10/06 Update: Since we no longer write for the Edmond Sun, this section is temporarily housing our podcast links for our iTunes feed. All of the columns are in the archives menu if you feel like exploring.

These columns (as well as the 'releases') come from weekly content that we write for the Edmond Sun, out of Edmond, OK (though we live in Chicago). This page contains the archives for said column, many of which are in their pre-published, unedited state. Some titles and editing by Brendan Sinclair.

Column Archives:

Hype
Tuesday, April 26, 2005

Here is a quick recap on the status of video game journalism – no longer do actual news stories populate the daily headlines. That would be a far too logical proposition to even consider. While it may not be the fault of those whose livelihood is based on how much information they can gleam from tight-lipped companies, it is certainly an interesting turn of events that actual news stories are being replaced with the promise of news to appear sometime in the near future. Confused? I know I was when I saw news articles merely paving the way for the hype companies are set to unleash.

Before I get into specifics, I have a quick observation about the video game industry. Because of the sheer volume of product available and the risk inherent in trying to make a geeky hobby appeal to the casual consumer, the latest titles seem to live and die on hype. For a year or more before a major release you are treated to tidbits of information concerning every aspect of the game in question. From how long it will be to potentially revolutionary features, all is revealed, in as slow a stream as possible, to wet the mouths of the rabid, game buying public. In essence, this ensures that mediocre titles with a huge marketing budget will see a positive spike at the retail counter while smaller, and sometimes significantly more entertaining games, are left gathering dust because the average gamer simply has not heard of them.

Because of this need to constantly hype everything beyond necessity, video game companies are forced to compete not only on the silicon playing field but through the spotlight of the media juggernaut as well. What this means is that simply releasing concrete information in not even necessary anymore. Now, companies are able to generate headlines merely on the promise of information to come.

Last week, Microsoft revealed the first wave of information regarding the next generation Xbox. I can imagine that sentence sparked a bit of excitement in the many fans of Halo out there, but the news, unfortunately, is not nearly as interesting as one would hope. There is still no information regarding a potential release window (though everyone assumes it will be this fall) nor any word on titles to expect. Heck, we still don’t even know if it will be called Xenon, Xbox 2 or Lord Uber Gargantuan IV. What we do know is that real information will finally be revealed on May 12.

When I first read that news story I had no choice but to laugh out loud. While certainly interesting, the thought that so much excitement could stem from merely promising information in the not too distant future seems kind of ridiculous to me. What is even more amusing is that Microsoft has decided to circumvent video game journalists entirely, the entity that has been so willing to feed the hype machine through the years, and reveal their prized new product directly to the consumer. In an unprecedented turn of events, MS has decided to showcase their wares on MTV – the bane of pop culture’s bleak existence.

Every lifelong geek out there is probably cringing at the thought that the hobby that once guaranteed they would receive their fair share of atomic wedgies is now being broadcast on the same station that is home to TRL, Punk’d and whatever fifteen minute celebrity worms their way into the spotlight.

While this half hour infomercial promises to be light on substance (I can’t imagine MS revealing technical specs with The Killers playing in the background), any gamer who considers themselves hardcore is chomping at the bit to see this show. Yes, it will pander to a crowd that most rational people go out of their way to avoid, but it is finally going to show off a product that is the first step in whatever future road gaming is strolling down. While my stomach churns at the thought of what I will be subjected to while watching this, I have to applaud Microsoft’s ability to generate hype in the grandest spotlight of all.

Not one to see a great marketing tool go to waste, Electronic Arts has jumped on this potentially lucrative mass market advertising strategy. Viewers of tomorrow’s NFL draft will be privy to brand new footage of the latest edition of John Madden football set to be released this fall. What makes this sixty second teaser so intriguing is that EA promises footage of actual gameplay running off next generation hardware. This will be the first peak at the power under the hood of the new Xbox. I’m sure it will push the hype for the official unveiling to nauseating levels.

I think these companies may have stumbled upon a fantastic new way to generate even more mass market appeal for games. However, it is a sad turn of events when companies are able to control the media so blatantly. There is so little investigative reporting going down that writers are forced to write about whatever scraps companies are willing to give them. The hype cycle is able to flourish because PR directors are the only source of news.

- Tom