Eidos Life President Livingstone speaks out against mainstream media's game

Per Joystiq: During the Westminster eForum this week, Eidos head (and Life President) Ian Livingstone had some less than favorable things to say about the mainstream media's coverage of the gaming industry. "People just couldn't accept that games are a great learning tool," Livingstone told the crowd of "industry representatives and their advisors, interest groups, local authorities, the voluntary sector and academia, along with members of the reporting press," reports MCV. He asked for mainstream news outlets to focus less on violence in games and to instead look at "the poor skills the UK has to make games."

In his eyes, the mainstream media's overwhelming focus on violence in games -- and consistent ignoring of the economically beneficial side of the game industry -- certainly isn't helping to bring the development tax breaks he's been pushing in the UK for quite some time now. To help change minds, we suggest that Mr. Livingstone get in touch with the two people who have been most able to clearly convey our feelings on the violent video game debate -- Penn and Teller, of course!

News still reports on big movies being released, has weekly box office results.  You dont see that kind of coverage for games,  I would love to see 

Katie Couric announce sales numbers for Mass effect 2.  I think games dont have the stigma they use to have but are still not conisdered any were equal to movies.

Last point VGA awards on spike, golden globes, Oscars and Emmys all on Major networks.

Yes, games get a bum rap from the mainstream media.

In other news, the sky is blue (well, not where I live ) and birds go "tweet"

I guess I should re phrase when do you think mainstream media will treat games as any other media and give it the coverage it deserves?

Well let's face it, when we have a generation which focuses on showcasing the most realistic graphics in games and combines them with petty beat em up or shoot em up franchises that also have a needless amount of gore (God of War and Gears of War are prime examples) you can see why mainstream media are rather uninterested in the subject.

Look at movies, do you see mainstream media hyping category B gore, action or horror movies and giving them oscars?

when hell freezes over?

It might take a long time; we'll have to wait until the people in power in the media are people who grew up when gaming was mainstream* and even then it might not be enough, since although gaming is common, it's still seen as as something geeky or a "guilty pleasure" by a lot of young people.

*Why do I say that? Because the people who are powerful in the media right now grew up before gaming took off and certainly before games with things like serious storylines were heard of, therefore their view of the way the world should be, which is usually formed when people are young, does not include video games. Games are something that came along when they were older, therefore they are something new and to be regarded with suspicion.

No they dont hype the gore but there are plenty of movies with as much or more gore than the games you metnioned.  The media focus on the movie.  With games they focus on the negative side of gaming.  I mean the show 24 is basically COD MW2 both go for shock value.

I do see your point, it would be nice to see games get a better rap.  I guess I should be greatful they are covered much better in the last few years.  I mean USA today has a whole gaming section thats progress

Why shouldn't the mainstream media have a bad view of games? It seems the 'gaming media' more and more is just focusing on games with Violence and blood, so that's what the 'Mainstream' media is seeing. If the specific media outlet that is focusing on games is hyping mostly M rated games that feature blood, cussing and violence, the rest of the media is going to pick up on that.

I mean, on the flip side, the media still makes a big deal whenever a Nintendo game makes some big milestone such as a new Mario game breaking a record or a new Zelda coming out (they actually announce those on national news).  Yet what do you expect them to say for games like Gears of War or God of War?  'The bloody and graphic Mature rated action title God of War, which we can't show on TV, went on sale today with large sales to gaming fans...and that's about it.'

Deservedly.

I reckon about 30-40 years and games will be taken seriously by the media. The ridiculous sales of games like MW2, GTA and Wii Sports help, but until more people from the current gens grow up and enter media jobs things won't change.