Thinkcage

Here’s a great video showing that even kids can play the Wii – just like Dad.

The linked article shows actual screens of the upcoming DS game based on SimCity 3000. Oh man as if I didn’t love my Nintendo DS enough already… I can’t wait!

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An article posted on cnet | News.com this morning, Game publishers sweat console change, discussed the upcoming 3rd generation of the big three gaming consoles. The next iterations of the Playstation 2, Xbox, and Gamecube are each set to launch in the next 18 months or so and with that upgrade, game developers must also upgrade their capabilities, processes and budgets. The estimate in the article is that the cost of game development—already over $5 million for many “A” titles— could triple with the upcoming change.

Naturally, game developers will have to find new ways to meeting the demands of these graphics thirsty systems while working with perhaps less resources. For my point of view, I can only see two results of this crunch and I’m not excited about either:

1. Game developers are forced to cut back in terms of story, talent, cutscenes, and design in favor of horsepower and graphics. The sad reality is that above all, graphics sell games, but gameplay is what makes them fun. When push comes to shove, I’m afraid that sales will win when a publisher has $15 million on the line. This is already an issue today and only looks to get worse. I fear that we will see an increase of games based on licensed properties, which are not now known for their quality.
2. The other senario is could be dubbed the Brittany Spears Effect, as game publishers will only choose the games that will sell the best. If a publisher has to turn 10 million copies of a game to make a profit, then only the games that will appeal to an audience that wide will be made. Much like brilliant, original musicians are passed over every day because they could never appeal to a wide audience like Brittany and other pop stars can. The end result is less choice, and arguably, less quality, innovation and creativity in games.

This kind of destruction of the creative, independent artist is a real concern for me in gaming, in music, on the web, in everything around us. Gone are the days when a single developer with a personal computer and a great idea could turn out a state-of-the-art video game. When a great idea for a game never sees the light of day because it only appeals to a niche market, we lose. Likewise when a talented band is passed over for yet another 17 year old model lip-syncing songs created by a record company “team”. Even more so when a product cannot make it to market because Wal*Mart refuses to stock it. That is the end of choice and of the power to create.

I finally got around to watching my DVR’d copy of The Video Game Revolution, a documentary of the history of video games on PBS. The piece is a a fun two-hour walk through the history of video games with commentary on their impact on culture. The show revealed a few tidbits I didn’t know, such as the fact that Apple Computer founders Steve Jobs, and Steve Wozniak first collaborated at Atari on the game, Breakout. Also interesting was the mention of the pre-pong patent that Magnavox owned over putting gaming images on a Television screen. Apparently they were granted this patent and spent several years suing the pants off of the competition to their failed game console. Unfortunately, the documentary failed to discuss how this patent was logically overturned and when.

My only other criticism of this entertaining show was the annoying practice of showing too many clips of games unrelated to the narration. For example, showing footage of the latest, and arguably poorest, title in the Tomb Raider series as the narrative discusses how ground-breaking the original was. The various installments of Doom and Quake were used equally interchangeably. For a documentary on history, the looseness of these clips seems sloppy. Check out the mini site for the series for some good complimentary articles. Much like their recent music special, The Way the Music Died, PBS has done a fantastic job of building a strong online resource to accompany the piece. I wish that other television shows and movies were equally supported.

A recent BBC News article, Body and brain of gamers probed, takes a look at the work of a University of Oklahoma researcher that is studying the physical effects of video games. No, not effects of repetitive stress or bleary eyes, but the chemical and physical results of gaming. The research, though early, shows that the mental state of a gamer is not unlike that of an athlete involved in competition. The hope is that the game industry can use the research to more consistently create compelling games.

A recent CNN story reports that a study by Sony about the gaming habits of Playstation 2 owners shows that the majority of gaming takes place from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., directly competing with network TV’s “prime-time” programming.

The article concludes that perhaps the decline of TV viewership in general can be attributed to gamers. This is certainly plausible as Sony reports that 65% of those gamers fit the 18-35 male demographic. Personally, I think there is more to it than that.

To me, this is an issue of interactive vs. passive entertainment. It is difficult to sit and watch TV when you can interact with the Internet or a video game. Video games, in particular offer a similar visual experience to TV but allow you to control the action. Furthermore online-enabled play brings social interaction into the mix for a very immersive experience. The internet offers similar interactivity as we use instant messaging, email, and browsers. As well as the ability to control of the flow of that information.

I find it difficult to schedule time to watch the few programs that even appeal to me and find myself enjoying very little of that. With competitive entertainment like DVDs, video games, and the Internet, combined with DVRs that allow viewers to never miss an episode and watch them on their own time, I think it is safe to say that the death of “prime-time” is at hand.

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