E3 2012

So the epic E3 has come and gone yet again...leaving all of us gaming nerds psyched for the year to come. There were sequels to long running game series like Resident Evil and Halo, reboots like DMC and Tomb Raider and even a company blending a MMO with a TV series. I figured with the Expo over I'd talk a little about what I'm the most excited about. The blending of the TV and film industry with the gaming industry.

 Over the years we have seen this just beginning. Since video games first came out, people have been making games based on TV and movies. Then came the porting of video games to the big screen. With both of these there were usually issues when they crossed media. TV writing didn't always lend well to an interesting game and games most certainly didn't have stories that could stand alone as a film without the interactive element. Over the years video game writing has become very grand and much more detailed than in the past. Games like Skyrim, InFamous, Killzone and MANY others created sweeping, dramatic, and even sometimes, comedic stories. But even with these sweeping story lines, removing the interactive element seems to take something away. Now a gaming company and SyFy network want to try and blend the media. In 2013 SyFy will launch a TV show that will take place in one city in the USA and, simultaneously, an MMO shooter game will be released that takes place in another city, but on the same time line. The actors from the TV show were recorded and shot and modelled into the game so they can cross media. For example, one of the main characters in the video game starts in the MMO and then after a couple weeks ends up in the other city on the TV show.

This idea has apparently taken 4 years to plan and sort out and I can only image the problems that have arisen and the walls the creator must have faced. The first one through the wall is always the bloodiest and this person is most certainly breaking through a wall to a new idea. I would love to think that this is the future of gaming. Especially as an animator. I would love to be able to take part on a project like this and be able to cross industries. Meet the talent and workers of both media.

Check out the video links below to see an interview with one of the actor's as he gives a detailed description of the project, and the trailer that was shown at E3.

Interview with Grant Bowler (one of the actors in the series/game) 

Defiance E3 Trailer