there is a lot of video game programming on tv these days. don't know if you've noticed. i mean, regular tv programming; not tech tv we-know-we-are-geeks type stuff.
mtv2 is airing a show called video mods special. it's basically modified game assets tweaked into bizarre music videos. it's crap and it's scary. the ssx-missy elliot video had me running. i pinged fellow gamers to tell them to watch. they all did in silent horror. mtv2 claims that they are offering us two of our favorite passions (music videos plus games) as one. like the tv-vcr combo, some things i like to keep separate.
i discussed programming with an mtv employee of semi-senior status a few days ago. i had to ask him, "what the hell was video mods all about?" i complained that it was so wrong on so many levels. he reminded me that i was not mtv's target demographic. ouch. touche. anyway, regarding yet another great-marketing-idea-gone-bad, friend shamelessly said, "it's for the advertisers." ahh! of course. video mods is a back scratcher. that shit was in my face and i couldn't even smell it. i'm interested in finding out exactly how much or what percentage of mtv's advertising dollars come from game companies. i'm guessing it's in the hundreds of millions so a few lousy programs isn't such a bad trade.
mtv is also airing a show called ultimate video game countdown. basically, electronic gaming monthly helps music tv count down the top 15 games since 2000 (viewers' choice). it's a review run down mixed with some lifestyle commentary.
the dance dance revolution peeps profiled are scary good! a popular 21 year old female gamer claims to have lost 90 lbs playing ddr after unsuccessfully trying various diets. she has literally, danced her ass off even managing to find love twice in the arcades. ddr changed her life and she continues to boogie down on a super frequent basis. this is the kind of press, a game company dreams about; find love and lose weight by playing our games!
the interview with jt petty, screenwriter for splinter cell is pretty fresh. straight out of film school he started at ubi soft as a receptionist eventually working his way over to the screenwriting department. he seemed to have it nice, writing and typing from 8 am - 6 pm daily (pretty lax game dev schedule). his job, aside from writing the story line was to research cool military gear/equipment and read lots of tom clancy books.
short chats with john madden (career legend) and trip hawkins (career r.i.p.) are mixed in with profiles of the truly obsessed. jason arney, a retired soul calibur world champion runs a game dojo in his apartment training pimply faced boys in the art and sport of weapons fighting. he considers himself an athlete and the game a sport. his students are simultaneously in awe of him and scared by him. jason is a good teacher getting his proteges ready for competition. he's a little like a drill sergeant but instead of making you to push ups, he makes you push buttons -- faster, more accurate, and stronger.
the metal gear solid was piece really entertaining. there are clips of the development team researching by living and doing as soldiers. role playing in real life. it's just too awesome to see these frail programmers/developers/artists sneak down hallways together with pistols in their hands and kitty cartoon icons on their t-shirts.
oh and if there's something i learned from watching this program, halo makes boys bosom buddies. jocks report that they talk to people they never would've talked to before were it not for this game. they reiterated this point several times over. sore losers are shown wrestling bare-chested on the floor; i love boy bonding (reminded me of past slayer concerts)!
coolest lifestyle clip goes to a group of college floridians called the neskimos (spelling?). they take nintendo music files and rework the theme songs into rock music. they claimed nintendo songs were their anthem and probably the first music they'd ever heard. video game music is another phenomenon i've noticed recently. even malcolm mclaren, legendary manager of the sex pistols has jumped on the video game music bandwagon. this topic will be discussed in a future entry.
happily, women were included in the program. jennifer tsao (don't be fooled, she is a haolie), the managing editor of electronic gaming monthly smartly reported her opinions on at least half the titles profiled. they didn’t make her out to be a floozy and she was given equal air time with the boys.
how about spike tv's failed attempt at a video game awards show. it could've been so good. unfortunately, no gamers were really involved. the lack of sincerity made it a wash. i hope someone forms a gaming academy. and then industry heads can vote on what they believe are the oscars of gaming. sure politics and whatever will eventually ruin it, but so what?
people, this is mainstream television. what the ny times told you a few weeks ago we all knew was old news. mtv also makes it old news but news the future will absorb. for all the crap that's out there, i'm happy to see more about games and the lifestyle of gaming reported on a regular basis.
