At an exclusive four-day gathering here last week, several top directors screened their latest, much-anticipated projects for crowds of admirers.
Beautiful, scantily clad women strutted around and had their picture taken with ogling young men.
Assorted wannabes elbowed their way to superstars in the industry for a word on how they might get a heads-up in the business.
In what might be considered the Cannes of its industry, the Electronic Entertainment Expo drew people from around the world for a sneak peek of the fastest, flashiest and fiercest drama in upcoming offerings from the video game world.
This event hardly carries the cachet or brand-name recognition as the much-admired film festival on the French Riviera. While the film industry connotes glamor and sophistication, the video game industry largely brings to mind an image of a dorky, bleary-eyed, sweaty-palmed young man whose development arrested at preteen.
Now a $9 billion enterprise, edging out the movie business, the video game industry is seeking something that has long eluded it: respectability.
At E, video game-makers talked about how they’re focusing more on “story lines” and “character development.” They discussed how they’re trying to make the drawings more “artistic.”
And, attempting to capture the magic of the Oscars, industry leaders unveiled plans to boost their image and exposure by broadcasting their annual awards program on network television next year.
“The thing about televising the awards show is that, beyond credibility, this will put a face on the industry, letting people know who the video game industry is,” said Paul Provenzano, president of the Los Angeles-based Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences, which is modeled on the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
“It will help us in our goal of letting the general public understand what it is and how it works–a way to humanize us,” he said.
Despite being blamed for a range of social ills from juvenile delinquency to the Columbine High School massacre, accusations industry officials strongly denounce, the video game industry asserts that its products benefit society. Tech-savvy gamers, experts say, drove demand that led to faster, brighter and more powerful PCs as well as advances in such hand-held digital devices as cell phones and CD players.
Moreover, they point to recent studies showing no link between computer games and violence and indicating that the interactive aspects of the games can help the cognitive development of youths.
“Did anybody write about that or have you heard politicians talking about that?” said Douglas Lowenstein, president of the Interactive Digital Software Association.
The research is clear, Lowenstein said, “Yet we still hear ignorant statements about how video games cause violence. … What is it about games that makes them viewed with less respect?”
Hard-core fans
Much like the games, the conference, called “A World of Its Own,” had a decidedly testosterone-charged atmosphere.
The flashing purple and yellow lights and the hard-driving music, punctuated by constant sounds of exploding bombs and machine guns, transformed the exhibit hall into a giant arcade. Fans stood transfixed in front of movie theater-size screens and waited in long lines to sample the latest games from Microsoft’s Xbox, Sony’s PlayStation 2 and Nintendo, among others.
“This is where everybody gets to pump their chest and show what they’ve got,” said 25-year-old Josh Andersen, a University of Utah student who was wearing black shorts and long white socks with a red stripe.
“I’m here because I’m addicted to video games,” said Andersen, who wants to break into the business as a graphics designer.
Said his friend, C.J. Markham: “The games are the best form of entertainment. It’s not like sticking a tape in a VCR and sitting there [passively]. You interact with the games.”
Promoted as three of the hottest upcoming games, directors previewed the George Lucas production Bounty Hunter, featuring “Star Wars” anti-hero Jango Fett; EA Pacific’s Command and Conquer Generals; and Id Software’s Doom III.
The directors touted their projects as artistic and technological breakthroughs with their story lines interwoven into the 3D action. Still, the productions consisted largely of video game staples: guts and gore, murder and mayhem.
“It’s an action, horror game,” said Tim Willits, lead designer and project manager for Id’s Doom III.
“The player travels to hell and comes back,” said Willits, whose company sparked controversy with its games depicting first-person shooting. “We’re working with an author who is helping us [develop] a beginning, middle and end.”
Issues with women
Long accused of being misogynistic, the video game industry says it is trying to broaden its base by appealing to females.
Yet, arguably, troublesome images remain.
The company shooting the video for the conference promoted its service with a poster showing a close-up shot of a woman’s rear in a shiny pink bikini as well as two live women in pink bikinis and tight T-shirts.
Majesco Games, which developed a new title called BloodRayne, promoted its product with a live action version of the lead character–a vampire woman wearing a tight leather outfit with a very low-cut top–who eagerly posed for photos with male admirers.
And THQ unveiled its Britney’s Dance Beat title, an interactive game that allows players to perform virtually with Britney Spears as part of her team of background dancers. Plastered on the wall of the exhibit booth was a life-size poster of Spears with a skimpy top and low-cut jeans.
“There are issues with the way women are portrayed in games,” said Serenity Soboleski, executive director of TeamXbox.com, a Web site devoted to promoting the Microsoft Xbox game console.
“The women in the industry are interested in bringing in girls,” she added. “That’s why Xbox is portraying women more respectably, giving them more power and more strength.”
Provenzano, the president of the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences, said the video game awards show will be televised in February, which is close to when the Oscars and Grammys are broadcast. He said they will draw audiences with appearances by Spears, NBA players and other celebrities who star in video games.
But if the show doesn’t help relieve the sweaty-palm image of video game players, maybe a new invention can.
Improved air flow
Nyko Technologies unveiled the AirFlo, a video game controller that shoots compressed air on the users’ hands to keep them cool and dry.
“This is for those times when your game play is extended for hours and you have to pass on the controller to your friends,” said Amir Navid, a product developer at Nyko.
“Nobody wants to take [the controller] when your hands are disgustingly wet.”
