Television Dying, Internet To Blame
The Internet has a lot more utility than just porn…believe it or not. What started off as a great tool for communication has evolved into a Wal-Mart-esque center for, literally, everything. And while this convenience is great to us, to many businesses they’re forced to make drastic changes just to stay alive.
Many newspaper, magazine, and other printing-reliant industries have already made the switch from printing texts, to simply posting them online because readers have found it much easier to use their web browsers instead of their mail boxes.
So what’s next? My bet is on television, and to be honest, it’s about time.
If ventriloquism was a dying art, then it has been born again thanks to comedian Jeff Dunham. Not only a successful ventriloquist, Dunham is one of the most popular comedians working today, thanks in part to the friends in his suitcase. Jeff and his puppets have skyrocketed to fame, bringing laughter and hilarity with them wherever they go. Having Jeff Dunham design a game would be like getting 5 guys for the price of one, and would definitely be a hilarious experience.
The new Xbox 360 commercials are dumb. Sure, there’s lots of eye candy and pretty music, but just think about the commercial for a second: they show some people watching an Xbox 360 in motion and enjoying, only to later find out that the 360 has EATEN THEIR BRAIN, hollowing out their skulls and replacing the insides with colorful images beamed in by some ungodly TV technology. Last time I checked, moms and politicians everywhere are still arguing that video games rot our brains, so I can’t say this ad speaks in the gamer’s favor. Furthermore, let’s pray that HDTV (Head Destroying TV?) isn’t some secret government plot to erase our minds.
“Tell me a story.” It is a phrase that embodies pure innocence, that we all uttered as our parents tucked us into bed at night. As we grew older, we replaced the spoken narratives of our parents with picture books. As we grew even older still, those were replaced with novels and we learned to appreciate television and film as artistic media. Now that we are old enough to appreciate the beauty of a good story, we have even more places to find them. Each entertainment medium is capable of telling moving tales, but they are all done in drastically different ways. What is it you want from your stories? And where do you look for them?
Video games that are based off of movie or television licenses have a reputation for either being not nearly as good, or faithfully as disappointing as their source material. There are exceptions to this rule, though they are few and far between. But then there are cases where Hollywood completely drops the ball and neglects a premise that—while it may be hit or miss cinematically—begs to be given a video game treatment.
If you’re an anime fan who games, or a gamer who enjoys anime on the side, then you probably know the frustration of not having a good game based on one of your favorite series. While the gaming industry seems like it will continue to milk shows like Dragonball Z, Naruto, Gundam, and Bleach for games, if they took the time to watch something else, they might find their next hit game.
Why is the Blu-ray player on the PS3 important? This question has been addressed again and again; it even echoes a similar question asked ages ago about the PS2 and its DVD player. I’ve defended the PS3 before, although I don’t own one, though I will in the future (if I can ever afford it), but that’s irrelevant. Let’s ignore the PS3 for a minute and just look at the bonus of having a Blu-ray player included. Anime fans, pay attention.