Vid game industry sees silver lining to strike
December 28, 2007

NEW YORK -- Who says there's nothing new on your TV? Not video gamers. As the Hollywood writers strike drags toward 2008, the video game industry is hoping a lack of fresh episodes in primetime could motivate more people to pick up video game controllers instead of remotes -- especially with the millions of Wiis and copies of "Call of Duty 4" under Christmas trees this holiday season.

"If you're a fan of network programming, maybe seeing another repeat of 'Pushing Daisies' or 'Cold Case' will inspire you to finish that level of 'Ratchet and Clank Future' instead," suggests Joseph Olin, president of the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences.

Because game publishers rely almost completely on nonunion talent to create video games, the WGA walkout, now in its eighth week, hasn't been an issue for the gaming industry. Only a handful of game writers are represented by the WGA, and they fall outside of the jurisdiction of the current strike.

"There's a much better relationship between game developers and publishers than there appears to be in terms of all the polemics between the writers, producers and studios," Olin said. During the five-month writers strike in 1988, gamers were just beginning to become infatuated with "Tetris" -- not exactly a narrative form. In the 20 years since the addictive bricks fell, plot and Hollywood have both become integral parts of interactive entertainment.

The Hollywood Reporter/Associated Press
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