You may have heard that Amazon has paid a very kewl Billion for a site name Twitch.tv, which, uhm, follows video games. Nope, doesn't make sense to me either, but for hundreds of millions young people, their video game universe is as real as anything else.
A commenter provided this:
"... numbers I gathered during a Google search that I think will help provide some context to Amazon’s purchase of Twitch: Total Revenue for 2013 for the following industries:
NBA – 5 Billion.
MLB- 8 Billion.
NFL – 9 Billion.
Movie Box Office Ticket Sales -10.9 Billion.
Video Game Revenue 93 Billion.
To put Twitch into perspective Twitch is to gamers what ESPN is to sports fans. Amazon’s purchase of Twitch gives them access to the video game universe in a way they might never be able to recreate from scratch."
Video game revenue is nine times that of movie box office! Holy mother of all that's unholy. Not sure what we can learn from this, but it seems there's a new drug in town.
"...their video game universe is as real as anything else." Well put. And if you have a 55-inch high-def TV set and a nice sound system, it's easy to see how someone could get sucked into that world.
ReplyDeleteIf you're an aspiring band these days, it's much better to get your song in a video game or on a commercial than on the radio or MTV (if MTV even plays music videos any more).
And I used to think that video games were played by only the young (probably mostly true), but I know grown-ass men who play against each other online. The fact that this boggles my mind dates me, I'm sure.
With that said, the revenue numbers are astounding. I'd have thought the NFL made more money, but it's not remotely close if those numbers are correct.
A curious detail regarding myself and videogames is that all through the years in adulthood I have never found one single game which I could really care about. Nothing could hold my attention more than 10 minutes. Maximum.
ReplyDeleteAnd that goes for all types of games from Angry Birds over first person shooter to mystery/puzzle games to Tetris.
And it's not because of a kind of snobbishness towards them. Everybody knows that I often love family movies and TV shows like Pixar's movies and Phineas and Ferb.
I just don't see the attraction. If I win so what? If I lose so what? how has the world changed because of that? I just don't care.
I'm right with you. And you've got to wonder what's the long-term psychological impact of mowing people down with a machine gun in ultra-realistic fashion for hours every day other than, you know, going outside and being nice to people.
ReplyDeleteI know I am snobbish about this, but it is my firm belief that you don't really achieve adulthood until you knock it off with the video games. I'm sure the internet disagrees with that, but who cares.
I feel like I need to comment upon this, as an adult who is experienced in the world of video games. For the moment, there is too much I can think of to say, and I am not sure exactly what I should say. Let me simply say for now, that you could say the same thing about movies that you said about games Eolake. Why should we care what happens in a movie, or a tv show? What if the villian was to win?
ReplyDeleteVideo games are evolving past just being a kids toy, and I'm not talking about improvements in graphics, I'm talking about game design finding new and interesting ways of delivering media, which can be greatly more compelling than a static story of a movie. It's difficult to get those unfamiliar with the gaming world to see this, as there is so much tosh out there, in the games industry. But don't assume right away that that is what all these people are spending there time on.
I would like to point you towards this video. It is not directly on the subject of why people play video games, but is designed to explain what twitch tv is. However, it does highlight many of the reasons videogames can be compelling within the video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MN2jDtRNuCI&list=UUy1Ms_5qBTawC-k7PVjHXKQ
ReplyDeleteThanks, Steven. Good points.
ReplyDeleteLike I said, it's curious to me why it just doesn't hold my interest. I can imagine a game which might hold my interest, but it would be very boring to 98% of gamers, because it would have no difficult challenges at all, it would be more focused on invention, aesthetics, and exploration.
Yes, I see completely where you are coming from Eolake. Many people just aren't drawn by competition. The kind of game you describe sounds right up my alley, and in fact there are a few great examples exactly like that.
ReplyDeleteAs to what empty spaces was saying, I get where your concern about games is coming from. I believe there are a lot of potential problems with video games. I myself regret the amount of time I have spent in front of them. But it's like any activity, you can be responsible with it, or not. I'm not here to say games are great, and we should all be playing them, I'm here to say: video games are becoming entirely valid as an adult/serious activity that can fully engage the player and teach valuable skills. It entirely depends on the game, and what the player is getting out of it. Find out what the player is getting out of it before deciding they are less for it.
Finally, I'd like to say: I love DOMAI Eolake. That it exists is great, and I have enjoyed the many stories in the newsletters. I hope one day there can be a male equivalent. Learning to appreciate our humanity and our own beauty, without judging our flaws and our sexuality, is so important. I don't know if here was the best place to comment on the website, but I didn't know where else to place it.
Much love :)
Yes, it's interesting. I know some people who *love* winning, and who are driven to win every single game of any kind.
ReplyDeleteMe, I remember last/first time I went bowling. First time around, I had a high score, I forget, 230 or such, and then all the other games, I was lower, it seemed I had just lost interest.
Thanks for the Domai comments.
(You may be aware I don't own or run it anymore.)
Over the years a "male Domai" has come up many times. But I've given up ever seeing one which is not, or does not morph to, a gay site.