Response: Week 11

My first question this week asked about how filmmakers will react to the growing market in the interactive entertainment industry. I believe that as the gap widens between the amount of money made by the gaming industry and that of the film industry, filmmakers will try more radical approaches to storytelling. I can see in the not so distant future a feature length film similar to the YouTube thing we watched in class (was that this class or iMedia strategies?) where you can choose the direction of the film. This will be a lot more expensive and time consuming for filmmakers, actors, videographers, etc… but the end product could be really cool and will allow the audience to connect more with the film.

Next, I asked about how video games will continue to grow and fill a niche in our society. I am reminded of the discussion we had in class about how video games like the Wii have become a replacement for board games in modern families. I dated a guy whose family would spend hours on the weekend playing the Wii together. While this is a little weird coming from someone whose family is rarely ever in the same town, much less the same house, I guess that for families/friends/partners looking to connect and share something, video games could be a good outlet. I know that a lot of video games allow you to use headsets to communicate with other users. This reminds me of phone calls or skype. I can see long distance friends or couples meeting at a specific time in the gaming world to play against each other. I think this could be a good outlet for staying connected to one another, even if you aren’t in the same physical space.

Finally I asked about how the gaming industry will change our field. I don’t think it will do any more harm than anything else in terms of stifling our creativity. The most talented and creative designers will continue to get the jobs. The most talented and creative writers will be able to write the stories. And the most talented and creative directors will continue to direct the experience. It isn’t replacing other industries, it is instead adding to our options as interactive experts. Just taking a look at our program, you can see that there are people who would be capable of designing for a game, coding for a game, filming for a game, writing, producing sound, etc. There are dozens of jobs available for people with expertise in interactive entertainment within the gaming industry.