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"Rise of the videogame" on discovery channel


Final_metroid
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I saw it. It didn't go over anything I didn't already know, but to see it all outlined in one place was nice. Also nice to see videogames getting some positive attention on TV. Sure, most people that have negative ideas about them wouldn't watch the documentary, but still, definitely a good step. I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of the documentary; perhaps there will be something in there that I don't know already.

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I thought it was good; I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of it. I particularly liked the emphasis they put on the role of Pac-Man (as the first protagonist), and the saturation of the market with crappy games in the early '80s. It's reminding me of the Discovery Channel documentary on Tetris a few months back. KF

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It's on Wednesdays at 8.

I got it online, since I think discovery is different over here. :?

It's started pretty good. Even though I know most of the stuff covered, it still interests me to watch. I particularly like the interviews with key figures in the industry.

The coming episodes look interesting. You can read about the show, including an episode guide here

http://dsc.discovery.com/tv/video-game/video-game.html

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The next episode is about "grittier heroes like Sonic the Hedgehog?"

It looks like it could be interesting and worthwhile. However, I sometimes can't stomach video game-related articles or documentary films written by non-players for other non-players. They tend to be caricatures. I'm interested to see how the series eventually plays out, though.

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It looks like it could be interesting and worthwhile. However, I sometimes can't stomach video game-related articles or documentary films written by non-players for other non-players. They tend to be caricatures. I'm interested to see how the series eventually plays out, though.

I have the same reservations. But, the first part did it all pretty well without devolving into something that's painful to watch. I mean, it can still go downhill, but there's no reason not to have positive expectations for part two.

I'm hoping that they give more of an emphasis on impact, rather than popularity (though they usually will intersect).

I'm also wondering if they'll be getting into PC games at all. I mean, Wolfenstein 3D and Doom contributed a lot to the subsequent generations of games, including non-FPS and console games. KF

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The fact that they have Peer from IGN, or that they have IGN, period, knocks down the credibility the show had. I mean, having gameing media chip in is normal, but IGN? That wasteland of news and input?

I can only imagine that they either:

A. Couldn't get anyone more important, and more involved in the actual subject of the show, or

B. They're saving the big guns for the later parts. I fully expect there to be a Miyamoto interview. I don't mean, "I hope it happens" expect. I mean, "it better fucking happen, I demand it" expect. Shiggy da bomb.

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I don't think this is really aimed at us, guys; it will probably be the standard fare for Discovery, in that it will give a great overview of the industry's history and some cool minutiae, but probably nothing new for those in the know. Nonetheless, good stuff for those who might be a little curious (new gamers, casuals, parents) about video games.

Did anybody else get thrown by the fact that the pictures for voting were of New Super Mario Bros and Doom 3?

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Well, I'm watching what i guess is part2 right now and while the focus on games normal people consider "important" is annoying I guess it's to be expected.

It just bothers me that they pay more attention to grand theft auto 3 and sports games than they do to final fantasy and Half-Life. Then again RFB is right, this IS for normal people.

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everything was kind of a bore again, it was all about games that weren't interesting to me really, they glossed over zelda and mario very quickly, and they did saturate the show with GTA3 and Madden. And if they were talking about the emotional content of games they could've payed some attention to final fantasy 7 (although the Aeris thing maybe a giveaway if broadcast on TV)

What was also really funny to me is that I like Parasite eve, but I knew it didnt have a snowballs chance in hell of being highlighted. But it kind of did, there was a couple of frames from that scene where Sheeva mutates and the FMV of the building exploding after the plane crash at the hospital

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This last one was... well, it had a lot missing.

One thing I did like is how they had Roberta Williams on. I grew up playing King's Quest and other Sierra games, and I'd almost forgotten about those classic adventure games. I did like the focus on Mario and Zelda, but that was to be expected.

But, there was way too much that it felt like they just dropped. Nintendo had some real aggressive marketing tactics in the 80s during the NES years, which is one of the reasons the Sega Master System didn't fare nearly as well. There was also a lot of control they exercised with the content of games on their system. None of that was mentioned.

Also... the focus of a lot of this episode was supposed to be on story elements. And... they barely mentioned RPGs? Aside from showing some footage of Phantasy Star and passing mentions of Final Fantasy, nothing? Even though they had this whole deal about "video games making you cry" as a benchmark? That just doesn't make sense. There's a lot in there they could've dropped in favor of talking about stories in the genre where stories are most important to the game... They spent more time talking about the storyline of GTA3 than the storyline of any role-playing game.

It also seems a bit odd that they went into the PC Gaming end quite a bit, but didn't mention the rise of first-person shooters (although maybe they're saving that for another part).

I chuckled at how they were talking about the extra power 16bit offered, and as examples of that power, they showed several Master System games. Um, what?

I was wondering if anyone else caught that!

It was funny, actually. They start talking about the great hit that the Sega Genesis had because of its 16-bit vs the NES's 8-bit, and in the middle of showing some of the games they stick in footage of the first Phantasy Star for the SMS. Though, they did the same thing in reverse several times, still talking about the 8-bit generation while showing some images of people playing GameCube or something. KF

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I'm also wondering if they'll be getting into PC games at all. I mean, Wolfenstein 3D and Doom contributed a lot to the subsequent generations of games, including non-FPS and console games. KF

Thats for next week. Heres the summary for next weeks show:

With games like Castle Wolfenstein 3-D and Doom, video games grew from their primitive 2-D roots into richly detailed 3-D worlds. These groundbreaking 3-D games led the industry down new paths, both thrilling and troubling. Designers now had the technology to create games that accurately simulated the real world. For the first time, game designers had to grapple with a difficult question — how long before a game was nearly indistinguishable from reality? For all the controversy surrounding the first-person shooter genre in video games, its popularity was undeniable. And in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the same government that fought to regulate video games quickly designed their own as a recruiting tool for the Army. America's Army was born and an even more sensitive debate arose as to the morality of recruiting young men for real war through the fun of a video game. Were games desensitizing us to the very real pain of violence and war? And more importantly, were video games leading us on a march towards virtual war? Some people interviewed in this episode include Colonel Casey Wardynski (director and project originator of America's Army) and Asi Burak (producer of Peacemaker — a computer game simulation of the Israeli-Arab conflict).

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I fully expect there to be a Miyamoto interview. I don't mean, "I hope it happens" expect. I mean, "it better fucking happen, I demand it" expect.

He doesn't come out of the shadows for just anybody. The New York Times printed a story about Super Mario Galaxy, and the writer mentioned that for a week they tried unsuccessfully to contact him for comment. He didn't talk to even The New York Times about his own game, which, from what I hear, is being lauded spectacularly.

All that people can fucking talk about is Grand Theft Auto. Old hat.

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Hm... the last episode (3) was much better. Pretty much hit on a lot of what I was expecting. I also like how it brought up the contrast between how the government (well, specifically, military) today views video games with how it viewed games a decade ago.

That being said, the last episode seemed sponsored more by the US military than by Best Buy. It was almost funny at times how blatant it was. KF

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