The gaming industry bigger than the film industry?

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Rozemeijer

A few months ago I heard on a dutch television program that there be more money floats around in the gaming industry than in the film industry. Is there a chance that the writing for film, and I think television drama will soon be history. And we write only stories with a interactive basis. Or is too soon to drawn a conclusion?
 

SimonSays

No there is no chance the gaming industry will make films and tv obsolete. What is more likely is that the major entertainment cos. will enter the gaming industry if they have not already and they will leverage their copyrights from one to the other to gain more income from the titles they own.
 

JustinoXV

The major entertainment companies have already entered the gaming industry. So they are already there.

With that said, use common sense. Do you think everyone wil lreally stop going to the movie theatres and only stay on home to play Sony Playstation, Nintendo, and XBox?

Of course not. There is no chance.
 

Rozemeijer

There is a change that it can be a less important part of the entertainment. Look at the radio drama for example.
 

JustinoXV

Again, use common sense. Video games have been around since the 1970s.

They have made no difference to the film industry.

As for someone telling you this, well, if I told you that the sun was blue, would you believe me and then tell everyone the sun is blue?:rollin
 

Writing Again

More and more films are being produced with ancillary products in mind. I'm sure one of those ancillary products are, or will be, games.

No, I don't think games will do away with the movie industry, but I think there will come a time when how well your story translates into a game will be a huge factor in its marketability to either the big or little screen.
 

JustinoXV

"No, I don't think games will do away with the movie industry, but I think there will come a time when how well your story translates into a game will be a huge factor in its marketability to either the big or little screen."

For action/fantasy/horror/comic book movies, this has been the case for quite sometime, as these movies generate sales of video games, toys, happy meals at mc donalds, and other children's products.

However, many genres are certainly not meant to generate video game sales. If you are write a drama like Pretty Woman or Moulin Rouge, video games will never be a factor in the marketability of your scripts because these genres do not translate well to video game sales.

Kids and very young adults are the ones who spend money on video games. So basically any movie that appeals to them are the ones that have video game spinoffs. But those genres are not the entire market.
 

Writing Again

I wonder, as role playing games and AI (Artificial Intelligence) improve, if at some point Pretty Woman couldn't become a marketable game.

Can you start out as a lowly prostitute and end up married to the richest man in town?

Can you succeed as the next Mrs Doubtfire?

Can you play a lawyer who defends a case without telling a single lie -- And your client is guilty?

Can you become the next Steven Spielberg? Buy our screenwriting game today.
 

JustinoXV

games

"I wonder, as role playing games and AI (Artificial Intelligence) improve, if at some point Pretty Woman couldn't become a marketable game.

Can you start out as a lowly prostitute and end up married to the richest man in town?
"

You can make that game now. The technology is there. Just not the interest.
 

Optimus Maximus

Kids and very young adults are the ones who spend money on video games. So basically any movie that appeals to them are the ones that have video game spinoffs. But those genres are not the entire market.
Actually, no. The largest, and target, demographic for video games is the coveted "males 16-35." That's why it is now a multi-billion dollar a year industry.

Also, you have to take into consideration the reverse of the "movie with video game spinoff."

The trend now is to take successful video games and turn them into movies. And, the ones that are turned into movies are usually of the action/adventure type, which are usually very popular at the box office. Tomb Raider 1 and 2, Resident Evil 1 and 2, Final Fantasy, Duke Nukem (in production), Max Payne (in production), they're even trying to secure the rights to HALO right now. There are others that I've left out.

Point is, video games are nowadays spawning movies far more often than movies spawn video games.

I think that might have been part of the original poster's point. It seems likely that the need for great video game writers will grow exponentially to that of screenwriters. A new way into the industry, and a much more lucrative one at that, might soon be to hone your chops at writing compelling video games (which might later be turned into movies) than writing specs for movies.
 

JustinoXV

Opti, I agree with you.


"Actually, no. The largest, and target, demographic for video games is the coveted "males 16-35." That's why it is now a multi-billion dollar a year industry."

You're right. Of course, those males in that range are comparatively young adults.:lol

"It seems likely that the need for great video game writers will grow exponentially to that of screenwriters. A new way into the industry, and a much more lucrative one at that, might soon be to hone your chops at writing compelling video games (which might later be turned into movies) than writing specs for movies."

I think we might already be here, with the money that is now being put into video games.
 

joecalabre

When I was doing postproduction (editing and special FX) work, I would work a fair amount of jobs with a commercial projects here and a low budget film there.

BUT, when DVD's became popular, I was swamped with work to create graphic and interactive motion graphic menus. I couldn't cash the checks fast enough.

As the industry grows and diverses into other areas, so will the demand for artisans to work in these new fields.

As for screenwriters. I have an interesting story that might give you inspiration.

I know a writer who has yet to sell a "big" script, but one film he wrote was in over 7,000 screens (more than any other film).

How you ask?

It was a short PSA that went into almost every screen imaginable. Now that theaters are showing a slew of PSA, commercials, and such in the theaters, there's a need for writers to create these things.

My friends may have not struck it big yet, but how many people can say their work played in 7,000 screens? And he got $10K for a weeks worth of work.
 

kojled

nothing will ever make movies (no matter how they are shown) obsolete


zilla
 

DoubleIT

What about working as a writer for a video game in today’s industry? There must be a greater and greater need for competent writers to write a games story line, which in some insistences can be fairly large (Halo 2, Half Life 2, Doom 3, etc). It seems like this could be an interesting and profitable job. The gaming industry IS the biggest entertainment industry. Its total gross each year is greater than film. I'd look it up to quote, but its script writing time :p
 

William Haskins

yes, gaming gross exceeded film gross for the first time in 1999, i believe.

the gaming demographic is growing by leaps and bounds. it's in the wallets of men and women up to 45 years old.

working as a game writer is much different than working as a film writer.

it is interesting work (sometimes) and can be profitable, but it's a hard industry to break into without a track record and strong contacts, just like the film industry.
 

DoubleIT

Have you done any work as a game writer? Whats it like? I am an ex-computer geek so I am fairly knowledgeable about computers and such. While right now I want to focus on film, someday it might be fun/interesting to venture over to the video game world. It seems like it could be marketable (On the game designers end) for a high profile writer to write for a video game.
 

A Pathetic Writer

Halo 2's opening week, last week: over 100 million dollars.

That's not chump change.
 

William Haskins

doubleIT:

yes, i've done some game writing, and am currently under contract with a major publisher on a new title.

the industry was slow to recognize that designers might not be the best people to write dialogue, especially as games became more story-driven.

there are opportunities there. gamasutra.com is a good resource for tracking them down but, as i said before, it can be a tough nut to crack.

from a writing-by-committee standpoint, game writing offers far less freedom than even hollywood. at the end of the day, gameplay dicatates everything, and the broader concept for a game is generally set in stone before the writer is even brought on (though he may well have story input in bringing the narrative to life).

as for what it's like, i talk about it at some length here:

screenwriting.ugo.com/scr...erview.php

you can find some of my game credits here:

poisonpen.net/game.htm

if you'd like any other information, feel free to PM me or shoot me an email.
 

A Pathetic Writer

The Computer Game Developer's Conference (I think it's just called the GDC now) is a fantastic thing to attend, if you want to get the total gist of the industry. I volunteered to work it, the one year it was in Long Beach. The things you learn are very similar to the things you learn about the movie industry...

If you've sold, you have a better chance of selling.

If you haven't, you've a better chance of making your own Indy and getting recognized that way, than you do of breaking in as an unknown.


Haskins:
the industry was slow to recognize that designers might not be the best people to write dialogue, especially as games became more story-driven.
WHAT? You mean Mamet did not write "All your base are belong to us?"
 

William Haskins

WHAT? You mean Mamet did not write "All your base are belong to us?"

he walked away from the project when they wouldn't let it be voiced as "all your base are belong to us, c0cksucker!"
 
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