Video(games) killed the movie film star

Wow - another game related post on this blog. I know I promised to keep gaming stuff on my gaming blog - but this topic has enough social consequences that I figure its worth putting on my main blog. Plus, I wanted to sound really smart by using the term "social consequences".
:)

Just in case you weren't aware, Halo 3 (a video game for the Xbox 360) was released on September 25. Arguably, Halo 3 is more than just a video game. By now its almost become a cultural phenomenon. For example, how many other mainstream video games are used by churches to pull in kids.

However, the item of news that I found most interesting is this.

Basically, for the October 5 weekend, Box Office sales at cinemas were at their lowest since 1999. Total industry ticket sales (in the US) were only at $80million. And the reason for the drop in moviegoers has been attributed to the phenomenal success of Halo 3 which topped $170million on the first day alone. Not bad for an industry which is supposedly targeted at kids.

Of course, the drop in moviegoers couldn't be for any other reason, right?

All jokes aside, it does indicate the emergence of video gaming as a serious hobby. As a gamer myself, I know that video gaming is a billion dollar industry. However, video gaming is considered by many, including the mainstream press, as a hobby for kids - assuming, of course, that they don't denounce it as the work of the devil in the first place!

Although I say that facetiously, the fact is that some people have denounced games as being evil and tools used by the devil in order to corrupt our youth. In a similar way, this exact same thing has happened with novels, movies, music, comics etc etc etc. And no, you don't get any brownies for spotting the trend.

However, with the phenomenal success of Halo 3, does this represent a turning point for video games? Will video games now become socially acceptable? Not a chance!

I fully expect mainstream press to continue to sensationalise the video game "issue" rather than dealing with it in a mature manner.

Despite this, the fact remains that video gaming is now on the map in a way that it never has been before. Furthermore, gamers are now more politically active and aware than at any other time in the history of video games. And this is wholly down to the fact that with the amount of money being poured into video games, it is now worthwhile mobilising, in a political sense, in order to get the right video game agenda onto politicians tables.

Yes - video gaming as an industry is moving beyond the stigma of a kids hobby. However, I don't expect this issue to go away until the passage of time has meant that people like me (ie people who grew up with the first generation of video games) have grown old and died.

And on that morbid note, its time to bid you adieu (at least until my next post).


PS if you can recognise the inspiration for the title, then you are an old git like me (Git off mah lawn!)