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Game Industry Bigger Than Hollywood 503
Ant writes "This SF Gate story says stacks of new releases for hungry video game enthusiasts mean it's boom time for an industry now even bigger than Hollywood. The $10 billion video game industry, which generates more revenue than Hollywood, has never released so many highly anticipated blockbuster titles in a single season. It started in August with the game title Doom 3, followed by The Sims 2 in September, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas in October, then Halo 2, Metroid Prime 2: Echoes and Half-Life 2 last month. In November, sales of video games rose to $849 million, an 11 percent increase from the same month last year and up 77 percent from October, according to the industry research firm NPD Funworld. The industry set a milestone last month when Microsoft's Halo 2 -- a sequel to a futuristic game with an elaborate plot that pits humans against invading aliens -- surpassed Hollywood's opening-weekend movie box office record in just one day of sales."
Apples and Oranges (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Apples and Oranges (Score:2, Insightful)
However the more Fanatical bought tickets weeks ahead for movies like Lord of the Rings, The Matrix, and the Star Wars Prequels.
Re:Apples and Oranges (Score:2)
Re:Apples and Oranges (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Apples and Oranges (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Apples and Oranges (Score:3, Interesting)
But the real estate market is still bigger than the can-opener market.
Re:Apples and Oranges (Score:3, Informative)
I think the head-count do matter, especially when it is the movie industry vs the game industry. It is much easier to reach a saturation point for games - and since the business is so good, we will probably see a proliferation of titles coming soon, and possibly not enough new hardcore gamers to play them.
Another related factor on why head-count matters is that movies occupy a much shorter attention time that a game - after 3 hours max you're done with the movie, but game can take days or weeks. Revenue fo
Re:Apples and Oranges (Score:2, Interesting)
I know that is why I tend to watch movies on DVD nowadays, I have an appropriate set up to gain a reasonable theatre experience, and thus I can watch the things at my leisure, in comfort, and with the ability to make neccesary drink/food/toilet breaks at any time, and with no
Re:Apples and Oranges (Score:3, Funny)
I just imagned someone in a cowboy hat stealing network traffic.
Re:Apples and Oranges (Score:3, Insightful)
Relatively few people buy one video game a year, on the other hand. The average among people who buy any at all is probably somwhere north of 3.
So the portion of the population that goes to movies - ever - is more than 3 times as great as the portion of the population that buys a video-game - ever.
Think about your own sphere o
Bleh (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Bleh (Score:2)
Re:Bleh (Score:5, Insightful)
The problem is that when a new entertainment market starts creating serious money it becomes bastardized. Happened to music, happened to TV, happened to movies and rest assured, it will happen to games.
Hell, you could argue that it has already happened. A sign? All of the games in the list are sequels; which almost guarantees a base of sales. Some of them are good, some of them aren't, but there's hardly anything new or fresh offered in games nowadays; since seen genres with newer graphics are easy to sell we still see FPS, MMORPGs, GTA (which WAS fun, but i don't want to play the same game for the third time), sport simulations and so. Publishers simply go for the quick buck. I died a bit when Lucasarts canned the sequels for Sam & Max and Full Throttle to concentrate on Star Wars licences.
The only innovative thing i've seen from a major games publisher was Nintendo with it's DS; i haven't tried one yet but it looks good on paper and the touch screen and onboard WiFi are potentially great gaming aids. That could be a gateway to some interesting games, which knowing Nintendo, won't be too far away.
Re:Bleh (Score:4, Insightful)
Well some of us have been saying this for years. If the game industry were, overall, as creative as they were back in the golden age, you can be there'd be a lot fewer Nintendo fanatics, myself included, these days.
But even my admiration for Nintendo has limits. Do you know what the most original company ever to produce video games was? The (in my opinion) answer may not be what you expect.
It was Atari Games, an entity that, in my mind, encompasses their early arcade output pre-split-up, and their later, post-split arcade games. So many of their hits were created out of whole braincloth, because there was absolutely nothing like them before. Atari was the most original not just because they were first, but because even as late as the early 90s they were still making incredibly different, fun games. Midway Arcade Treasures (1) has a good handful of them, including Rampart, which I've already bored far too many people discussing, some of them here.
But we can all see where that got them. They made Toobin', KLAX, Gauntlet, Marble Madness and (whimper!) Rampart, but gamers, more and more, became drawn to things like Street Fighter 2, a game that was admittedly well-designed, but inspired way, way too many sequels and knock-offs. It's not like Nintendo's sequels, where they'll throw out all but the core concepts and design a new game around them (example: Yoshi's Island is a direct sequel to Super Mario World!), but more like the same game, with new characters and modestly different rules.
Fighting games, depending on who you ask, are what saved or ruined arcades. My money's on "ruined." This is something of a digression, but it's worth noting that the fighting game boom was one of the contributing factors to the atmosphere of genrefication that are both what's enabled video and computer gaming to become big business, and what's sapped so much of the creativity out of the field.
Re:Bleh (Score:4, Insightful)
A bit? I hate to break it to you, but there was *nothing* groundbreaking about FarCry. It was your standard Soldier of Fortune 2-esque FPS knockoff. The story was your typical "nazi scientist" drivel, the main character was, again, your typical no-nonsense hardcore spec-ops/government agent, the weapons were exceedingly average and typical, and finally, the much lauded AI was seriously wanting.
I played the game without reading the hype. I didn't experience anything special from the AI, so I started it up again on ultraextrahard (or whatever), and wandered around for a bit. As expected, the "tactic" of sniping one guy off and then gunning down his buddies worked flawlessly. Hell, after shooting one guy right next to a friend of his, his friend crept cautiously forward - no diving for cover, no wigging out and running, no going for reinforcements.
From my experiences, FarCry gets the award for "Most Overrated Game" this year. Sure, it was a decent FPS... but that was it. Doom 3, for all its linearity, at least had *suspense*.
And, simply put, you're either blind or running these games on a machine that an Xbox would put to shame. FarCry has "stunning" graphics while Half-Life 2's are "ordinary"? I'd suggest a trip to the optometrist or psychiatrist.
-lw
All sequels (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:All sequels (Score:5, Insightful)
Something Hollywood finds next to impossible.
Re:All sequels (Score:2)
I bought Halo II, but it's just too simple -- shoot, shoot, shoot. Then shoot some more. And the aliens are dumb as can be. Yawn. It sure is pretty, though. For your $50, you get hours and hours of watching an extrodinarily well rendered... pair of arms with a weapon or two. Y-a-w-n. No won
Re:All sequels (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:All sequels (Score:5, Funny)
Re:All sequels (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:All sequels (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:All sequels (Score:2)
Not referring to the parent post in specific, it's just something I've picked up across many gaming forums.
Dammned if they do, damned if they don't I guess.
Re:All sequels (Score:5, Insightful)
There's a difference between good sequels, and shoddy sequels which were just designed as quick cash machines. The Splinter Cell series and the latest Prince of Persia game are both guilty as charged, and basically any EA sports game.
Re:All sequels (Score:2)
There's nothing wrong with many sequels in terms of quality, but if the publishers are demanding sequels it means that there is less money available to do something different. There are constraints placed on the developers because they are working on a sequel rather than a fresh game. And with so much money being poured into existing franchises, there is l
Re:All sequels (Score:2)
Anyway, video games sequels aren't anything like movie sequels. In almost all cases, video game sequels do better than their originals AND are more fun to play.
See, when you're playing the original, there's a voice going on in your head and the heads of developers: "Damn, it would be cool if we could do THIS..."
When it becomes reality, it's released and you're happy. In another 10 years when gaming technology has evolved tenfold, guess what? R
Re:All sequels (Score:4, Insightful)
The thing with a movie is that the experience is always the same. You sit, and the movie goes for a while. Innovation in movies has to come in the form of new plot ideas and new characters and so forth. So sequels in movies are not usually very much appreciated because in many ways we have seen the movie already.
Video games provide a much more diverse range of experiences. "The Sims 2", for instance, will not be "The Sims" again. It could in many ways be a completely different game, and you can bet there will be new things for a player to learn. They could call it something completely different -- the fact that they re-use a well-known brand doesn't mean that they are making the same game again. There's no new plot or characters simply because there wasn't any plot or characters in the first place.
If you want an example of a Hollywood-style sequel in the video game world, consider the ".hack" series. All four games are basically the same, it's just a somewhat long game that is really expensive.
Gaming Industry Rise (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Gaming Industry Rise (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Gaming Industry Rise (Score:3, Insightful)
People like two way media. Look at us, we're posting on a big geeky weblog. Why? That's the question Hollywood can't address with its movies, celebrity star system, over-used CGI, and "safe/non-controversial" movies. I'm sure Joe and Jane Sixpack don't really care, but
Ahem... (Score:5, Insightful)
Oooh, so piracy DOESN'T hurt sales.. (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Oooh, so piracy DOESN'T hurt sales.. (Score:5, Funny)
No, clearly, gamers are pirates, stealing money from the pockets and food from the plates of Hollywood executives!!
Re:Oooh, so piracy DOESN'T hurt sales.. (Score:2)
Re:Oooh, so piracy DOESN'T hurt sales.. (Score:3, Insightful)
I can't say the same for myself and a few others I know. I downloaded Doom 3 and GTA, but haven't actually purchased them yet. I will, I just haven't.
I think the only game I purchased from these blockbusters was Metroid Prime 2.
I'm not gonna try to justify it. I knew it was wrong, I did it anyway, but it's interesting to point out that GTA, Halo 2, Doom 3, and HL2 were ALL heavily pirated and available weeks ahead of time. Thousands upon thousands of people downloaded
A new form of entertainment taking over (Score:5, Insightful)
All those wonderful spy-drama, fantasy, and sci-fi worlds that used to be the exclusive domain of movies? Now their realism is being delivered to you in a way that you can actually be in - if you're open to the experience.
Re:A new form of entertainment taking over (Score:2)
Re:A new form of entertainment taking over (Score:2)
When you save, the chick who does the saving in the radio screen tries to talk movies with you, she even mentions that, "They're trying to make it so that way you control the guys on screen!"
Scoff if you will... (Score:2)
The latest Entertainment Software Association survey shows that the average gamer is 29 and spends more time playing games than engaging in traditional forms of entertainment such as watching TV or going to the movies.
"If I had some time in the afternoon, and it was a choice between watching a movie or playing a game, I'd rather play a game," said Marlon Castro, 35, of Foster City.
R-E-S-P-E-C-T (Score:2, Interesting)
There ought to be video game awards much better than those Spike recently gave out.
Pitty the partners (Score:5, Funny)
Recurring revenue, too... (Score:5, Insightful)
Most games cost between $30 and $50, no-matter what platform you're buying for. How much is a movie ticket? $8 to $10 for tickets or $20 to $30 for DVDs. How much do games cost to make vs. the revenue they bring in?
Re:Recurring revenue, too... (Score:2)
Would you include subsciption TV as part of hollywood?
1999 called... (Score:5, Funny)
BTM
In Other news... (Score:5, Funny)
Piracy comparisons? (Score:5, Interesting)
Or is it that the barrier-to-piracy on movies is a lot lower?
Re:Piracy comparisons? (Score:3, Interesting)
Also, it's been established fairly well that piracy isn't hurting the movie industry.
Entertainment - Hype (Score:2)
I've known people salivating over the Nintendo DS for a while
When you have alot of noise and little signal... it tends to draw
Not quite (Score:5, Insightful)
Mainly, Hollywood can release a movie, get box office, sell the DVD, license the movie to networks, and sell other rights (for a TV show based on it, sequels), while a game sells and if it doesn't sell well, it's dead in the water
Re:Not quite (Score:2)
really? (Score:2)
I appreciate the sentiment and all, but $50 is just a tad outrageous.....
Yeah, no one buys PS2 games. (Score:2)
Right. Only one game that runs on a PS2. THREE pc-only games. Yeah, these are the titles raking in the big money. PS2 -- One Hundred MEEllion units sold. Publishers make their money on the ps2. period.
And if you notice, both MP2 and Halo2 are first-party titles... how many more units would they move if they released those on ps2? Just imagine.
It's hard to find real sales numbers, so he
Re:Yeah, no one buys PS2 games. (Score:2)
Book Industry: $23.4 Billion in 2003 (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Book Industry: $23.4 Billion in 2003 (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Book Industry: $23.4 Billion in 2003 (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Book Industry: $23.4 Billion in 2003 (Score:5, Funny)
kinda old news, but cool... (Score:2)
Of course when LAN games spread to internet games...
PCB#
Sometimes organization can mean more than money. (Score:2)
The video game industry (and probably the computer industry as well) may make more money than the American movie industry, but copyright law is influenced by corporate American movie studios far more than those who make computers or video games. To the extent it is appro
We know where this leads... (Score:2)
$10 billion (Score:3, Interesting)
I remember the time when the size of the gaming industry hovered around $5-$6 billion, as recently as year 2000. Anyone have a monthly or yearly chart that would show when the jumps occured?
EAbrace, EAtend, EAxtinguish (Score:3, Insightful)
Time well spent (Score:2, Insightful)
That's because... (Score:3, Insightful)
I would much rather give a game for Christmas than a CD or DVD, knowing that my money is not helping to finance corporate lawsuits against thirteen year-old girls living with her single mom in HUD housing.
Hollywoods metrics are broken (Score:2)
I know my movie-going timetable is not based around movie release schedules, but wh
Nah. It's not bigger. (Score:5, Informative)
By comparison, IBM has revenues of about $80 billion per year.
The Smaller Screen (Score:5, Informative)
Ignore This (Score:4, Funny)
Ignore this post.
Moderating. Using pageup/pagedown to move. Didn't realize that this was also changing the settings from something positive (insightful/interesting/funny) to negative (overrated/etc.)
So, a post. This will, as I understand it, undo those moderations I have made. Oh, well. Better none than a false down. Hope this works.
Count Me Out (Score:3, Funny)
And proceeded to waste hours and days of time, just like I knew I would.
And I never could figure out how to both kill the drug lord in Colombia AND blow up the drug lab.
So I trashed the game and went back to my old ways.
Meanwhile, I've seen Blade:Trinity twice and probably would see it a third time - except I'm broke for the next couple weeks.
Fuck computer games.
ahh (Score:3, Funny)
Thanks for the explanation, always a good idea to explain obscure references like "Halo".
Not just Apples and Oranges, just plain wrong! (Score:5, Informative)
If you include DVD/media sales of movies, movies win. If you don't include console hardware sales, movies win.
The movie industry (worldwide) grosses $180B. US movie industry grosses 63B. Box office only accounts for 26% of revenue.
reference: http://www.factbook.net/wbglobal_rev.htm [factbook.net]
When you think about it though (Score:3, Insightful)
Seriously, I predict that smart companies in the future will merge the mediums (and hopefully produce some decent product). Think games with believeable characters, cinematic cutscenes/play, studio recorded music and more.
Inevitably ending in a wave of shit of course, but there are bound to be some real gems that shine through it all.
So where is the research, and the mature games? (Score:3, Insightful)
Why aren't there more university courses teaching it?
One reason why games isn't accepted by the mainstream as culture or art is of course the immaturity of the industry. And I don't mean it hasn't existed long, I am talking about the age of the developers and the attitude of the industry. Again and again polls show that the averge gamer is in fact somewhere between 25 and 30 years old, and there are are a lot more female gamers than people think. However, average age of the people working in the gaming industry is actually much lower (I know several), and the games created and the ways they are sold seem to mostly cater to the segment "early teenage American male".
And in this segment, violence sells, nude women sells. One of the few things I dislike about Planescape:Torment for instance is the rampant "big tit-itis" in the artwork.
So anyway, I would like to see more mature games, and not mature as "full of sex". The number one thing for me when buying a game is a well thought out plot with interesting characters. Then it doesn't matter if it is a shooter (Half-Life, Thief3, Deus Ex) or a role-playing game (anything from Bioware/Black Isle basically). These games are no nobel prize winners in literature of course, but still good enough for me.
I want more good writers in the gaming industry, and less graphics engine geeks. More Warren Specter, Greg Zeschuk, Ray Muzyka, less John Carmack.
Manny the Fat Stuntman says "Don't do it" (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Contrinutions (Score:2)
Re:Contrinutions (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Contrinutions (Score:5, Insightful)
poor programmers (Score:3, Interesting)
Not that this is much different from the music industry, where most of the artists that actually produce the music wind up hopelessly in debt and without ownership of their own work.
Or the book authorship industry, where it is just u
Re:poor programmers (Score:4, Insightful)
Sure, and a few engineers can always start their own car company. I wish them luck against the entrenched power of Detroit.
The original poster's point is that we are living in a second Gilded Age, a second age of robber barons. This age will end eventually, but the serfs will have to suffer a bit more before they start rebelling.
Re:Contrinutions (Score:4, Funny)
About $300+ per hour, it just depends on what you want them to do
Re:Contrinutions (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Contrinutions (Score:2)
At $50 each that's $300. I probably spent $250. I'm sure I saw fewer than 10 movies (way fewer) -- no more than $50.
Re:Contrinutions (Score:2)
I am worried, because 2004 rode so high with so many good games. How in the hell is 2005 going to top that?! I think Gran Turismo is the only thing left in 2005.
Well, I think there's a cap to this market. (Score:3, Insightful)
I know I personally will not be needing to buy any more games for about a year, now that I have San Adreas.
The better the games get, the less the appeal for the newer games. Movies wear out much faster.
Re:Well, I think there's a cap to this market. (Score:3, Funny)
Day-of sales or preorders? It's a mess. . . (Score:3, Insightful)
The rental market for PC games is difficult to gauge. Almost nowhere are computer games rented. Instead, cybercafes rent access to machines on which the games are all full-installed with site licenses (to avoid piracy). To accurately measure the secondary market value of PC games, one must include the cost of using a cybercafe with deductions for the
Re:Contrinutions (Score:3, Funny)
Aw crap.
Re:Humm. (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Not so fast, geekboys (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Not so fast, geekboys (Score:2)
Re:Not so fast, geekboys (Score:2)
Oh, I don't believe I just said that on slashdot.
Another leveling factor (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Another leveling factor (Score:5, Funny)
While we're on the subject, how many people buy ONE copy of a game they like?
Re:Another leveling factor (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Not so fast, geekboys (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Not so fast, geekboys (Score:2, Insightful)
Which is about $5/hour...
A video game is $50/unit
Which could be as little as $1/hour.
I don't have a point either.
Re:Not so fast, geekboys (Score:2)
I wonder what the cost to produce a movie versus the the cost to produce a video game is.
Revenues - cost of goods = gross margin.
Comparing the industries on average gross margin (or better yet, net profits) would indicate which industry is better.
Re:I still have games that I have not played... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:I still have games that I have not played... (Score:3, Insightful)
Very important point! (Score:3, Interesting)