Comments on: Why I prefer video games over movies

Video game sales are higher than the combined DVD and Blu-ray sales for the first time. Don Reisinger would pick a video game over a movie any day.

[talkingfuture]

Couldn't agree with you more. I thought Call of Duty 4 was better than any action film I've ever seen because I was submersed in it.

[stevelenihan]

I completely agree, COD4 tops every action movie I can think of and provides hours more entertainment that a movie would

[legioXIII]

Well that's not entirely true. Obviously video games have a few more tricks up their sleeve in terms of immersion. It's an inherently interactive genre of entertainment. It's an active experience. Movies are passive. So yes, its easier to immerse yourself if they are shooting at you rather than shooting at characters on a screen. But come on, storytelling and acting (video games for the most part have caught up in terms of cinematography) are still subpar compared to film. What flies for a work of art in video game scripts is complete garbage for films. For example, Metal Gear Solid 4 is considered a "cinematic" masterpiece in games, that script would sound terrible with live action actors and dialogue. Another example, watch the trailer for Mafia 2, great voice work for video games but transfer that into film and it becomes the most unoriginal, hack, B-list movie dialogue. And to end this, c'mon really? COD4? Guess what the source material was? Black Hawk Down. And in terms of artistic integrity, Black Hawk Down is still the superior work of art.

[jeffhesser]

@legioXIII
Why does everyone feel that their 'OPINION' is the only one that is right? These two people expressed an opinion about what the 'thought' was better than any movies they'd seen. What is your response? "That's not entirely true." Would i agree with their point? Probably not. Doesn't make them any less right than me. Maybe all you are concerned with is the scripts ("Metal Gear Solid 4 is considered a "cinematic" masterpiece in games, that script would sound terrible with live action actors") but believe it or not there can be more to an 'experience' than just passively watching the world go by you. Emotions can be elicited from someone by placing them in a setting and forcing them to actually live a story through the eyes of another.

Either way, stop sticking your nose in the air and wagging your disapproving finger at people with a different opinion than your own.

[legioXIII]

@jeff hesser because that's the nature of opinions... if I didn't think my opinion was right then it wouldn't be my opinion. And if I believed more than one opinion was right, then that would also be my opinion. The point of opinions, I can't remember last time I thought my opinion was wrong.

[6stringluke]

Absolutely. Some people may prefer watching a movie and sitting back as the plot unravels, but I throughly enjoy being part of the action. Its a great experience when you control the story through your character, and in some games, change it completely with your decisions.

[BK216]

can't you like both?

[jeffhesser]

Pretty sure he's not advocating skipping the movie world all together (renting seems to be the happy medium) but if you have to choose between dropping $30+ on a blu-ray movie or $45- $60 on a game you will likely get a better bang for your buck on the game.

[myles taylor]

I tend to agree with you for the most part. As far as pure entertainment goes, I get more out of a game than out of a movie.

The distinction is the that I get different kind of entertainment from games than I do from movies. A game requires almost all my attention and therefore must keep me very entertained. I often watch movies and TV while doing other things and so it doesn't need to keep my completely entertained. I love to multitask and so will often sit down in front of a movie, pull out my computer, and do many things at once. I play games less because I don't have the time to just do that.

So I think there are two sides of the this coin.

[peteraltschuler]

What a sad situation. Given the range of emotions that films can evoke and the lasting impact of the perfect line, the climactic scene, or the enduring image, it's depressing to think that entertainment has been reduced to Madden NFL 09. From the sound of it, you'd rather get instant satisfaction than risk investing in something that might enrich your senses with something truly lasting. Sort of the difference between auto-eroticism and a love affair: the former is reliable, but the latter has far more potential.

[minkokiss]

Thank you peteraltschuler for making an intelligent reply to this poorly written commentary. A well made movie can and will never be comparable to a short term satisfaction product such as a video game. The lack of such movies lately may push people to look for entertainment elsewhere (video games, etc) but that does not mean that i will choose video games over a good movie.

[DYMongoose]

I think what he means is that with so many movies being horrible these days, it's not worth the possible "Man, I wish I could have those 2 hours back" risk when he can play a game anywhere from 10 minutes to 5 hours. I agree with that point, but if there is a movie that I know is good (or relevant to my interests) I'll watch it given the proper mood. For example, I've been trying to watch Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers for about a month now, but I haven't been able to lock down a 3.5 hour block of time to fit it all into.

[6stringluke]

I don't wish to insult you but from the tone of your post, it sounds to me like you are ignorant about the average modern game. There is no instant satisfaction. In fact, most games are on average, about 10 - 20 hours long. Games like Fable 2 and Fallout 3 may go on for about 40-60 hours if you wish to explore the game to its fullest. Madden 09, while simplistic in its execution of a popular sport, is much deeper than you make it seem, with its career mode and customization features.

I enjoy a great movie as well, but prefer the interactivity of a good video game. That is not to say that someone who prefers sitting down and enjoying a movie is losing out on anything. Howeer, some video games take just as long as a movie to make, if not longer and are approaching Hollywood-style budgets and production values. With better writing talent involved in games, story lines are much better than in the past and games like Dead Space, Gears Of War and Halo have far reaching story arcs that involve the player much more and reward them for exploration into the world.

I don't believe that the author is trying to polarize opinions, merely stating his own. As such, you do a disservice to a multi billion dollar industry that is growing, even in these tough economic times.

[tppcnet]

@minkokiss

"short term satisfaction"?

I'm on my 24th hour of playing through Blue Dragon and I'm not even half way through. There's nothing short term about that.

I'm still playing Forza 2 after more than a year since it was released, and I have a feeling GoW2 is going remain on my playlist well into 2009.

[shinelikeitdoes]

i think the point is, while films *can* evoke emotion and have impact, we are largely stuck with the lowest common denominator tripe hollywood has been spewing out for at least two decades now and films with any real impact are few and far between. another ben stiller attempting to be funny, drew barrymore and hugh grant as hippy soul and charming british guy unlikely couple, or horrid remake of some classic film (or worse...tv show) because there is no creativity left in this town (LA)??? pass. there are video games with more depth, better acting, and more overall value.

i just finished taking my time playing fallout 3 as one evil bastard. i can completely play it again taking the path of the righteous or somewhere in between and it will be an entirely different experience. well worth the $50-60 for the hours upon hours of entertainment value vs. $20-30 for a movie that is subpar and viewable once or twice at best.

[jeffhesser]

HAHAHA. Have fun at the sundance film festival. I find it 'depressing to think' that some hollywood B$ has EVER enriched your life! Actually, judging from that post i'm not all that surprised by that fact.

[Sam Papelbon]

ok, so movies are more 'cultured', but given the choice between buying or renting a movie, i would prefer to rent. on the other hand i would prefer to buy a video game. this is based on the points made in the article. a movie never changes the second time you watch it. a video game can.

and seriously... you think sitting in a dark room staring at a screen with your brain turned off is better for you than having fun playing a game with friends? oh! but the costume design is immaculate!

[SteenMachine]

Your articles are all about you now.

"Why I prefer video games..."
"Why I gave up on the Wii..."
"What scares me about Windows 7..."
"Why I can't get enough of Windows 7...."

When did it become all about The Don, and less about objective news?

[jeffhesser]

you want news? stick to the 'Top technology news headlines.'
not interested in someones personal opinion? try avoiding 'Blogs and opinion'

or better still maybe avoid articles titled ' Why I..... ANYTHING'

Personally I frequently disagree with this guys opinions but I know what i'm in for when i click on a story from this section.

[SJ2571]

He looks young, like a teenager. Doesn't surprise me.

[Inconnux]

I like both, but I spend far more time playing video games. The entertainment factor / dollar is far better with video games. I bought Mass Effect (pc) on Steam for $30 and finished it once in just over 30 hours. That's less than a dollar per hour. The story was fantastic and I really began to care my 'team members'. Very few movies these days actually move me to thought. I guess the 'fun factor' goes to Video games.
Hmmm rent a movie or spend another couple hours playing Day of Defeat: Source... pretty easy decision for me.

[neocon4jesus]

Thanks for the enlightenment. I have never played games as I am a 53 year old "adult", but do watch a lot of movies and more and more I feel ripped off after investing 2 hours of my time. Most movies Suck!

I think I'm going to buy a few games and check it out. Thanks for the idea.

Guns&death4Jesus

[mikehill33]

what's your gamertag Don? lets jam some COD HQ action!

[staremaster]

Yes, video games are developing and growing, which is cool to live through, but this seems like comparing apples and oranges to me. They provide different things, pure and simple.

As for value, I'd throw my computer in the trash if all it did was play video games, versus sitting in a theater to watch "Apocalypse Now" and other movies I like. Depends what you want, and when.

And yeah, it gets better every year, but the level of acting in video games is still pretty low compared to non crap movies. Meaning all movies, not just hollywood multiplex stuff.

At its worst, the essay reads like someone from the middle of last century arguing that books are outdated because now movies are in Cinemascope or 3d or something.

[jeffhesser]

nice. 'someone from the middle of last century arguing....' says the man calling a blog post an 'essay'

I like how you say up front they are two different 'things' and then compare digital characters in a game to hollywood actors. This forum is way better than the post itself! haha.

[randomdigit]

DVD+Blu-ray revs could have dropped on same unit sales if avg selling price was less than last year, which more likely than not is the case. DVD+Blu-ray new release prices continue to slide in price whereas new release videogames seem forever fixed at $49 or $59 dollars each.

What are the units sold for each category?

[Brian]

I spend more hours playing Super Mario than watching Star Trek on DVD.

If I watch STAR WARS, for example, the entertainment is EXACTLY the same, every time.

When I play Super Mario, the entertainment is NOT exact, it is always different.

What never ceases to amaze me is how often playing Super Mario makes me SMILE -- I can't remember the last time I smiled when watching a movie.

Another thing that has replaced movies for me is watching videos on YouTube.

Entertainment is fundamental in our culture.

Another entertaining part of life is making movies on Final Cut (that really puts a smile on my face)!

Life is good!

[mcooper13]

Don, most of the movies you go to are probably glorified video game trailers anyway.

A game won't make you think. A good movie will.

There are really no redeeming qualities to video games. What do you have at the end of a game other than wasted time? They have their place but if you think they offer more than a movie will than you are either suffering from borderline intellectual functioning or are just terribly shallow.

[Dylan_Wisor]

What are you, fifty years old? I don't play video games to invoke deep thought. I rarely watch movies to that purpose either. That's not what entertainment is to people who aren't pretentious pseudo-intellectuals.

[mcooper13]

@Dylan_Wisor:

"I don't play video games to invoke deep thought. I rarely watch movies to that purpose either."

Wow, I guess for you any thinking is overrated. I don't think you are qualified to speak for even people who don't consider themselves intellectuals. BTW, are you 12 years old?

[6stringluke]

The gist of your argument is as follows, anyone who doesn't find the same values in a movie as you is not as intelectual. My how arrogant can you be while at the same time display such ignorance at a medium you obviously know little or nothing about. There are numerous games that disprove your dismissive argument that they don't make you think.

Both mediums have redeeming qualities and both are significant influences on modern life. I don't understand why people who prefer one over the other feel the need to dismiss their non preference with ignorant comments.

[magvine]

Some video games do involve some deep philosphical issues. For instance BioShock deals with the ethical issues of unrestricted markets as well as bioengenering. Then you have the Witcher which forces you to pick between to messy gray options, "Do you side with a ragging mob or with ethicaly chanlenged witch?"

Good games are getting very complex. Stories are just as, if not more, complex than movies, and they can pack just as much philosophy and theology. It's all what you like. I personally like RPG's because I like being part of the story. Movies are good, but they just don't have the interactivity. (Mass Effect is another with an intericate story line where the player's choices have an impact on the story.)

[mcooper13]

Yeah right. "BioShock deals with the ethical issues of unrestricted markets as well as bioengenering."

Yes as part of the premise of Bioshock. And that's it. Once the stage is set for the game the thinking ends. Bioshock does not DEAL with any of those issues.

A two minute read of a People magazine article deals with these issue in orders of magnitude greater depth than Bioshock.

Come on, how ridiculous are these arguments? These are video games for god's sake. You play them so you can escape - to un-engage your mind. Making them out to be any more is ludicrous.

[6stringluke]

So now your arrogance leads you to believe that you know why people play games? It's obvious that you know nothing about the modern video game which has evolved into more than button mashers. Not everyone wants to play games that aren't intelectually challenging or stimulating. Thankfully, the video game industry is diverse enough to offer many different choices to the gamer.

I don't understand how you can continually generalize about something you are clueless about. Bioshock does indeed use bioengineering as a premise, but it also tackles much more than that when it shows the consequences of what happens when science is pursued without moral reappnsibility and how a utopian society can go wrong when it loses it's grounding. True the storytelling might be a little crude but the industry is fairly new. It is learning it's lessons from movies and progress is being made. The game even deals out different endings depending on how you play. There are even plot twists.

This is only one example and it's unfortunate that you are unable to concede that your knowledge of the subject is limited. But go ahead and continue spouting ignorant comments and generalizations.

[mcooper13]

Uh huh. That argument that 'I read Playboy for the articles' seems to come to mind as you defend video games. It's pretty lame.

[6stringluke]

Your need to reduce everything to the lowest common denominator is lame. I guess when you can't defend your point of view in an inteligent manner, let alone accept someone else's, then the only thing left is to dismiss and generalize.

[mcooper13]

"I guess when you can't defend your point of view in an inteligent manner..."

Talk about the pot calling the kettle black! Games appeal to the lowest common denominator. That's why they are so popular.

[6stringluke]

Wow... Yet another display of mind numbing arrogance. I have expressed my opinion, by citing examples, even somewhat going into detail and your retorts have been nothing but insults and dismissive comments. No kettle calling here. Not one post has been an insight into your opinion. Its easy to throw insults at someone else. It takes a modicum of intelligence to express oneself and one's opinion without resorting to condescending remarks.

You haven't offered up anything but ignorance on the subject and yet you seem convinced of your own superiority. It must be nice in your mind where you are always right and you never have to prove anything,. Why prove anything when you can insult it away?

I am not defending the genre, or myself. I am merely pointing out I believe is obvious to everyone. That you are an arrogant and ignorant person who is unable to justify their position without insulting anyone with a contrary view to your own. That, is an indication of the person you are.

[megustansalchichas]

a really good story can take many forms, and it's just a matter of time (maybe next gen consoles?) before the story telling can be as good in video games as in film. However, for now there is still a difference in the experience (I don't think you can get the same emotional response from the Dark Knight as out of the Lego Batman video game).

However, Reisinger is right in comparing the time value of the entertainment channels -I saw the Dark Knight twice for a total of less than 5 hours of entertainment, but I played Guitar Hero III that many hours the first day I got it. On a cost per hour basis, GH3 was the best $40 I've ever spent, and I would do it again. Dark Knight, a third time? not unless it's free.

[simonsonjh]

If you are only watching films to find out what happens, then stick with games.

[bugma302]

I somewhat disagree with the analogy - I don't just get 90 minutes of "entertainment" out of a "great" movie - I can get a lifetime's value (just like a great book).
However, your average action movie, romcom which is purely made to fill the time probably can be measured in the minutes of my life consumed.
In the same way - for me anyway - most games purely fill my time but something like Football Manager can take it over.

[smisathe]

Umm. This article makes me uncomfortable. While I do agree that the majority of Hollywood is making junk movies, this is isn't always true.

Video games as pure entertainment are okay. But my favorite aspect ofa video game is when it lets you spend time with people, engaging with them and building friendship & community. As just entertainment, that is sort of a half hearted good. If it is somewhat artistic, helping us observe beauty, then that is also wonderful. Video games can be like movies like Across the Universe in this way, just a beautiful movie.

But I've never had a video game that has made me think or step outside myself. There is no equivalent, for me, to something like Dead Man Walking that made me carefully consider the death penalty, or that opened my eyes to problems of institionalized abuse of women in India like Water, or that told the story of genocide in Rwanda like Hotel Rwanda. Now, I guess I wouldn't call these movies 'entertaining', but they are important. That said, video games can ignite an interest in learning: Age of Empires got me more interested in history. But those movies that make us puzzle and reflect on ourselves and how we live our lives, I'm not sure a video game is capable of that. I could be wrong. Perhaps careful reflection on the characters in video games is possible, but I'm really not sure that it is.

I guess I just feel that movies have a greater capability of making us better, more human people than do video games. The only exception maybe if video games can draw us together, maybe across racial, gender or international barriers, then maybe that's the case.

[nowimcool]

The comparison of the 2 is artificial ... a movie is about telling a story ... while games have story elements, the story is not (ultimately) what the game is about. gameplay > story

Therefore a game and movie are played/watched for completely different reasons.

most people don't strictly watch the type of games they play. I loved COD 4, i watch war and action movies but I also loved the movie Capote. Capote could never be a game. A game could never tell a story like that.

There are a few mild exceptions within gaming - but people generally don't like them. I thought GTA IV was brilliant because it aimed for realism - I have found the general gaming population has frowned on that.

Story telling in movies can reach the level of art - story telling in games rarely goes beyond gimmick.

@ peteraltschuler - other than the phrase 'instant satisfaction', I completely agree.