The Musings Of An Opinionated Sod [Help Me Grow!]

Bloody hell you found a good ‘un:) That Feist song is probably my favorite of the year. Gets me in a good mood no matter how crappy I’m feeling

I think the reason ‘The Heartbreak Kid’ didn’t do very well is because it’s absolutely fucking shit – but to be fair, how is a Hollywood exec going to be able to tell that when they think Jash Harnett and Lindsey Lohen are talents and remaking Herbie was a good idea!

I agree that the ‘interaction element’ of gaming gives people a more unique experience than film and music [though music does have great emotional interaction elements] however I question if that is the only reason gaming now dwarfs the music and film industries.

Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate it has a huge influence in the purchase decision, however I also believe it has alot to do with escapism and ego [boosting self esteem?] … just like for gambling addicts, they are often more driven by the desire for heightened excitement and/or the belief they’re smarter than those around them than the quest to make money.

Maybe … ha!

If you can deny becoming a ‘lad’ when your family is away, I can deny having any films that may come from a less legit source. Ahem.

Did cynic negotiate this deal to get 2 bites of the Apple financial pie? I wouldn’t put it past you, remember the BP “incident”? LOL.
Really like the song but how come she didn’t sing it? Is she in a band or just a songwriter? You did well Robert, a beautiful wife and a talented family, you must have done something very right in a past life.
As for your debate regarding video games and their appeal based on interactivity, I am prone to agree with you that there are many other elements at play of which ego and escapism are definitely two.
I don’t think it is entirely coincidental that the rise of video game power has coincided with a general decrease in the level of people’s satisfaction with life.
This despondency has played a significant role in the growth of the drug culture, especially against the younger user segment, and gaming offers a similar sense of escapism which makes it highly attractive to the disillusioned, especially when compared against the music and film categories.

And Pete … how come you’re up at this time????

Early start or late finish????

Firstly I adore the song. Excellent stuff.

Right then. Video games. Why do people play video games and why are they currently so successful? Video games, per se haven’t changed much at all. The game-play mechanics, emotional stress, desire to win and have a break that you find in Halo 3 are basically the same as those you we experienced with “Pong” about 30 years ago. Strip away the graphics and they are the same.

What makes the difference is the attention to detail and the storylines, which are increasingly becoming more complex. Where the action “game-play” maybe relatively simple; you get past that monster by killing it with a “headshot”, the story or the framework that surrounds the action tends to have a storyline that is sophisticated and challenging. And this is what drives most gamers on.

Imagine a film, Star Wars for example, where you couldn’t find out what all the fuss was about with Luke and Darth Vader. You knew that there was a third film, but your stuck in the second and can’t work out how to move on.

There are of course other games where team-play and game management are extremely important, and these games do tend to, admittedly, focus on beating another team (which brings us back to “Pong”).

The raise of the video game industry does indeed have a huge amount to do with the fact that other “entertainment” platforms such as Television and Cinema continue to fail because these industries simply don’t understand their audience. The games industry does. The gaming audience demands quality and (this is vital) longevity; a one off game is of no interest to a gamer at all. A gamer is looking for a long term story that will fascinate them for hours and hold the promise of further stories and adventures to come. And they want to – and can be part of that adventure.

I have more. But I’ll stop now.

Morning.

This is interesting too.

http://branddna.blogspot.com/2007/10/gaming-is-not-game.html

I love the song.
Give us more Marcus.
And I’m thankful no one has used this opportunity to slag off Prince

I’m in quite a fiesty mood today so I’m going to add this to the comments made so far …

While I agree with Marcus that the videogame industry understands its audience far better than their film and music counterparts, I still think it has alot to do with them understanding cultural and lifestyle needs rather than just their gameplaying “wants”.

Videogames have always been incredibly popular since way back in the 70’s – however with technological advancement now allowing near life-like images to be interacted with on screen and a society feeling more and more disillusioned with the opportunities they have in life – people now have the chance [thanks to a well created ‘background story and history’] to escape into the life they’ve always wanted to be part of … a life where their actions ARE important and has an effect on the lives of those around them.

Film and music can’t compete with that and so the importance of gaming has increased to huge proportions.

Now John …

If we are talking about industries – then yes, I agree the film guys will probably outlive the music companies – however if we are talking about musicians versus actors, then I believe the opposite is true mainly for the reason you outlined – a musician doesn’t need a record company to be successful whereas an actor tends to need a film company.

Finally NP …

I like Prince … which means we have something in common. How scary is that.

[I also have some ‘goss’ on him because in my studio guitar days, I once did a gig with one of his percusionists, Sheila E, and she told me all sorts of “naughtiness”.

We also need to remember Prince is the man that caused me utter embarrasment when my father saw him at the BPI awards and said in a loud voice that everyone could hear [including me who was miles away],

“There’s a home for AIDS if I ever saw one!”

Rob M: Merchandise has always been the realm of the act – until recently the record company got none of that revenue.

Rob (rockgod guitarist) – Yes I meant the industry.

And, my God, I’d give Sheila E one. She’s aged very, very well.

I feel an argument coming on.

I know this will sound sad – but you should read the book the Goss brothers [of BROS fame] wrote about how their record management ripped them off for millions … bloody more audacious than ENRON!

And Kaiser – what’s the [potential] argument about?

Don’t get me wrong, I like it when you get angry but this time I can’t work out what’s upset you!

[NB: I’m going to bed now so any rant at me will have to wait 12 hours if that’s OK]

This is a great mickey take of those dramatic piracy ads.