Well, I don't really doubt that Hollywood directors are very interested in video games as a new creative medium for themselves. Yet, I can't help feeling that the executives in Hollywood have an alterior motive behind their involvement in the video game world. I'm guessing that they're scared of the game industry, and that if they can further their involvement, the more power they'll have over what happens within it.
At the very least, this has a little something to do with damage control. Their increased involvement allows them to have more power over what happens in the game world and also gives them a new area to do business.
In a worst case scenario, they're trying to start taking over the industry and are just beginning to sink their teeth into it.
Really, I can't blame Hollywood for trying to stay afloat. The major game companies almost seem to want this increased partnering, I don't agree at all that they should partner, but at least this will make it easier for up and comers to shine like never before. The video game scene has a very critical audience, so I hope the big boys stay in top form, for their sake.
Regardless, the potential competition between the established companies and the new breed is starting to excite me. Let the games begin.
Well, it's no surprise to me that Activision would really like to cash in, with games like Tony Hawk and MX Superfly, there's bound to be quite a market for advertising. Knowing how to place those ads would be very beneficial to them, although I don't know how well Nielsen's method will help.
However, they better play wisely. Gamers would be quick to turn their noses up at ads where they're too intrusive or don't make sense, and thus blacklisting the developer and publisher responsible.
I'm not surprised by Activision, the king of sequels and licenses, wanting to do this. I just hope that they don't shoot themselves in the foot.
The point is, being world class in a video game is nowhere near as hard as being world class in a sport (athletic). A sport involves heavy physical and mental conditioning, something that a video game does not. A video game only requires a lot of time and practice. For example, in an FPS, you study what weapons do what, how people react to certain events, and the layout of the map. Refine your movements, know what's going to happen beforehand, and it won't be long until you're at the top of your game. That's how I became one of the top players in Unreal Championship. Sure, there was nowhere near as much competition as some of your other PC games, but when you're able to lay waste to others with an XBox controller with no auto-aim, you're not doing so bad. For the record, I was never a rocket whore, and I'm much better with a mouse and keyboard.
Also, video games have nowhere near the level of depth in strategy as a game like Chess does. For the most part, you have to have a little extra edge in a game like Chess to become better than others at it, and Chess knowledge has been passed down through many, many years, making it that much harder to become better than others who already have that knowledge.
Really, there isn't that much separating a CPL player from your average gamer, just a bit more of an investment into certain games than others care to put into them. There is not a single CPL player out there who has the same level of mastery in their game as, say, a Favre, Clemens, or Kasparov.
There's no problem with me when it comes to people trying to find a new way to make money. However, this really cheapens the game, competing against a company who's not out to have fun. That just puts a damper on things.
The MMORPG developers just need to close this loophole by stopping games from becoming a clickfest and to quit allowing characters to become near immortal. In fact, it might be an option to add some penalties for death. Regardless, it's up to the developers to make a game actually require some skill.
we're trying to establish gaming as an entertaining spectator sport
With such a low barrier for entry (the price of the game), and the ease of becoming good (just invest a lot of time) why should I watch somebody else play?
Try all you want to, video games will never become a spectator sport because it's easy enough for too many people to do.
Imagine if you'd quit posting as an Anonymous Coward and actually go out and help stop some of those things yourself, rather than moan about it here.
Really, not posting as an Anonymous Coward would help, you ended up getting +5 for your bleeding heart bullshit. And, even though you might dislike corporations, a single one will probably do more charity work than you'll ever do in ten lifetimes.
As with everything, there's good and bad. Lumping all corporations into the greedy and heartless category isn't fair.
If you truly cared, you'd quit worrying about what corporations are doing with their money and start looking more closely at how you spend yours.
I wouldn't trust a surgeon who's played a bunch of console games with vibrating controllers. That really doesn't help your hands stay stable.
In the real world, I could see twitch reflexes and reaction times being much better. But, if we're talking somebody holding something that shakes their hands on a regular basis making them more precise, then you've lost me.
Why train people to be creative? If you need training for that, then you're probably not somebody who will ever be very creative anyways.
Besides, when you're taught how to be creative, you end up copying somebody else's style. Develop your ideas on your own, and if people don't like it then tough luck. But, I'd rather have people hate my ideas than like the ones that aren't truly mine.
Well, I think that the game industry has become quite a force. However, it's time to start truly separating from Hollywood and the music industry.
The big shots in the industry who aren't directly affiliated with a movie studio need to quit making games that are the equivalent of a second-rate movie. Stop bothering with bringing in washed up actors for voices in a futile attempt to try to give your game a little bit of extra publicity. It's not necessary. I'd rather have a good no-name voice actor who's dedicated to the game industry than somebody who stars in direct-to-video action releases.
Why not even take it a step further and quit having story driven games in the same typical structure of a movie? Shift things around, there's more than one way to tell a story.
As for music, I could vomit every time I hear mall punk, nu metal, or rap in a game. Why must things be so formulaic and repetitive? If you're going to license music, make it so that it fits the atmosphere a little better. Quit trying to shop the teen/college market so much. There's a lot of other demographics you've failed to attract so far, and they could equal a massive amount of money.
Also, they shouldn't forget the little things. Inviting small celebrities to E3 might get you mention in a tabloid, but it doesn't help gain you credibility. If the industry needs cheap gimmicks like that to get attention, then maybe a good fall is needed to bring them back into reality. The industry doesn't deserve to be as big as it is if they cannot rely on their product to do most of the talking. That goes for music and movies as well.
Video games will never come out on top as long as they are picking up the crumbs of the other major entertainment media. The industry needs to make its move or they'll implode based on their own mediocrity.
Nigeria has been a terrible place to cook meat because of their people's natural inability to make fire. However, Mohammed made an ingenious invention! You sharpen a stick, stab that stick through a piece of meat, poultry, or fish, and place that stick upon two sticks driven into the ground. When you rotate that stick under the hot Nigerian sun, your food cooks!
Mohammed, you're a genious. May Nigeria remember you in the highest regard.
You can never make a platformer list without mentioning Bad Dudes! If anything for the sense of accomplishment you get when being commended by none other than Ronald Reagan!
Play games, stay off the drugs, and do your duty to your country. Could a game ever provide more?
If eight college guys were able to get organized and create a game, work 60 hours a week at it, make a living while doing so, and actually finish it, I'd certainly think that it would warrant potential recognition. They might have extra time, but they're just college kids without industry experience. There's usually a big difference between somebody who wants to be a player in the industry and somebody who actually is.
The whole reason that there even is an award ceremony for independent developers is to showcase the small fry. Holding them to the same timeframe that a major company has is a bit too much, I think.
Why is it that everybody who complains about "frankenfood" being potentially harmful get so unbelievably fried? They have no problem using chemicals, so what's wrong with some extra chemicals on/in your produce?
I have a feeling the debate against this won't be nearly as strong. Imagine the potential maaaan.
I think that there would be more lying if there is only one available category that is also capped. Then, a developer would be intrigued to lie just to be eligible.
For one, most people who sink more than $100,000 into a game will probably want to compete against the larger competition. Why would they want to even be in the same category as the small independent games? Their game won't get the same kind of recognition when categorized with such small competition.
Also, just by looking at various qualities of a game, you can often tell whether or not that game was produced with a large budget. Of course, an examination of such qualities would be in combination with bookkeeping requirements and other forms of budget proof.
I just don't think that there's enough incentive to lie, nor do I think that there's that high of a risk of somebody actually trying to.
Slashdot Mirror
That'd really fuck up the Chinese calendar if those headlines came true.
Well, I don't really doubt that Hollywood directors are very interested in video games as a new creative medium for themselves. Yet, I can't help feeling that the executives in Hollywood have an alterior motive behind their involvement in the video game world. I'm guessing that they're scared of the game industry, and that if they can further their involvement, the more power they'll have over what happens within it.
At the very least, this has a little something to do with damage control. Their increased involvement allows them to have more power over what happens in the game world and also gives them a new area to do business.
In a worst case scenario, they're trying to start taking over the industry and are just beginning to sink their teeth into it.
Really, I can't blame Hollywood for trying to stay afloat. The major game companies almost seem to want this increased partnering, I don't agree at all that they should partner, but at least this will make it easier for up and comers to shine like never before. The video game scene has a very critical audience, so I hope the big boys stay in top form, for their sake.
Regardless, the potential competition between the established companies and the new breed is starting to excite me. Let the games begin.
I guess its Microsoft's futile attempt to stop linux from taking over the world.
Or Microsoft's attempt to try and save their operating system business?
Well, it's no surprise to me that Activision would really like to cash in, with games like Tony Hawk and MX Superfly, there's bound to be quite a market for advertising. Knowing how to place those ads would be very beneficial to them, although I don't know how well Nielsen's method will help.
However, they better play wisely. Gamers would be quick to turn their noses up at ads where they're too intrusive or don't make sense, and thus blacklisting the developer and publisher responsible.
I'm not surprised by Activision, the king of sequels and licenses, wanting to do this. I just hope that they don't shoot themselves in the foot.
The point is, being world class in a video game is nowhere near as hard as being world class in a sport (athletic). A sport involves heavy physical and mental conditioning, something that a video game does not. A video game only requires a lot of time and practice. For example, in an FPS, you study what weapons do what, how people react to certain events, and the layout of the map. Refine your movements, know what's going to happen beforehand, and it won't be long until you're at the top of your game. That's how I became one of the top players in Unreal Championship. Sure, there was nowhere near as much competition as some of your other PC games, but when you're able to lay waste to others with an XBox controller with no auto-aim, you're not doing so bad. For the record, I was never a rocket whore, and I'm much better with a mouse and keyboard.
Also, video games have nowhere near the level of depth in strategy as a game like Chess does. For the most part, you have to have a little extra edge in a game like Chess to become better than others at it, and Chess knowledge has been passed down through many, many years, making it that much harder to become better than others who already have that knowledge.
Really, there isn't that much separating a CPL player from your average gamer, just a bit more of an investment into certain games than others care to put into them. There is not a single CPL player out there who has the same level of mastery in their game as, say, a Favre, Clemens, or Kasparov.
I'll be damned.
Must've gotten the training in high school...
There's no problem with me when it comes to people trying to find a new way to make money. However, this really cheapens the game, competing against a company who's not out to have fun. That just puts a damper on things.
The MMORPG developers just need to close this loophole by stopping games from becoming a clickfest and to quit allowing characters to become near immortal. In fact, it might be an option to add some penalties for death. Regardless, it's up to the developers to make a game actually require some skill.
As long as GeoCities and Tripod exist, we won't have to worry about our text being turned into ads!
Free speech shall remain!
I know, I was just being lippy. That's why I got tagged funny.
Congratulations on the good jobs over there.
we're trying to establish gaming as an entertaining spectator sport
With such a low barrier for entry (the price of the game), and the ease of becoming good (just invest a lot of time) why should I watch somebody else play?
Try all you want to, video games will never become a spectator sport because it's easy enough for too many people to do.
I rarely hear complains that their job was cut due to automation and increased efficiency.
That's because telling the truth makes them feel unnecessary. People need to quit thinking in terms of borders, the world's too small now.
Imagine if you'd quit posting as an Anonymous Coward and actually go out and help stop some of those things yourself, rather than moan about it here.
Really, not posting as an Anonymous Coward would help, you ended up getting +5 for your bleeding heart bullshit. And, even though you might dislike corporations, a single one will probably do more charity work than you'll ever do in ten lifetimes.
As with everything, there's good and bad. Lumping all corporations into the greedy and heartless category isn't fair.
If you truly cared, you'd quit worrying about what corporations are doing with their money and start looking more closely at how you spend yours.
I hear the voices of 6,000 worried Indians, afraid that their jobs might be sent to the US because they were bought out by an American company.
I wouldn't trust a surgeon who's played a bunch of console games with vibrating controllers. That really doesn't help your hands stay stable.
In the real world, I could see twitch reflexes and reaction times being much better. But, if we're talking somebody holding something that shakes their hands on a regular basis making them more precise, then you've lost me.
Why train people to be creative? If you need training for that, then you're probably not somebody who will ever be very creative anyways.
Besides, when you're taught how to be creative, you end up copying somebody else's style. Develop your ideas on your own, and if people don't like it then tough luck. But, I'd rather have people hate my ideas than like the ones that aren't truly mine.
Well, I think that the game industry has become quite a force. However, it's time to start truly separating from Hollywood and the music industry.
The big shots in the industry who aren't directly affiliated with a movie studio need to quit making games that are the equivalent of a second-rate movie. Stop bothering with bringing in washed up actors for voices in a futile attempt to try to give your game a little bit of extra publicity. It's not necessary. I'd rather have a good no-name voice actor who's dedicated to the game industry than somebody who stars in direct-to-video action releases.
Why not even take it a step further and quit having story driven games in the same typical structure of a movie? Shift things around, there's more than one way to tell a story.
As for music, I could vomit every time I hear mall punk, nu metal, or rap in a game. Why must things be so formulaic and repetitive? If you're going to license music, make it so that it fits the atmosphere a little better. Quit trying to shop the teen/college market so much. There's a lot of other demographics you've failed to attract so far, and they could equal a massive amount of money.
Also, they shouldn't forget the little things. Inviting small celebrities to E3 might get you mention in a tabloid, but it doesn't help gain you credibility. If the industry needs cheap gimmicks like that to get attention, then maybe a good fall is needed to bring them back into reality. The industry doesn't deserve to be as big as it is if they cannot rely on their product to do most of the talking. That goes for music and movies as well.
Video games will never come out on top as long as they are picking up the crumbs of the other major entertainment media. The industry needs to make its move or they'll implode based on their own mediocrity.
What do you know? He won yet another award!
Nigeria has been a terrible place to cook meat because of their people's natural inability to make fire. However, Mohammed made an ingenious invention! You sharpen a stick, stab that stick through a piece of meat, poultry, or fish, and place that stick upon two sticks driven into the ground. When you rotate that stick under the hot Nigerian sun, your food cooks!
Mohammed, you're a genious. May Nigeria remember you in the highest regard.
You can never make a platformer list without mentioning Bad Dudes! If anything for the sense of accomplishment you get when being commended by none other than Ronald Reagan!
Play games, stay off the drugs, and do your duty to your country. Could a game ever provide more?
My sources tell me that it was Lars Ulrich banging on trashcans... in space!
Not to mention, the page was modeled after NetBSD's platform pages, but yet they called it OpenBSD. Of course, that wasn't the only error made.
Not only obvious, but poorly implemented.
If eight college guys were able to get organized and create a game, work 60 hours a week at it, make a living while doing so, and actually finish it, I'd certainly think that it would warrant potential recognition. They might have extra time, but they're just college kids without industry experience. There's usually a big difference between somebody who wants to be a player in the industry and somebody who actually is.
The whole reason that there even is an award ceremony for independent developers is to showcase the small fry. Holding them to the same timeframe that a major company has is a bit too much, I think.
Anybody want to be my friend :) :) :) :)??? Post below ;)!
:(
...
Experiment failed.
Why is it that everybody who complains about "frankenfood" being potentially harmful get so unbelievably fried? They have no problem using chemicals, so what's wrong with some extra chemicals on/in your produce?
I have a feeling the debate against this won't be nearly as strong. Imagine the potential maaaan.
Bob's an avid smoker.
Bob lights a cigarette while doing work on his new Hitachi PDA.
Bob...
*poof*
Bob! Dear Lord, Bob's... Bob's dead!
I think that there would be more lying if there is only one available category that is also capped. Then, a developer would be intrigued to lie just to be eligible.
For one, most people who sink more than $100,000 into a game will probably want to compete against the larger competition. Why would they want to even be in the same category as the small independent games? Their game won't get the same kind of recognition when categorized with such small competition.
Also, just by looking at various qualities of a game, you can often tell whether or not that game was produced with a large budget. Of course, an examination of such qualities would be in combination with bookkeeping requirements and other forms of budget proof.
I just don't think that there's enough incentive to lie, nor do I think that there's that high of a risk of somebody actually trying to.