Would you want TV, Movies and Games to merge into one format?

[AidoZonkey]

I keep hearing recently that games and TV are merging into on format, television companies wanting to making TV into media hub and console companies like Microsoft and Sony wanting to do the same with consoles to some degree. I also keep hearing "It's the way media is heading, media without interactivity is dying out and TV needs to become more interactive with game features to survive" as well as, "Games need to become more episodic like TV and more epic like movies to be taken seriously"

However, the more I think about it the more I don't want the mediums to merge. At the moment I like playing video games then watch something like Game Of Thrones after I have finished gaming. The non interactivity of TV is something I enjoy. I don't want to control Tyrion Lannister because I know my input to the character would ruin him. Spoilers for season 2 ahead but its just a quick example.

Spoiler

Imagine if in Game Of Thrones you were given the option to choose if Tyrion would kill Joffrey Baratheon after the events of series 2 episode 9 when he almost gets killed by one of the kings guard, most people would take that option, but it would be something so out of character for Tyrion, that the characters integrity would suffer and the show would be so much worse for it

This is an extreme example but there are other examples of shows were interactivity can ruin the experience.
There are gaming examples as well, imagine if every game left on a cliff hanger were there didn't need to be. Or if there were forced romance subplots in every game..... wait this is already happening.
How about if games started getting commissioned like TV shows are. For starters the independent games would suffer more and more. The commissioners would only make whats selling at the moment so lots more Call Of Duty's and Battlefields, and games that really need squeals would be side lined for games that would defiantly get more money from squeals

It would be like EA and Ubisoft had a baby

So what do you guys think, is there hope in a TV/ Movie/ Game merger or would you guys, like me, would prefur them to stay seperate?

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Separate them like hell. There's a script dammit, don't let your audience write your show (oh hai Lost).

 

[shrekfan246]

There's a difference between something being a media hub and allowing access to multiple forms of entertainment, and multiple forms of entertainment combining into one. I've not heard of the latter yet like you apparently have, OP, but it's one of the stupidest ideas I could ever even imagine for television, film, or gaming, not least of all because (I assume, at least) people enjoy the three different things for different reasons.

So, no, I don't think there would be any hope for that. There are some interesting ideas to be had in making a game that plays out like a serial would, but a straight combination of television and gaming? I can't see any way that would actually work out. Licensed games are already typically some of the worst slop that gets released.

 

[AITH]

You're already seeing video games becoming more interactive with social media. Hell, I think the new PS4 even has a share button on the controller. What this fascination with showing everybody what you're doing all the time is, I'll never understand. Especially when it leads to so many privacy complaints.

You're already seeing one sided interactivity through TV with the audience via reality television. And I find it terrible. Like SecretNegative said, people in general are terrible storytellers whether they know it or not. Especially if the medium through voting or influencing a story was made possible via a medium that the younger populous which is even worse had primary familiarity with.

 

[Hero of Lime]

I would say no, mediums should be able to have their own identities when being presented to the public. Interactive television would cause the show's creators to lose control of their own world. Plus there would be a huge influx of people arguing that they made the best choices only leading to more dumb arguments you see on the internet come into the real world(shudders).

I'm definitely agreeing with the OP, let each medium keep its identity, if a content creator wishes to try merging multiple mediums, be my guest. If it won't do anything for the medium at large, don't try to force change on everything just for the fun of it.

 

[Serioli]

No, because screw TV. So little of it interests me that it's cheaper for me to buy boxed sets that I like the look of/are recommended by friends than to pay for the UK TV licence. I sincerely don't want games trying to be more 'show-like'.

Obviously personal opinion, others like what they like but seriously...screw TV.