Sci-Fi Channel Merging TV Show with MMO

Erik J writes "In a fairly bold (and quite possibly stupid) move, the Sci-Fi Channel has announced plans to use missions and campaigns of players in their own developed MMO to shape and guide a new 'ongoing' television show. They hope to have the project up and ready to air by 2010, as they work with game developer Trion World Network to create 'the ultimate merging of the TV and gaming mediums.'"

Comments

Slight error in logic

[Dachannien]

I don't see the TV show becoming popular. After all, if you're a MMOG fan, wouldn't you rather be playing a game yourself rather than watching a TV show about other people playing it?

And that brings us to what will make this particular game better than the fifty bazillion other MMOGs on the market now: your character might get to be on TV. Except you won't care, because your character probably won't get to be on TV, and barring that, you'd rather be playing than watching.

Why don't they drop this schtick and give us a sequel to that halfway-decent D&D movie they made a few years back? (And no, I'm not talking about the one with Jeremy Irons.)

Re:How many?

[Vectronic]

Actually, they should have comedies every tenth episode or something, in-line with Red Vs Blue, etc... "FTW HAX!!!"... people walking through walls, flying... and outtakes, take the best glitches from the game, and re-create them in real-life.

Re:Epic lulz

[JustinOpinion]

I mean come on why would you give the hordes of gamers, who act a fool just to show off to 3 friends the chance to do the same on cable tv? the temptation is just too strong. Well, they are not going to just record in-game activity and then play it on TV without edits. That would be stupid (and boring). From TFA, it sounds more like they are going to use the in-game events to alter the storyline of the show. For instance the players in the game enter into an epic battle. Whether they win or lose affects the TV show. (An episode about retreating to the mountains vs. an episode about what to do with all the POWs they have.)

So, in principle even the actions of griefers could be intelligently woven into the storyline. Any GM worth his salt knows how to rationalize the actions of players, and make things fit into the storyline. A really good GM can even move the story in such a way that griefers will genuinely participate (or at least give up).

So for instance disruptions could be attributed to 'rebels' or 'a virus that is making our men go insane' or whatever.

Of course, that doesn't mean that this will be properly done. But I'm just saying it's certainly possible to implement this idea in a way that show-offs and griefers don't ruin the storytelling for everyone else.

Re:Say what you will....

[mlwmohawk]

"Big bang theory is awful. "

Well, any show that can make funny jokes based on "The dopler effect, SchrÃdinger's cat, the original time machine, social ineptness of geeks, and so on is not so bad.

I laugh at a lot of the jokes, while my wife just looks and asks "what????"

Re:I hate to be a grammar troll...

[bennomatic]

Sigh; if you're right, a little part of me died, right there. Maybe we should invent a new group noun, you know, like a pride of lions, a coven of witches, a worry of mothers, etc... I'm thinking a cacophony of media. Or a flood. A monopoly of media? There's got to be a good word in there somewhere.