1) Cheap apps on Vita: First of all, that little “look at it” video was awesome. A lot of people just can’t seem to accept that video game businesses are out to make money and Pachter brings up some good points that Sony wouldn’t make any money on little app games. I’m pretty sure that Pachter is wrong about the handheld market being doomed. He may more than I, but I suspect that even as more people playing casual app games, they eventually will want to move onto something bigger as they become more dedicated of a gamer. I don’t think they’ll ever do as well as a casual game, but I do think they will be here to stay.
2) “Games as art” and Roger Ebert: I wrote about my thoughts on both these here. Surprisingly, and I’m not blaming Pachter for not knowing this, Ebert has at least reviewed some games but the problem is that he comes from a film perspective. There’s a lot about games that make them incomparable to film. Two nights ago actually, I was talking with Drew and a friend about Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, and the fact that there is a lack of a concrete narrative allows it to more realistic and build up more atmosphere because it was a video game. If you want some real good examples, Metroid Prime and Star Wars Republic Commando are great games that build up their presence much more effectively because of their lack of a straight forward narrative and minimum cutscenes, rather than despite it.
Also, graphics are not art. Video games, and art, are much more just visuals and that is something that everyone needs to learn.
3) King of the Tablets: Apples and oranges…herp derp.
