"Call of Duty: Black Ops" blasted entertainment records this week by raking in $360 million in its first 24 hours on sale, a dramatic and lucrative indication that video games have cemented their place as mainstream entertainment on a par with movies, books and music.
For the hordes of devoted fans who waited at midnight Monday to get their hands on the military shooter, this is hardly a surprise. For them, popping the new "Call of Duty" into a game console is the equivalent of turning on the TV to watch the Super Bowl or sitting back with a tub of popcorn to watch the latest blockbuster movie.
Across two years, with a budget well in the tens of millions of dollars, the developers of "Black Ops" created a world that immerses players in Cold War-era battles with settings ranging from 1960s Cuba to Vietnam and the Soviet Union.
Though game developers see their creations as art, not everyone agrees. Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments over a California law that seeks to ban the sale of ultra-violent video games to minors. Parents' groups and politicians say games should be regulated like firearms and tobacco rather than like books and movies, which are protected by the First Amendment. A ruling is expected next year.
Many liken these games to movies - and it's an apt comparison. Along with the hyper-realistic cinematic scenery and surprise plot twists, there are well-known actors - including Gary Oldman, Ed Harris and Sam Worthington - lending their voices to the game's main characters. Also, the motion-capture technology used to track actors' bodies is the same that was used in "Avatar."
____________________________________________________
.
Learn about all the great new features in Black Ops Multiplayer: Theater Mode, Combat Training, the COD Currency System, Wager Matches, Massive Customization Options, Contracts, and the Emblem Editor
* The wager game mode depicted and discussed in this video is for entertainment purposes only. COD Points have no monetary value and may be used for in-game purposes only. ___________________________________________________________________________
Activision Blizzard Inc. sold 5.6 million units the day "Call of Duty" went on sale, according to the company. Its predecessor, "Call of Duty, Modern Warfare 2," sold 4.7 million copies in 24 hours to reap $310 million on its first day of sale last year. Within a week, it made $550 million.
Games like "Call of Duty," "Grand Theft Auto" and "Halo" all fit into the blockbuster category, and with each sequel they only get bigger. Production budgets for these games rival those of big-screen movies, as does the marketing push behind them.
The video game audience has expanded considerably in the last five years, reaching women, young children and even senior centers. But the people who flock to "Call of Duty" and other shooters are still primarily young men, just not as young as some would think. The average U.S. game player is 34 years old, according to the Entertainment Software Association.
A big part of the appeal of "Call of Duty" is its multiplayer feature, meaning gamers can fight against someone across the country or on the other side of the world.
"Everyone thinks that games are these solitary things," said Patrick Markey, a Villanova University professor who studies video games. "But now, hooked up to the Internet, it's friends and strangers we are playing with."
"Black Ops" went on sale Tuesday in North America and the U.K. It costs $60 and works on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 gaming consoles, and PCs. With that cost, games have an easier time setting dollar sales records than much less expensive movies or music.
The latest "Call of Duty" game broke records set by its predecessor a year ago. The $360 million in North American and U.K. sales on the first day is higher than any other form of entertainment - even beating box office sales of top movies in those markets over the entire opening weekend.
The game is rated M for mature - meaning it's not meant for kids under 17. It's bloody, to be sure, but new media professor Charles Palmer says that's not the main appeal. "It's the challenge," said Palmer, who teaches at the Harrisburg University of Science and Technology. "It's one of those areas that thrills and excites people."
Sports games, such as "Madden," from Electronic Arts, are also popular, as are music simulators such as "Guitar Hero." But shooters in the style of "Call of Duty" continue to be the most popular.
. Click Here for more info.
__________________________________________________________________________
Reciprocal links:
http://HermannHearsay.blogspot.com/(Hermann Area News, Commentary & Discussion)
http://www.HermannAdvertiserCourier.com/(Gasconade County's Newspaper of Record)
Providing Quick Links to News Stories of Local Interest. Feel FREE to come back and leave comments on any story. Yes, even anonymously.... No Subscription Fees--No Registration!!! Enjoy!!! http://HermannMoNews.blogspot.com/
Hermann Missouri 175 Year Anniversary 1836-2011
Search This Blog
Site Directory
- COLOR OF LAW FILES
- Commentary
- Consumer ALERT
- Entertainment
- FOR SALE ADS
- FREE STUFF
- Health Lifestyle
- Hermann MO Student News
- History
- HUNTING
- Local Stories (Hermann)
- Mid-Missouri Area News
- MISSING
- Money and Markets
- Music Videos
- National News
- NWO
- POLLS
- Reviews
- Science
- Senior News
- Sports (STL KC Mizzou)
- TECH News
- Veteran News
- WEATHER
- Web-Viral
- World News
Breaking News Videos (mouse-over click-to-open)
Wall Street Protest Live Stream
News Archive
- ► 2011 (1682)
-
▼
2010
(713)
-
▼
November
(236)
-
▼
Nov 12
(7)
- #4 East Central College Volleyball: Pep rally to b...
- Gold & Silver Up...Up...and where to now...Is this...
- Movie Reviews; "Morning Glory," "Unstoppable," an...
- Garfield comic strip offends some veterans
- Chrysler recalls Jeep SUVs; GM recalls Cadillac, B...
- Canceled: MISSOURI AMBER ALERT: Missing Mo. toddle...
- New 'Call of Duty: Black Ops" blasts last year's s...
-
▼
Nov 12
(7)
-
▼
November
(236)
Weather Radar - Interactive - Zoom-in to Your Location
Donate To Keep This Site Alive
Friday, November 12, 2010
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Area Gas Prices Hermann and New Haven
SCHOOL CLOSINGS UPDATED EVERY 2 MIN. CLICK BELOW!!!
HERMANN MISSOURI WEATHER 65041
Enter Your Locaton (below map) for Interactive Current Radar Map
Donate To Keep This Site Alive
NEWS
World News
Business News
...........
Top Ten Viewed Stories / Last 7 Days
-
_________________________________________________________________________ Washington, D.C. ...
-
_________________________________________________________________________ In our efforts to bring Hermann, Missouri and our World Wide Vi...
-
_________________________________________________________________________ Five Summer Wine Destinations May 18, 2011 by Spencer Spel...
-
________________________________________________________________________ T V Crew Covering President Claims Mistreatment HONOLULU -- A p...
-
_________________________________________________________________________ MNH News Nut: House leadership; Japan, Callaway II not linked Mar...
-
Statement for Hermann, MO as of 4:15 AM CST on November 08, 2010 A red flag warning remains in effect from 10 am this morning to 6 P...
-
Charlie Sheen adds 12 more dates to his live tour Associated Press Charlie Sheen's "Violent Torpedo of Truth" is growing. ...
-
The U.S. Treasury has needed to borrow money to pay Social Security benefits in 15 out of the last 25 months on record because the Social ...
-
_________________________________________________________________________ Walmart adding 8,500 products to try to lure customers back ...
-
_________________________________________________________________________ Frustrated Obama calls leaders back to White House By Marc Amb...
Donate To Keep This Site Alive
.........
Hermann MO News TOP 10 Stories/ Last 30 Days
-
Image provided by NASA, taken Oct. 6, 2004, by the Cassini Saturn Probe, shows the planet Saturn and its rings. __________________________...
-
Food Stamp, Welfare Fraud being celebrated by the punks ripping off the system and the TAXPAYERS!!! Even bartering and buying pot with the...
-
_______________________________________________________________________________ UPDATED: Feb 24m 2011 Missouri lawmakers propose outlawi...
-
The photo IS NOT RELATED TO THIS BUST...it is just one of several ways indoor growers try to beat the system. _____________________________...
-
_________________________________________________________________________ CONGRATULATIONS!!! Here is the Hermann High School second semes...
-
_________________________________________________________________________ Washington, D.C. ...
-
_________________________________________________________________________ Feds sue big banks over sales of risky investments By PALLAV...
-
_________________________________________________________________________ In our efforts to bring Hermann, Missouri and our World Wide Vi...
-
_________________________________________________________________________ June 25, 2011 Franklin County Narcotics enforcement was calle...
-
_________________________________________________________________________ Appeals Court Rules It Is Not Illegal To Film Police Paul Joseph ...
Donate To Keep This Site Alive
Top 10 Stories - All-Time (Oct. 14,2010 Inception)
-
Kim Kardashian ______________________________________________________________________________ You searched and searched. And what - or ...
-
_________________________________________________________________________ Who has the biggest penis? According to this map, he isn't Au...
-
Stone Hill Winery Vineyards in Hermann. Courtesy of Stone Hill Winery. _____________________________________________________________________...
-
Level of Radioactivity in Seawater near Fukushima Plant Near Hitting Record www.arirang.co.kr April 26, 2011 The amount of radioactivit...
-
_________________________________________________________________________________ Zodiac Signs Change? _________________________________...
-
_________________________________________________________________________ CONGRATULATIONS!!! Here is the Hermann High School second semes...
-
____________________________________________________________________________________ " Here Comes the Sun " is a song by George ...
-
Rising floodwaters spread across the runway of the airport at Rockhampton, in eastern Queensland. _________________________________________...
-
_________________________________________________________________________ Convicted rapist and kidnapper in Hornbeck case stabbed multipl...
-
_________________________________________________________________________ Miss Universe entrant Catalina Robayo 'reprimanded for not w...
No comments:
Post a Comment