When the Eagle soars, the Beagle snores

From the mind of an Eagle with the mouth of a Beagle

March 2, 2009 • 4:48 pm 0

Wonder-Con through a first-timer’s point of view

On a rainy first day of March, my gf and I trekked (pun intended) towards the Moscone Center in San Francisco for our first ever Wonder-Con trip. The sea of people in attendance convinced me that the Comic Book (I am sorry… Graphic Novel) industry is alive and well. As soon as we finished the registration process, raced toward the Esplanade Ballroom to get prime seats at the Chuck Panel event.

To those who do not know, Chuck is a TV series on NBC (airs Mondays at 8pm [Before Heroes]) about a geeky normal guy named Chuck (Zachary Levi) who became the US Government’s top secret asset. As a result, Secret agents from the NSA (Adam Baldwin) and CIA (Yvonne Strahovski) are on the mission to protect Chuck while beating up bad guys who threaten US interests.

Anyway, we got there rather late and therefore got seats near the cameras towards the middle aisle. The view was not bad but we needed to stretch our necks to see the actors and taking photos required steady hands and digital zoom. Times like these, I wished I invested on a SLR camera.

Yvonne Strahovski, Joshua Gomez and Zachary Levi

Yvonne Strahovski, Joshua Gomez and Zachari Levi

Adam Baldwin, Yvonne Strahovski and Joshua Gomez

The panel began with an exclusive trailer from Chuck’s second season. There were tons of season spoilers. The only info I am willing to reveal is that Chuck finally finds his father (Quantum Leap anyone?). After the trailer, the panel had a warm reception from fans and the event got on its way. It was a Q&A style panel and fans got an insiders scoop on how the cast felt working on the set and their favorite episodes. I was a little bit disappointed that the moderator did not ask enough questions to Yvonne and that I was not able to get close enough to get an up-close picture of the cast. However, when the panel was leaving I was able to snap photos of Zachary Levi and Joshua Gomez (They are totally nice and geeky guys).

A few minutes later the Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles panel followed. The panel was not as big as the Chuck panel but stars Summer Glau (she plays Cameron the “good” Terminator) and Shirley Manson (lead singer of Garbage as Catherine Weaver the “bad” Terminator) attended. The format was the same as the Chuck panel but this time I got a closer shot of the stars (see photo below).

Shirley Manson and Summer Glau

When the panel was over, we headed to the convention floor to look around. We soon drowned in the sea of people dressed comic book characters. There were so many that I did not even bother taking pictures. A geek’s bonus was being able to see Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker) and Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia).

As we left Wonder-Con, looking at the costumed fans and trying to recover from the experience made me remember of my younger days as comic book collector. Those lazy rainy afternoons spent at the Comic Book shop while waiting for my ride home. The stories read and enjoyed made the current madness the world is experiencing right now seem… distant. I guess this is why people come in droves and flock to convention like these. To live out a fantasy, meet up with their idols and for three days, forget the realities of life.

Filed under: Events, 2009, Adam Baldwin, Canon Powershot camera, Carrie Fisher, childhood, chubax, Chuck, comic book movies, Comics, Costume, Firefly, Garbage, Graphic Novels, Heroes, Joshua Gomez, Luke Skywalker, Mark Hamill, Moscone Center, NBC, Panel, photo, pictures, Princess Leia, San Francisco, Serenity, Shirley Manson, Summer Glau, Terminator, Wonder Con 2009, Wonder-Con, Yvonne Strahovski, Zachary Levi

February 5, 2009 • 2:58 pm 1

Cheaper Video Games… good or bad?

I just read a recent article stating that the era of $59.99 price range for video games could be over (see: http://adjix.com/3ndr).

The article stated the current trends of retailers cutting down prices of Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii games from $59.99 ($49.99 for the Wii) to $39.99 up to $49.99. Any knowledgeable gamer knows that price reductions are common practice for older or less popular titles, but the current global recession and retailer bankruptcies (i.e. Circuit City) have placed these reductions front and center. It used to take at least six months or so before game titles go down in prices but these days, prices are low on relatively new titles such as Mirror’s Edge, Madden 2009, Saint’s Row 2 and Prince of Persia.

Although this may be a welcomed treat for gamers like me, this can be a hard hit for the bottom line of Developers and Publishers. I just saw an article that Electronic Arts would eliminate another 11% of its workforce (see: http://adjix.com/3nbw). This proves that the once recession-proof industry is finally feeling the crunch and is slimming down their operating costs.

The price cuts could help drive individual sales for game titles but with a smaller profit margin for publishers and console makers, this could spell some trouble with the whole gaming industry. Is the growth of the gaming industry in danger?

My answer is no.

Here are the reasons why:

Gamers would be gamers. Gamers would continue to purchase quality video games and would rank gaming as their number one source of entertainment.
The recession is forcing more and more people to stay home. This would equate to increased time spent gaming.
Gaming has become Mainstream. With the success of the Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, Guitar Hero, Rockband and online gaming in luring casual gamers, the demand of video games would increase exponentially in the next few years (my own opinion only)
Video games are not only for fanboys and for geeks anymore. With the Wii Fit, The Sims and Bejewelled, casual gamers are discovering gaming’s “IT” factor.

So what is the verdict? Are cheaper prices good for the gaming industry? For consumers, of course it is good. Cheaper prices mean more spending money to try out other lesser-known game titles. In the short term, it would hurt developers and publishers but if they invest in the long term and use their brains, this could be the best thing that happened to the gaming industry. The good old parental excuse of video gaming as an expensive hobby is obsolete. Gamers are now more willing to try out other genres and titles. In addition, this would force developers to churn out quality games over quantity. The problem I had recently is the tidal wave of games that flooded the market (Not all releases are great… most are just crap). A good variety and supply of new games are good but a flood of games causes frustration and confusion with gamers who do not have the time and money to try out all these new games. Basic economics… less supply, more demand = higher prices and profit. Games such as Halo, Gears of War and Grand Theft Auto sell out for a reason. Such games are in demand for the gaming quality and replay value that gamers respond positively.

However, developers and publishers should take this as a warning. They need to be more creative in what games they bring to the market. I understand the need to milk out their killer apps but this can get old. For instance, how many versions of Madden do we need to get closer to the NFL experience? (I think I just stepped on a couple of toes there). They need to develop new and creative IP (Intellectual Properties) to entice gamers and grow their audience. With this in their minds, the future of gaming would be bright.

As for now, I will enjoy the lower-priced games (as we all should) and HOPE for the time when I will be playing the next killer app games like Halo, Civilization and Sims. Only time would tell.

Filed under: Opinion, 2008, 2009, bankrupt, bejewelled, challenge, childhood, Circuit City, civilization, DS, EA, Electronic Arts, gamers, gears of war, grand theft auto, gutiar hero, halo, Nintendo DS, nintendo wii, online gaming, pink slip. recession, playstation 3, prices, ps3, rockband, the sims, video gaming, wii fit, xbox 360