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More Americans Play Video Games Than Go To Movies
New research from the NPD Group has found that the number of Americans who play video games has surpassed the number who go to movies. In a survey of over 11,000 people, 63% had played a video game within the past six months, while only 53% had gone to a movie. They also found that the purchase of game consoles was on the rise, as were new methods of accessing the games themselves, such as playing over a social networking site or downloading a game onto a mobile phone. The report said, "the average gamer spent just over $38 per month on all types of gaming content" in the first three months of 2009, adding that "video games account for one-third of the average monthly consumer spending in the US for core entertainment content, including music, video, games."
IMAX recently started selling out and allowing theaters with smaller screens to use the IMAX brand. Be careful when you choose an IMAX theater... it may not be what you expect.
My blog. Good stuff (when I remember to update it). Read it.
Shhhh! Don't tell anyone (especially the MPAA), but you can already "go to the movies" in Second Life -- there are a number of virtual movie theaters on the grid and they get their content from YouTube, private machines, or from a movie streaming service.
The popcorn is usually free but unfortunately, like in RealLife, you shouldn't expect the theater to be chatter-free when other people are there. Of course, you could just buy or create your own virtual television set and enjoy them in your own virtual home instead.
Though I doubt Linden Labs will be sponsoring any events around one of them any time soon, you may be able to get virtually employed by at least one of them if you were so inclined.
50 years ago, movie tickets cost $0.15. Applying the consumer price index we find that the price today would be $1.12 if movie ticket prices had gone up in the same average proportion as other prices.
Considering how much films today depend on special effects, and considering that so many effects are done by computers, one would believe that the cost of producing a movie should be lower than fifty years ago.
Some people say that "all capitalists are greedy pigs", but obviously some pigs are greedier than others.