April 11, 2004
Gaming While Drunk: Eggs and Scotch and High End TVs
Well, it’s Easter and I’m kicking with a great 12 year old Scotch while downing the occasional Cadbury Cream Egg. I’m of the opinion that the caramel variety are for suckers, and the only true eggs are the regular creamy variety. They’re simply jampacked with AWESOME. In between all this fattening up and drinking though I’m thinking about my TV.
I got a nice 36 inch Sony Wega from Best Buy about a year ago. Got a good deal, and the picture on it is really nice. It makes my games and DVDs look great. I looked at a lot of televisions before I chose this one. I looked at how many inputs they had, how nice the tube was, sound, etc etc. I knew I would have at least three or four game systems hooked into it, so the amount of inputs and ease of set up were important.
In other words, things have changed.
Back in the day you would hook your cable up to your TV and maybe your NES and that would be the end of it. Do you remember having to buy RF adaptors for your systems because your TV didn’t have an AV in? Do you remember having to buy the adaptor with the two sets of prongs to GIVE your TV the cable in? I do, and it was a pain in the ass.
Those days are over though. Now I know a ton of people who have multiple gaming systems, and many of them don’t like the DVD playback on the game systems so they have a stand alone progressive scan DVD player. It doesn’t end there, since many people have a TV out on their computer so they can play MAME on the big screen. Now, you may just think it’s the techno elite doing this, but I’ve seen some people I wouldn’t have guessed with very nice setups.
I was flabbergasted yesterday when I was talking to one of my mother’s friends and The Shield came up. “Have you seen last week’s episode?” I asked, and my jaw hit the floor when she responded.
“I haven’t caught it yet, but the torrent should be up by this evening and then I’ll pick it up.” Sweet! All this cool AV shit has really gotten out, and torrents of the better continuing shows are getting easier and easier to find, meaning you might not even need TiVO if you have a fast connection speed. Miss the Sopranos? There’ll be a torrent.
Back on topic of gaming though, we’re seeing an increasing amount of people buying televisions to be monitors for their DVDs and videogame systems. According to some Nielson numbers the amount of 18-24 year olds watching TV is going down as videogames, the internet, and torrents are on the rise. Right now people have a lot better things to do than watch TV, and with videogames getting more immersive and more popular this is a trend that’s only going to continue. How many hours of TV do you think an Evercrack addict watches?
My TV fits my needs though, and the last time I walked through the local electronics superstore I saw TVs with even more inputs, prettier pictures, and more options. Cable television isn’t pushing technology this fast, it’s the videogame consoles and the race to get a better picture cheaper than your computer monitor.
That’s good news for film fans, and even better news for videogame enthusiasts. Finally, the Sony and Samsungs of the world are listening to us and giving us what they want. It looks like your basic channels are on the way out, and you know what? That’s great news. More videogames and less sitcoms sits very well with me.
-Written by Robert Keenan
Do you agree or disagree? What are your thoughts? Comment on the discussion forum.
