Grand Theft Auto IV Debuts, Movie Industry Will Survive

(MoneyWatch)  The fervently anticipated newest installment in Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto series hit stores Tuesday, which may explain why a large portion of your younger employees called in sick. First week sales of Grand Theft Auto IV, developed by Take-Two Interactive's Rockstar North studio, have been predicted at $400 million, more than any other game in history.

The magnitude of the event apparently blew Lost Remote editor Cory Bergman's mind, forcing him to prophesy a world where only one entertainment medium can survive:

As I've written off and on over the years, video games are becoming interactive movies, and they'll ultimately replace most of the traditional Hollywood movie industry. Why would you want to sit passively and watch a movie (or a TV show) when you can live a movie.

I normally agree with Cory, but in this case, he's got it completely wrong for several reasons.

1. People enjoy video games and movies in entirely different ways. Saying video games will replace movies is like saying crossword puzzles would replace Shakespeare. A good movie presents a director's vision exactly as he or she wants viewers to see it and is passively enjoyed, while a good video game is engrossing because of its interactive properties that allow the player to take part in the storytelling.
2. The most successful video games are becoming less and less like movies. It was actually the Grand Theft Auto series that brought non-linear gameplay to the masses, giving the player the ability to create his or her own story, rather than simply following a game designer's plotline from start to finish a la Super Mario Bros. The fact that games look more realistic nowadays and thus like CG movies is a superficial connection.
3. Movies and video games can coexist--as they do now. They're very different industries that actually get lots of revenue from the other with game adaptations of movies and even movie adaptations of games.
4. Lastly, the movie industry is still making lots of money in the box office and with DVD rentals and sales.