Games vs. Films

[Rockefeller]

I've been thinking - there are huge blockbuster films out there such as the Star Wars saga which has a massive fan base who can be extremely passionate about the films as to watch it many times over, buy related merchs etc., yet there are games out there like the Call of Duty games that has players hooked on to the game for hours and hours on end, so addictive many routinely sacrifice sleep over it and rarely hesitate to buy more downloadable contents.

All this makes me wonder that (generally speaking) of the two, which medium do consumers repay with more emotional investment?

[TheGingerMan]

Movies, er, sorry, Films.

People that are addicted to video games are truly the most despicable entities. Ugly bags of mostly water. FPS freaks are the worst. Asshats that couldn't last five minutes in even the most lackadaisical of any Armed Force.

That said, I know a few soldiers, sailors, and air forcers that have a grand time playing COD et al, but it's merely masturbation.
And it must be said, far better that in the dugout than some raunchy porn. I know from experience that it is far better, in the immediate aftermath, to have young men wot are armed to the teeth pay more attention to fighting than fucking.

Besides, good films have such resonating dialogue and camera angles.

[Rockefeller]

Movies, er, sorry, Films.

People that are addicted to video games are truly the most despicable entities. Ugly bags of mostly water. FPS freaks are the worst. Asshats that couldn't last five minutes in even the most lackadaisical of any Armed Force.

That said, I know a few soldiers, sailors, and air forcers that have a grand time playing COD et al, but it's merely masturbation.
And it must be said, far better that in the dugout than some raunchy porn. I know from experience that it is far better, in the immediate aftermath, to have young men wot are armed to the teeth pay more attention to fighting than fucking.

Besides, good films have such resonating dialogue and camera angles.

Interesting. Not to say movies are inferior, as I'd probably agree with you on the final judgment (some have called me a cinephile), but seems to me you have at some point become a victim of being abandoned or put aside by game addicts in favor of spending time in virtual combat with people they've never met. Because you sound a little bitter when talking about FPS fans. But of course, I wouldn't know.

What's funny is I've shared parts of your opinion on games (not only FPS but also TPS ones like the GTA series, one of my favorites) until I was introduced to Mass Effect. The writing for ME1 and 2 blew me away and just presented a whole new perspective for interactive storytelling. It makes you care for more than just how many people you can shoot in the face or how often you're able to blow people up. You'll actually give a shit about what happens in that virtual world. It basically asks you to collaborate with the writers into creating your own story, and as a result your own world all the while retaining the thrills and excitements of a shooter game. So in this case I'd speculate the emotional investment by the fans would just be on a whole nother level.

I mean yes, there are thrilling yet brainless games out there, but the evolution of electronic games has gone pretty far since the release of the Big Buck Hunter.

[Charlie Phillips]

As a third person subject who started playing video games with the advent of pong, became bored with Space Invaders with the advent of Galaga, and became addicted to Wolfenstein in 1993, I'd like to weigh in on the subject with the following observation.

Last year, a 10 year old brought his PSP to class on several occasions and was seen to be playing GTA. It looked to me to be a meaningless rampage of pointless violence, which reinforced the prejudices I had received from reading the media for a decade or more. I argued that it was aimless and lacked linear concepts such as missions and he counter-argued. His Chinglish counter-arguments were meaningless to me, so he eventually presented me with a disk of GTA San Andreas. I have been addicted to the franchise ever since and have spent about US100 on GTA IV, the extended episodes and even GTA III. Can't wait for GTA V and will probably invest in upgrading my computer for it.

I am also interested in investing in computer game companies. They kick ass and keep bums on seats at the same time. One movie is a couple of hours of bum time while a good computer game can translate to 100 hours of bums on seats.

I love movies too, but have never decided to invest in upgrading my computer just to see a movie.

[Rockefeller]

Just saying there must be a legit reason among the many why a movie ticket sells for $12 and a game is worth $60 (at least in the States, not sure of the prices in Taiwan). And keep in mind both are billion dollar industries.