This week saw the release of one of the most eagerly anticipated games of all time, let alone of just 2010. This was the culmination of a relentless marketing campaign, subtly spun online promotion, in-house documentaries, and above all the ever powerful word-of-mouth effect (between said mouths salivating over the latest gameplay videos and screenshots of course), resulting in a tidal wave of delirium and hype. Of course the title in question for those with beneath-rock inclined living conditions is Halo:Reach. We can make our own minds up about whether Reach lives up to the stratospheric billing bestowed upon it from inside the industry and gamers alike; however, rather than simply focus on one game alone, let’s look at how the launch on September 14th is representative of how gaming’s progressive popularity has propelled it directly into the forefront of entertainment.
There was once a time when a few in-store posters or at best the occasional TV advert were all that accompanied an impending big release. A handful of the bleary eyed yet dedicated followers may shuffle in when Game or Electronics Boutique opened its doors that morning, then shuffle off again with say, Tomb Raider 2 under arm. Contrast the aforementioned scene with the release of a ‘Triple A’ title these days and the difference is plain and obvious to see. Midnight openings, lively excited crowds and long snaking queues as well as all manner of outlandish promotional events are what we now expect to supplement the latest blockbuster’s introduction to the shelves. Even red carpet fanfares that we’ve always associated with the silver screen are now being rolled out for games.
I went to a midnight release of Reach at my local Gamestation in Wood Green, North London, which rest assured is hardly the pinnacle of glitz and glamour. A good fifty plus crowd had turned out however; admittedly far from the whooping furore that might be heard at some American store openings judging from various Youtube clips, but still a decent effort and one I genuinely wasn’t expecting. Suffice to say that the general demographic was the painfully stereotypical “male aged 18-25”, but to converse with like minded, excited gamers minutes before release at midnight, was for me personally a refreshing experience.
The fact is that due to gaming’s relatively recent rise in popularity, that attending a midnight release (just as one example) is not as tarnished by negativity or as ‘shameful’ as once it was perceived to be. There’ll always be people who regard gaming as a disdainful sub-division of entertainment rather than accepting it as a genuinely worthwhile one, favouring turning away and ignoring instead of willingly embracing and understanding. Gaming is changing the face of entertainment. It’s innovative qualities and popularity are testament to that, yet many people are unwilling to change their own stubborn assessments. However; with every colossal release, pre-launch hype machine, red carpet event and subsequently the vast amount of sales recorded, it seems that such detrimental nay-saying is steadily becoming a product of the minority.
A recent example of the transition from lowly pass time to mainstream medium was the release of Modern Warfare 2 in November last year. As previously mentioned, the ‘premier’ style treatment of Triple A titles is a relatively new concept in gaming, but MW2 really pushed the boat out at launch, basing the reasoning behind doing so, I’d imagine on the insane amount of hype that marketing and PR had generated surrounding the game (though obviously aided by an already successful franchise). A full blown West End bonanza, taking over Leicester Square with actors dressed as military personnel and even wheeling a tank into proceedings was a fitting introduction for a game that obliterated sales records worldwide. In one of the launch events for Reach, a mock Spartan warrior took to the sky in a jetpack over Trafalgar Square. Certainly an attention grabbing sight, and again a demonstration of the promotional power that publishers and developers of previous generations could only have dreamt of.
A slightly cringe worthy effect of gaming’s now crowd drawing prowess however is the celebrity factor. Still a long way from attracting the cream of the A-List crop, we’re treated to a handful of minor personalities who often look like they aren’t quite sure of why they’re there or what the event is for. Although arguably rather famous, watching Rio Ferdinand mumble incoherently about liking the guns in Halo and how it had “more weapons than any other game, I think” made for some pretty painful viewing. I’m all for expanding gaming and reaching (no pun intended - that would be shameful) out to wider audiences, but recruiting someone who has nothing really relevant or articulate to say about the game in question is a fairly shallow grab for attention.
The internet is a defining factor in the success of gaming with the allure of online capabilities drawing an ever increasing audience. XBL, PSN, the constant stream of news sites, forums for debate and thriving online communities means that gaming is inherently involved our lives more than ever before. XBL and PSN now promote themselves more as lifestyle accessories than simple online playing platforms, branching out into social networking, music and sports and encouraging a sense of integration between mediums. It’s this connectivity which seems to be integral to its continued success, as sharing and competitiveness are encouraged in equal measure. Rather than the anti-social ‘geek’ label gamers were once branded with, by and large the scene has developed beyond to a stage of sustained acceptability. Also, now that casual gaming has become such a huge force in the market, all manner of once untapped audiences are becoming involved with videogames. Fair enough they may not be queuing at midnight on launch day for the latest FPS release, but in itself this is an exemplification of the diversity between audiences.
Expansion of videogames has happened at an incredibly fast pace, to such an extent that now, gaming is always in some way connected, at least in the leisure sense to emerging technologies. Blu-Ray and HD are now cemented in the current generation of consoles and 3D was inevitably bound to follow. It’s this cutting edge nature that now, keeps gaming in the forefront of public consciousness. Despite the fact that the 360 and PS3 are comparatively ancient in console terms, Kinect and Move are essentially breathing new life into both, and although Motion Control is not a brand new concept, it is a new direction for both Microsoft and Sony’s machines and again a chance to reach new audiences.
Videogames and the surrounding culture has travelled a long way in what contextually is a very short time, and there are many smaller cogs that facilitate the running of the larger machine. In the grand scheme of things seeing fifty people turn up at a tiny Gamestation in one of London’s less desirable areas at midnight seems fairly irrelevant; yet is microcosmically representative of gaming’s evolvement from minor recreation to mainstream juggernaut.
(Photo credits: Craig Grobler, Weefz)