What Hollywood Could Learn From the Gaming Industry 87
GameDaily's David Radd has up a piece today looking at what Hollywood could learn from the games industry. His main points are that game companies are much more in touch with their customers, do a better job of generating buzz, and utilize the internet as a communications medium more successfully. From the article: "Today, publishers like Activision report that their ad budgets are equal to their game production budgets. But despite this significant increase in the scope of video game advertising, the 'buzz' factor is all important. And with the Internet, viral advertising has a way to touch both groups."
Oh bother. (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Oh bother. (Score:2)
Re:Oh bother. (Score:1, Redundant)
Re:Oh bother. (Score:1)
Re:Oh bother. (Score:4, Insightful)
Any good business will learn from others, what works well, what doesn't, etc.. this applies to individual companies as well as entire industries.
Re:Oh bother. (Score:1)
Add to that the fact that Hollywood has guilds who prevent the studios from causing too much abuse to above-the-line talent and I'd say the gaming industry could actually learn a lot more from movies, not the other way around.
Re:Oh bother. (Score:2)
I cant wait till Hollywood learns to charge more for shorter films with better special effects, with less content, and more sequels.
The Lion King 1 1/2 (same story, different POV, because that's exciting)
Bambi 2 (also known as "We're Out of New Ideas")
Jason X (Jason dies for the 10th time)
Halloween H20 (Micheal dies for the 7th time)
The Land Before Time XI (real dinosaurs died out faster than this movie series)
Re:Oh bother. (Score:1)
Secondly, you picked on the horror genre, which feeds itself on the possibility that no matter how many times you "kill" the monster, he may return - it in fact revels in the immortality of its villains. It's spawned a lot of in-jokes, but the genre has never apologized
Re:Oh bother. (Score:1)
Re:Oh bother. (Score:2)
And with the Internet, viral advertising has a way to touch both groups.
Alternative lesson (Score:2)
Just saying. I'm going to go and see it anyway.
Different customer base (Score:2)
As for movies, I don't really follow new releases for films like I do for games. I need to see a film that interests me before I worry a
That's Right! (Score:3, Funny)
That's right, Slashdot should run the world!
Factor in piracy questions. (Score:1)
Re:Factor in piracy questions. (Score:1)
Run by old guys... (Score:5, Insightful)
It remains to be seem how well they will keep in touch with their customers as the industry ages, but that is neither here nor there.
The music industry changed, but kicking and screaming, they ended up loosing billions because of their inability to change to the new climate. The movie industry still is loosing billions but they aren't ready to change... It's hard to tell if its arrogant, stupidity, or something in the middle of the two.
I think mail order DVDs should be a very clear indication of just how big Internet movie rental and or purchase markets are... It's clearly what the consumer wants... I say they should fire off these old middle managers and hire in some fresh blood...
Re:Run by old guys... (Score:2)
I agree that iTunes is a new development; however, the Sony rootkit was years after iTunes was introduced. So I wouldn't say they've changed at all or learned their lessons...
Re:Run by old guys... (Score:1)
No way (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:No way (Score:2)
Re:No way (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:No way (Score:2)
Re:No way (Score:1)
Re:No way (Score:2)
Re:No way (Score:1)
Re:No way (Score:1)
Re:No way (Score:2, Interesting)
Obviously I need to log onto steam to play Counter-Strike. The only legit complaint I can think of is if they make you log onto steam to play LAN games. That could really present some problems for some users. I wouldn't call it DRM though I'd call it copy protection, and while it helps the content creators, it also has some great features for
Re:No way (Score:2)
But you need the Internet connection to install the game, even if you bought the CD.
Re:No way (Score:1)
Re:No way (Score:1)
Re:No way (Score:1)
Re:No way (Score:2)
But unless you regularly play your games on others' computers, do you remember your Steam ID and password? Are you prepared for when your system dies and takes that information to its grave?
Re:No way (Score:1)
I don't think requiring an internet connection inconveniences or cripples the product at all. Also, I may be wrong but I think you are only required to connect once to actually activate a single player game.
Hypothetical situation: I access Slashdot at a public library on the library's own terminal, and I don't have Internet access at home. Will a typical public library let me cart my PC in and activate the game? Or do you suggest that I pay $239.88 for a 12-month commitment to dial-up Internet access at
Re:No way (Score:2)
Or do you suggest that I pay $239.88 for a 12-month commitment to dial-up Internet access at home?
You're kidding, right? I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that it's been so long since you've had a dial-up connection that you don't realize that you have no fucking clue what you're talking about. Do you live in a cave? Mom's basement? Prison possibly? Netzero [netzero.net] is still a
Long distance (Score:1)
Netzero is still alive and kicking with a $9.95/month offer, with no commitment.
Unless all of NetZero's modems are a long-distance call from your house. I'm not on dial-up anymore, but last time I checked, NetZero didn't have modems in all geographic areas. You still have a point that even with long-distance fees, it won't be more than $12 plus the price of a POTS modem. But is it as cheap outside the United States?
Re:Long distance (Score:2)
As for Netzero's coverage, it seems pretty good. I use Speakeasy, so I don't know personally, but the few phone numbers I did test, were well covered.
Aero
Re:No way (Score:1)
Re:No way (Score:1)
There are alot of decent companies that don't force you to have an internet connection to play single player mode, such as Oblivion and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Both San Andreas and Oblivion don't even require a cd key when installing the game, no copy protection whatsoever. And you know what, I bought both games to support those two companies since they seem to get it.
Re:No way (Score:2)
Just because one dork on Slashdot doesn't do something, doesn't mean the masses won't. Go take some marketing courses and learn something about how business works before making sweeping pronouncements no one will take seriously.
Re:No way (Score:2)
Right, because we all know money, determines quality [google.ca]
Re:No way (Score:2)
Any amount of money earned on an endeavor makes you an expert in that business area compared to someone who's never earned a dime. If you've never launched a successful business doing X, you are in no position to criticize someone who is running a successful business doing X. They're making money, you're not, so you're in no position to judge.
Games give more. (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Games give more. (Score:1)
MMORPGs can accumulate 20-60 DAYS of playtime over the course of a year.
Re:Games give more. (Score:3, Funny)
Speaking of in touch... (Score:3, Interesting)
How many film directors or actors do that?
Re:Speaking of in touch... (Score:2)
Think about it this way: if you were one of the paparazzi, would you spend your time chasing after the star who hides ev
Re:Speaking of in touch... (Score:1)
Re:Speaking of in touch... (Score:1)
Kevin Smith. (Score:2)
View Askew boards [viewaskew.com]
What Hollywood Could Learn From the Gaming Indust (Score:2, Funny)
More cut scenes?
Re: What Hollywood Could Learn From the Gaming Ind (Score:1)
Re: What Hollywood Could Learn From the Gaming Ind (Score:1)
Ad budgets in line with production budgets? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Ad budgets in line with production budgets? (Score:1)
Lets hope they learn nothing from the game biz (Score:3, Interesting)
We would also have movies wich wouldn't have the correct ending until the 3rd patch. George Lucas would love it.
They would give us heroes who remain silent for the entire movie or in extreme cases go back to the dawn of film and force us to read endless cue cards.
You wouldn't be able to stop your video when watching a movie but would be forced to resume from the beginning of the scene because of the lousy save system.
Movies would come with insane copy protection schemes.... oh wait a minute. That they already learned.
But worst of all, if Hollywood learned from the game industry all the movies would be directed by Uwe Boll.
Re:Lets hope they learn nothing from the game biz (Score:1)
Star Wars, Star Wars Box Set, Star Wars Special Editions, Star Wars Special Edition Box Set, Star Wars Remastered Special Special Hayden Christensen Edition, Star Wars Original Release Re-Release.
We're closer than you think.
Seen "Poseidon"? The article has it in reverse (Score:2)
Or we will have more remakes then you can shake a stick at.
Movies remake almost everything, and really it's only in the past ten years that the production budgets necessary for big release video games have started imitating that. The point is when you have that much money on the table, the producers will tend to play it safe and put their money behind proven winners. That means sequels.
The biggest Xbox360 release title was King Kong: a game based on a lavish remake of a movie. The remake was fabulously
Zonk, your submissions are consistently junk (Score:2)
Whom Hollywood really needs to learn from... (Score:5, Insightful)
The Anime people use "piracy" to their advantage - you do not seem a lot of marketting for Anime, with the exception of a few places, but those few places are based solely around anime (e.g. Anime Network, Cartoon Network, etc.).
The Anime people rely on customers to do grown-swell marketing for their products, and they respond to the customers. More and more I find myself disliking the movies from Hollywood - okay, they've had a couple good ones lately, but that's out of a ton of bad ones over the last few years - and more in tune with Anime. And guess what I'm generally buying when it comes to DVD's? Anime; entire series introduced by friends and content that Hollywood would likely have deemed "piracy".
And the fans generally respect the companies and get rid of the "piracy" as content becomes available in their own languages and regions. It's a win-win situation.
Now if only Hollywood would learn...
Re:Whom Hollywood really needs to learn from... (Score:2)
Re:Whom Hollywood really needs to learn from... (Score:1)
How about... (Score:2)
It's the other way around... (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:It's the other way around... (Score:2)
Oh it works both ways;
1. most games are either based on movies or are sequels to earlier games
2. most movies are either based on games or are sequels to earlier movies
Original games and movies are inevitably low budget because investors don't want to take a risk on something that hasn't been tried before.
It is, indeed, teh suck.
Gratuitous Plug (Score:1)
WHAT?!? (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:WHAT?!? (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:WHAT?!? (Score:2)
Re:WHAT?!? yeah WHAAAT!?!? (Score:1)
obvious anwer (Score:1)
Sequels, sequels, sequels (Score:1)
*RELEASE ONLY COMPLETE PRODUCTS* (Score:1)
Movies start with a story, generate content, and are edited back down to a story. Then on the DVD release we even get the 2-disc set with outtakes, special features, director's cut(s), TV and theatre ads for the movie,
Instead they give us a "game" built on one of 4 common rulesets, incomplete, buggy, and leaving out features in order to sell us a new expansion pack in 4 to 8 months. Oh, wait, is that just the movies' Gold Edition?
8-PP
Piracy (Score:2)
Games tap right into the wire (Score:2)
And that point was "have fun and fit our Xbox into your routine." Absolutely brilliant in my book.
And what has the movie industry thrust down our throats for decades?
Poppycock? (Score:1)
Ok, maybe they can (Score:1)