to TV these days (at bars or at a friends house) I can't get over just how much garbage is on it. Not only are the shows bad, the news seems to be aimed at 9 year olds. The final insult is the advertising which seem more and more to appeal to the emotional side (buy this SUV and you'll feel like you're roaring through the mountains!) as opposed to practical advantage (sucks less, costs less, works better).

    While TV, video games, and the Internet are all time sinks (and I believe there's data that backs this next claim up) - people tend to use their brains more while playing video games or using the net. And, to me, that can only be a good thing!

  5. Build (the content) and they will come by BenjyD · · Score: 5, Insightful

    An average line up for a night's programming (UK tv):

    show about a couple going house hunting
    show about two people buying a house and doing it up
    show about a pair of people building a house from scratch
    Show about two people who bought a house last year on a tv show and have redecorated it since.

    Hmmm, interesting. As a 24 year old bloke, just what I want to watch. I think I'll go play BF1942.