Best Game Trailer Ever?

Two words: Tim Schafer. Two more words: Grim Fandango. I’ll be on the road until next Wednesday. But come back them for what I consider the most moving moment in games in the past month or so. Drive on.  

Does Showtime’s Matt Blank Know Games?

So how to wrap up the series about TV and movie executives knowledge of videogames? At the Future of Television East conference, the first guest was Matt Blank, Showtime’s longtime CEO. Along with HBO, Showtime features the best dramatic series on television. From Weeds to Dexter, the quality is compelling, moving and addictive. Surprisingly, one…

Alan Seiffert on SyFy’s Foray into MMO Games

You could tell he gets games. Probably the most outwardly passionate executive at last week’s Future of Television East conference was Alan Seiffert, a senior vice president at SyFy Networks. He was engaged. He sat forward when he spoke. He was animated. He was proud of his company. Some executives sat on these panels acting…

Frank O’Connor: There Will Be A Halo Movie

At the Future of Television East conference last week, Microsoft’s Frank O’Connor sat on a panel that focused on the grail of transmedia. Halo’s franchise development director is a shortish, stocky guy who looks like a feisty boxer. And he’s proud bordering on arrogant about the lauded series of games that sold so many Xboxes.…

The Future of TV and Games

Today, at the Future of Television East conference at NYU’s Stern School of Business, I heard a fair amount of high level executive talk about TV and videogames. The good news? TV executives seem to care about games far more than they used to. But how much knowledge to they actually have? Starting Monday, I’ll…

Idiots and Angels Should Be A Game

Back in the raging 1990s, Oscar-nominated animator Bill Plympton partnered with 7th Level to release a game based on his over-the-top cartoons, many of which had been seen on MTV and in the culty animation festivals that were becoming so prevalent in many cities. By today’s standards, Take Your Best Shot, Twisted Arcade Games for…

Spirited Away Should Be A Game

It’s cliche to say that most movies turned into games are mediocre, or worse. After all, they’re based upon branding and focus groups and generally are marketing tools more than inventive games that move games forward. But just imagine what a terrific platformer director Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away would have made. What a great loss…

When You Don’t Get Paid, Part 5

If you’ve won in small claims court, congratulations. You feel justified, even rejuvenated. You’ve been through a lot, and  you’ve come out victorious. Or have you? Most publishers will pay you within a month of the court date. On rare occasions, however, they won’t. In that case, you’ll have to hire a City Marshall to…

When You Don’t Get Paid, Part 4

As an example for videogame journalists, I’m detailing a small claims  suit I filed against a travel magazine that was led by, in this case, a less-than-honest editor in chief. So what happened when I took the train downtown to court on a chilly spring evening? In front of a genial mediator, I pled my…