Are games really killing movies?

[snyderman8910]

The most recent extra punctuation mentions this and i think that a Big Picture episode may have brought it up as well: Are games a large, threatening detractor to the movie industry?

I'm under the impression that the main threat is people accessing the material online, legally or illegally. Is there any evidence that gaming is involved, or is this notion just getting kicked around on The Esacapist because its primarily a gaming website and it paints gaming as inevitably being the next phase of media consumption?

 

[Secret world leader (shhh)]

Maybe, can't really say without some evidence though the game industry does dwarf film in terms of revenue.

 

[AhumbleKnight]

I don't think so. Like Secret world leader said, everdence is required. Pending that evidence I think that it is the quality and cost of movies that is more likely to destroy the movie industry. What you mention reqarding the accessing of material online is true for both media. I don't think that illegal access is really that damaging (not condoning, attempting to objectivly judge). The quality of legaly accessed material is imho the main contributing factor.

 

[enzilewulf]

Now see I love movies and video games but to me they are two different things. Movies are something to kick back and watch unfold. Where as games usually require to to do things and have some kill involved other than sitting so my neck doesn't hurt.

 

[TheIronRuler]

The most recent extra punctuation mentions this and i think that a Big Picture episode may have brought it up as well: Are games a large, threatening detractor to the movie industry?

I'm under the impression that the main threat is people accessing the material online, legally or illegally. Is there any evidence that gaming is involved, or is this notion just getting kicked around on The Esacapist because its primarily a gaming website and it paints gaming as inevitably being the next phase of media consumption?

Short answer, No.
Long Answer, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.
Detailed answer,no - they very different from one another in their form and execution, mainly consumption.

 

[StBishop]

I hope so. I think movies suck.

I really don't like them.

 

[The_Vigilant]

They are and they should.

Interactive media > noninteractive media. What's more fun, the game or the cutscene? Plus, games are cost-effective. I can't tell you how many times I've gone to a store and thought to myself, I can spend $10 for two hours of entertainment (movie), or $30 for thirty hours of entertainment (game). For some games I can get literally hundreds or thousands of gameplay hours for only marginally more money than a movie. I bought Morrowind for $20 and got at least 500 hours out of it. And they were superb hours.

Plus, games possess the potential for a multiplayer social experience that a movie could never produce.

PLUS, video games have greater storytelling possibilities. One movie can tell one story. One video game can tell a hundred stories depending on the decisions of the player. A movie can tell a story for two hours, maybe three if the audience is patient. A video game can tell a story across tens or hundreds of hours with expository elements interwoven into gameplay, encouraging deeper understanding of and connection with the game's universe and far greater audience immersion.

Video games can do everything a movie can do and a helluva lot more. Heck, a game can even use live-action cutscenes (think Zork: Grand Inquisitor). As gaming technology improves, film will become more and more threatened. Simultaneous advances in film technology will help movies hold their ground for decades to come, but eventually they will take an unquestioned backseat to video games.

 

[Oisin XD]

I don't think they are killing movies on the consumer side. I'm looking forward to The Dark Knight Rises as much as I'm looking forward to ESV: Skyrim for example, and current film directors will be making films until they die. It's in a few generations' time that one might become worried; one of the main 'Dream' professions for youngsters these days is video-game developer, and that might have taken the place of movie-director, which was the big one a decade ago.

I'm not saying that in twenty years, the only movies to come out will be art-school projects and youtube vlogs, but at some point, it might be slim pickings for new promising talent to take over where the old crumbly legends left off.

I for one, don't want to go anywhere near the entertainment industry, so I'll just consume whatever the artists send out, be it interactive or not.

 

[GamerKT]

No. They coexist.

/thread

 

[polymath]

It's not so much games are killing movies as it is that Hollywood execs are worried they're a threat so they're over-compensating. The reason all the big special fx movies with 3D are being shoved down are throats is cos they think that's what the video game crowd like. The idea is to offer an experience that can't be replicated. They also aren't being helped by people who are more inclined to wait for the more "sophisticated" films to come out on dvd or netflix. So while video games aren't actually killing movies, because Hollywood thinks they are it's causing them to try and fight back against a threat that isn't there, doing more harm than good.

 

[Loner Jo Jo]

PLUS, video games have greater storytelling possibilities. One movie can tell one story. One video game can tell a hundred stories depending on the decisions of the player. A movie can tell a story for two hours, maybe three if the audience is patient. A video game can tell a story across tens or hundreds of hours with expository elements interwoven into gameplay, encouraging deeper understanding of and connection with the game's universe and far greater audience immersion.

You are correct, but is it really so bad to only tell one story? When a movie or book has a point to get across, you don't need to choose how it's going to happen. The character which was developed by a thoughtful writer undergoes his own story arch and you roleplaying out your idea of a good story, while it can be fun, isn't necessary and can indeed skew the message that a writer was trying to convey. Besides, perception is everything. No two people will interpret a book or movie the exact same way especially if it is indeed thought provoking. And lest we forget that linear games only tell one story as well, but there's nothing wrong with that. If the protagonist is well developed and sympathetic, just about anyone can identify with them and become just as immersed in the story.

Also, yes, in the long run, video games may be more cost effective, but not everyone has the time or patience to sink into a game to get the full story. Games take a certain level of skill and unless a person had worked on these skills previously, a game can be impossible to get through and the story could be lost to frustration. There are many games out there with compelling stories, but only a segment of the population are exposed to them because if you don't have the ability to get through the game, then you won't get the story. Take Biochock for instance. It's a fantastic story, and one I believe many people would be interested in. However, if I was to ask my mom to check it out, she wouldn't be able to play it and the story would be lost to her. When it comes to other story-telling mediums, the vast majority of people can read so books are almost always a viable option and anyone who can see can watch a movie, no prerequisites necessary. Also, time wise, sometimes all I want is a neatly encapsulated story in the span of two hours so that I can be done with it by the end of those two hours.

OT: Full-length movies were introduced almost 100 years ago and we still have books, right? Video games aren't going to destroy the movie industry, though I wouldn't doubt if it changes it. They'll still be around though.,

 

[Robert Ewing]

Nah, it's just a rival industry that's making more money than it. The similarities between the two industries make the games industry a perfect scapegoat for the movies industries poor performance.

If the games industry was in the same sort of trouble, and the movies industry was booming, then the games industry would place the blame on the movies industry. It's just how things work.

 

[Thaluikhain]

I don't see why one would threaten the otehr. Yes, if you've got X amount to spend, and there's one game and one movie you want, the two are in competition, but IMHO, most people are increasingly able to spend more money anyway.

Squabbles over which half of the cake is bigger aren't so serious when the cake keeps getting bigger.

 

[The_Yeti]

Movies Make Bad Games, Therefor, Movies Are Killing Games, Not The Other Way Around.

/Thread.

 

[The_Vigilant]

PLUS, video games have greater storytelling possibilities. One movie can tell one story. One video game can tell a hundred stories depending on the decisions of the player. A movie can tell a story for two hours, maybe three if the audience is patient. A video game can tell a story across tens or hundreds of hours with expository elements interwoven into gameplay, encouraging deeper understanding of and connection with the game's universe and far greater audience immersion.

You are correct, but is it really so bad to only tell one story? When a movie or book has a point to get across, you don't need to choose how it's going to happen. The character which was developed by a thoughtful writer undergoes his own story arch and you roleplaying out your idea of a good story, while it can be fun, isn't necessary and can indeed skew the message that a writer was trying to convey. Besides, perception is everything. No two people will interpret a book or movie the exact same way especially if it is indeed thought provoking. And lest we forget that linear games only tell one story as well, but there's nothing wrong with that. If the protagonist is well developed and sympathetic, just about anyone can identify with them and become just as immersed in the story.

Also, yes, in the long run, video games may be more cost effective, but not everyone has the time or patience to sink into a game to get the full story. Games take a certain level of skill and unless a person had worked on these skills previously, a game can be impossible to get through and the story could be lost to frustration. There are many games out there with compelling stories, but only a segment of the population are exposed to them because if you don't have the ability to get through the game, then you won't get the story. Take Biochock for instance. It's a fantastic story, and one I believe many people would be interested in. However, if I was to ask my mom to check it out, she wouldn't be able to play it and the story would be lost to her. When it comes to other story-telling mediums, the vast majority of people can read so books are almost always a viable option and anyone who can see can watch a movie, no prerequisites necessary. Also, time wise, sometimes all I want is a neatly encapsulated story in the span of two hours so that I can be done with it by the end of those two hours.

To your first point I say, yes, I agree with you. That's why later in my post I said "video games can do everything a movie can do." Video games can also tell one, rigidly structured story. The fact that a video game can do both makes it superior medium.

To your second point I say: in time that will change. Your mother is a member of one of the final generations of modern humans who can live a life with no exposure to video games and be considered normal. These days, even your most sociable and overworked student athletes with controlling parents have AT LEAST some Halo, Call of Duty, or Guitar Hero under their belts. In a matter of decades everyone will have enough general familiarity with video games to conquer the average game's learning curve.

To your final point regarding a single story that can be utterly wrapped by the end of two hours, I will reply like I did concerning your first point. Video games can do that too. Many games are episodic in design, telling one player's story and then moving on to another. Some games can be finished entirely in two hours. Some games tell stories within stories (most of the good RPGs and MMORPGs). Movies have only existed for a hundred years. Saying that the need for a form storytelling that can resolve its plot quickly requires movies is saying that books were never capable of doing the same thing. And while most books are like games, requiring significant time investment and audience involvement, a book can certainly tell an abbreviated story. I'd also like to add that movies frequently do a poor job of telling the best stories. If you've ever read the unabridged Count of Monte Cristo and seen one of the movies made in its storyline, you would notice that 90% of the book has been axed, and more than half of the cut material was plot significant. I could repeat myself for Lord of the Rings, John Grisham novels, etc. ad infinitem.

Video games could certainly mimic this cheapened storytelling. They could even do it with minimal involvement of the player (games like Myst are a good example). But again, the fact that games can do both make them a clearly superior media. And while they will never bury movies altogether, they're bleeding the industry that produces them.

 

[DSK-]

No I don't think so. The movies are killing themselves enough as it is. So much shit being made these days.

 

[TheLoneBeet]

I think the two can coexist. I go to games for a different kind of entertainment than the kind I get from movies. If I go to a movie I often expect immediate results. With games I'm willing to wait a little longer to get my entertainment fix. This is based solely on the fact that most movies are around two hours long and most games involve a time-investment of at least ten times that. Playing games has never affected my movie habits. I still enjoy going to the theater. Actually the two often encourage each other.

Spoiler: Tangent.

If I go to a movie I often encourage friends to come along, and we end up wasting time in the adjoining mall until the movie plays. During this time I inevitably end up at the EB Games and browse the shelves. I otherwise wouldn't have bothered driving all the way to the mall to buy a game that day. It's worth the drive for the better games on release day but otherwise I don't bother.