Can Games Media Really Grow Up?

Electronic Gaming Business, Oct 8, 2003

Is the video game industry ready for its close-up?

As games journalism moves evermore to TV, marketers need to start thinking differently about how to promote their wares and deal with media outlets. "Without meaning to disparage publishers, there is an education process," says Ian Sharpe, business development manager, Gamer.tv, which provides 90 minutes of games-related programming to 25 television territories worldwide. "Marketers have to think outside of their usual box of simply illustrating game play and tossing screenshots at media," says Sharpe. "People are interested in human stories and how much love, care and attention has gone into these games."

And this UK media company should know. Gamer.tv is a subsidiary of IMG, a legendary sports rep firm whose clients have included Tiger Woods, Arnold Palmer and scores of others across all sports. Gamer.tv staff literally tour the world for good video tales about gaming. The programming runs weekly in the UK, Australia, and Canada, and until recently ran on G4 in the U.S. In October, however, Gamer.tv comes to the more broadly carried Game Show Network. Sharpe claims to have a worldwide broadcasting reach of 300 million households.

A forward planning team within Gamer.tv's 100-person staff deploys film crews around the world not only to cover public gaming events but to get inside the game-making process. "Send them details of what you've got going on in voice recording sessions. If a rally driver is coming in for the day, that is an opportunity for an interview. We like to do things like go to a voice recording of a Mario game or on the set with Christian Slater or see Tiger Woods motioncaptured for his golf game."

Senior producer and development coordinator Glen Carroll (glen.carroll@gamer.tv) leads the planning team and is the man to pitch. Ideal lead time is two to three weeks before the event or video opportunity, but the company has crews worldwide that can respond on several days notice as well.

Gamer.tv produces its weekly half-hour "Gamer.tv" flagship program, which runs two to five features as well as two to three previews and three to four reviews. In submitting code for use on the show, Sharpe warns that Gamer.tv will not "preview" a title that is formally released in any world territory. "It has to be a true preview globally." Lead times for reviews are about a month before show date.

The company also syndicates documentary series and special games programming. In the past these have included multi-part series on the history of video gaming and a 10-part series of top-ten lists in gaming. While Gamer.tv projects keep the core gaming audience in mind, the goal is to broaden the hobby's appeal and treat gaming as sports-like entertainment. The company is currently developing special programming about mobile gaming and is exploring ways of making first-person shooter games into spectator entertainment.

The Gamer.tv Web site (www. gamer.tv) just launched a fee-based area that succeeded in attracting 25,000 paid subscribers in the first two weeks. Gamer.tv also produces video media kits for game companies like CDV and Codemasters. It recently produced a package for THQ on its upcoming Fire Warrior title.

The Game PR Learning Curve

Games promotion still has a lot of growing up to do if it truly aspires to joining other entertainment media. For instance, in the move to TV, game promoters need to rethink their B-rolls, which Sharpe complains can be too lowres or boring for a polished cable program. Often, Gamer.tv needs to request code from the publisher in order to create a more exciting set of game play clips. "We get to showcase a game in its football Technicolor glory."

More to the point, getting TV coverage is a much different ball game from print. "This is not a guy showing up with a laptop, pencil and notepad," says Sharpe. "You're going to get a producer, an assistant producer, a cameraman, and have all kinds of lights set up. Have a quiet room and have people look smart and be on their best most talkative behavior. Your passion either shines or dies on TV."

Game companies need to think more globally, Sharpe recommends. Too often the local PR in multi-national companies think only of themselves. "The industry is so territorial. UK PR people aren't interested that we are on the Game Show Network [in the U.S.]. TV shows like ours are in 300 million homes worldwide."

Sharpe thinks that video gaming is where sports was 25 years ago in trying to figure out the best ways to present itself as an entertainment worthy of coverage, but he expects this medium to learn some of the promotional conventions that helped make sports and movies international media phenomena that attract a diverse range of creative coverage.

"Can you imagine a film coming out without all of the stars being interviewed and without a B-roll going out?" says Sharpe. Those media are so well organized. The games industry is a ways away from that."

Contact: Ian Sharpe, 44 (0) 208 233 5031, ian.sharpe@gamer.tv