Can G.I.Joe survive in the digital age?

[revsears]

 

Check out that link. I'm setting at my desk and i have some joes right beside me, i'm tempted to put them in the drawer right now and let the dust start gathering. Don't get me wrong! i love my joes. I love the story behind them, i love being able to actually see them in 3-d, actually touch them, i love custimzing them! switching out their neat little gadgets or helmets etc. But things like this and recent games like Batman Asylum (sadly i'm a wii owner but i saw part of it a friends house) make me wonder when Joe is really going to make the jump over.

 

I want to play the new game, but cash is tight right now so i've put it off. Reviews say it suffers from basically what some of us feel the movie suffered from and subpar graphics. I just keep thinking someone could make an amazing game with all the characters we love and and market it as a game first, and it would get newbs to grab some figs and keep Joe alive past the action figure.

 

I've heard warner brothers have considered shutting DC comics down, but just keep them up for the profitable licensing, but if they can keep copyrights to characters just in video games (can they?) why print them? I'm of the mindset as prices keep going up on the joes, they are headed right behind comics to the way of overpriced rarities. Can you imagine though if you had to buy the figure to "scan" (just like in the video above) to get new outfits in a game? or new levels? Granted that might be hard to pull of but i'd love it.

[pesatyel]

Well it isn't surprising. Toys in general have been getting a weaker market overall, haven't they?

 

There are few things keeping them alive, so to speak. Cheapness of construction (like the DC figures, or Corps, for example) or nostalgia.

 

I thought the video itself was wishful thinking. That's not to say that it can't/won't eventually happen, I just don't think it will be any time soon. It looks pretty cool, but it doesn't really even seem that practical.

 

 

There was a news story the other day about an "internet rehab" in, I think, Seattle.

 

Add in that a lot of schools are getting rid of things like recess and music/art and you continue to get a generation of increasingly sedentary people. I say that because toys often implies playing, meaning activity.

 

The comedian Greg Giraldo has a joke about how, in a few thousand years, we won't even need limbs. We will just be a big fat ass with fingers. Maybe an eyeball to look around some.

[DonkeyKong]

Aw man, that "natal" thing will be crap! I already hate the Wii, now they want motion controlers on other systems? Crap. I for sure don't want to have to stand in front of the TV throwing off snap kicks for hours to play Mortal Kombat, I don't want to sit on the couch waving my arms around like an idiot. Geez, give me a friggin controler!

 

Also, eventually, action figure will cease to exist, simply because many kids don't play with them anymore, they'd rather play with all the digital age gadgets that are abound.

 

 

[Ares6009]

I didn't check the link, because I didn't want to get depressed, but I sense the gist of it from these posts.

 

Here's some food for thought, though - when was the last time you saw kids playing outdoors? Like frisbee, tag, jumping rope, etc. The onset and advancement of 'the digital age' has pretty much squelched that, along with the imagination of youth. Ask a kid if they've read a book (say, 'The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe' by C. S. Lewis) and see what you get - if they even know HOW to read. Parents have become lazy, simply plopping their kids down in front of a TV, video game, computer, or even cell phone, just so they don't have to pay attention to where they are and what they are doing. And in doing so, are bringing to life the great movie that is 'Idiocracy'.

 

So it's no wonder if action figs/toys are moving from the back burner to off the stove altogether. It's all part of 'advancement'. My father used to play with train sets when he was a kid - where are those now?

[MemberX]

comics and figures aint going nowhere. see if they would die out they would have done it around the ps1 time

[GPM in ICT]

People have been touting the death of comics as a printed medium for over ten years now. Always saying we're just a year away. I do think you'll see it comics, toys and such become a much more niche market, but that's just how it goes. As for a company like DC/AOL/WB switching to making games to keep a copyright. Well I'm not sure if it would work the same and it took them two years to do the new Batman game. The amount of crap/subpar games that come out far exceed the number of good games.

[ARROW]

People have been touting the death of comics as a printed medium for over ten years now. Always saying we're just a year away. I do think you'll see it comics, toys and such become a much more niche market, but that's just how it goes. As for a company like DC/AOL/WB switching to making games to keep a copyright. Well I'm not sure if it would work the same and it took them two years to do the new Batman game. The amount of crap/subpar games that come out far exceed the number of good games.

 

 

Actually, people have been touting the death of comics since the 1950's. Well, we are looking at 60 years of that kind of chatter......and comics are still here.

Every decade someone pipes up and is CONVINCED that the portents of doom say that comics will die......soon.

Its years off, a decade even, at the earliest--because when print media no longer becomes viable, then comics will no longer be viable.

As for toys.......uh-uh......they'll be around for a LONG time yet.

Its simple psychology......people like a tactile sensation--they like to hold things (which is a big aspect of print media was well) and being able to hold objects helps cement ownership of something. Tactile feelings define value, and even ego. Being able to see actual physical objects sitting on a shelf is a mental cue to accomplishment.

Its why they hand out trophies, medals and certificates when someone achieves something in the sight of others.

That's too ingrained a trait in human psyche to diminish overnight.

 

A controller-less video game isn't going to supply enough sensory stimulation to shift the paradigm from stuff like toys and comics. If that were the case then something like playing air-guitar or shadow-boxing would be FAR bigger than it is.

[JohnnyRebelV2]

The TP link to the new xbox feature is LAME. I hate using ther motion controls on my weak little Wii. This is even goofier. I can't wait for even less kids to buy Joe product. That means the end of the POS ROC product and back to the 30 year old nerd demo buying the 25th stuff.

[SPECTERdelta]

that Natal is at least 2-3 years off most media people that got to go behind closed doors and try it said its VERY buggy and just barely works less than 1/2 the time.

 

 

no action figures will never die till it cost to much to make/sell them; when a single pack Joe cost 20+ is when mass toys die, but collectors will still remain.

and video games wont do it, you know some parent buys Metal Gear,Halo etc for a younger kid what are they going to want to, thats right a Snake, MC etc figures. same for collectors.

[PhoenixSword]

Is Peter Molyneux in charge of this project? I know he was one of the guys showing it off at e3, but I was not sure if he actually has anything to do with it... anyway he made a lot of promises with fable and fable 2 which were not in the final products, or if they were in the games they were definitely not what was originally promised.. they were still great games, but this guy waaaay overhyped them both.

 

 

To me this is no different than a wii . I play video games with a controller or a mouse and keyboard. If i wanted to run around and jump and stuff i'd go outside and physically do something, not hop up and down in front of my tv playing virtual tennis or some such crap.

 

Will this effect action figures with kids? I doubt it. why would it have any more of an effect than regular old video games?

[PhoenixSword]

People have been touting the death of comics as a printed medium for over ten years now. Always saying we're just a year away. I do think you'll see it comics, toys and such become a much more niche market, but that's just how it goes. As for a company like DC/AOL/WB switching to making games to keep a copyright. Well I'm not sure if it would work the same and it took them two years to do the new Batman game. The amount of crap/subpar games that come out far exceed the number of good games.

 

 

Actually, people have been touting the death of comics since the 1950's. Well, we are looking at 60 years of that kind of chatter......and comics are still here.

Every decade someone pipes up and is CONVINCED that the portents of doom say that comics will die......soon.

Its years off, a decade even, at the earliest--because when print media no longer becomes viable, then comics will no longer be viable.

As for toys.......uh-uh......they'll be around for a LONG time yet.

Its simple psychology......people like a tactile sensation--they like to hold things (which is a big aspect of print media was well) and being able to hold objects helps cement ownership of something. Tactile feelings define value, and even ego. Being able to see actual physical objects sitting on a shelf is a mental cue to accomplishment.

Its why they hand out trophies, medals and certificates when someone achieves something in the sight of others.

That's too ingrained a trait in human psyche to diminish overnight.

 

A controller-less video game isn't going to supply enough sensory stimulation to shift the paradigm from stuff like toys and comics. If that were the case then something like playing air-guitar or shadow-boxing would be FAR bigger than it is.

 

 

yeah the only way I could see comic books even coming close dieing is if a some kind of digital reader comes out (at a fair price) that can store and read digital comic books. kinda like the sony e readers or amazon's kindle (great product which I recommend to anyone who likes to read!) even then there are always going to be people who want hard copies of their comic books

[Jmacq1]

Comics aren't as unpopular as some people think. It's true that monthly comic books have had declining sales over the years (but it's held fairly steady over the last few years), but sales of Trade Paperbacks and collected editions continue to grow. There are a lot of folks that think the comic market will simply stop producing monthlies and go straight to TPBs before they go "all digital." I will say, however, that digital comics are probably the way of the future.

 

But that's comics. Toys are a different matter, and aren't anywhere near as "dead" or "dying" as some folks like to make out (or some articles like to overhype). Kids still play with toys. There's still those years between 5 and 10 where most (not all, but most) kids still like action figures (or dolls if they're girls), etc... They might not like the same action figures we liked when we were kids (well, except Star Wars and Transformers), but they do still play with toys. The big difference is that a lot of kids get away from toys pretty quickly about the time they hit 10 years old or so, and start veering towards the video games/gadgetry. The -real- difference is that for one reason or another toy collecting doesn't seem to "stick" with kids they way it did with some of us (admittedly a tiny minority of the overall population, but still). Remember, many of us were the "Nintendo generation" and that was supposed to be the death of toys, too. Didn't happen then, probably won't happen now. Heck, not long ago a study showed that the average "gamer" was closer to 30 than 10.

 

As for kids playing outside: I see 'em every day when I come home from work (at least during the summer).

[FlyingFigg]

 

Check out that link. I'm setting at my desk and i have some joes right beside me, i'm tempted to put them in the drawer right now and let the dust start gathering. Don't get me wrong! i love my joes. I love the story behind them, i love being able to actually see them in 3-d, actually touch them, i love custimzing them! switching out their neat little gadgets or helmets etc. But things like this and recent games like Batman Asylum (sadly i'm a wii owner but i saw part of it a friends house) make me wonder when Joe is really going to make the jump over.

 

I want to play the new game, but cash is tight right now so i've put it off. Reviews say it suffers from basically what some of us feel the movie suffered from and subpar graphics. I just keep thinking someone could make an amazing game with all the characters we love and and market it as a game first, and it would get newbs to grab some figs and keep Joe alive past the action figure.

 

I've heard warner brothers have considered shutting DC comics down, but just keep them up for the profitable licensing, but if they can keep copyrights to characters just in video games (can they?) why print them? I'm of the mindset as prices keep going up on the joes, they are headed right behind comics to the way of overpriced rarities. Can you imagine though if you had to buy the figure to "scan" (just like in the video above) to get new outfits in a game? or new levels? Granted that might be hard to pull of but i'd love it.

 

Well I can't speak for the masses but I wouldn't buy one of those things. Instead of jumping around like a jack@$$ in my own living room with a scan of my own skateboard, I'd, well, go outside and skateboard (assuming I skated, but that's beside the point).

 

I like video games but I like sitting on the couch to do it. I think of my PS3 as the antithesis to the Wii because I don't even get off the couch to turn it on.

 

Don't get me wrong I'm not a lazy guy. Any time I'm invited to a Wii party to virtual bowling I respond with why don't we actually go bowling. I think guitar hero and that entire genre of games are stupid too.

 

So, will Joe survive the didgital age? I hope so. I don't like this trend of people flopping around like a fish out of water in front of a TV.

 

I think people need to actually go out and do stuff.

[revsears]

that Natal is at least 2-3 years off most media people that got to go behind closed doors and try it said its VERY buggy and just barely works less than 1/2 the time.

 

 

no action figures will never die till it cost to much to make/sell them; when a single pack Joe cost 20+ is when mass toys die, but collectors will still remain.

and video games wont do it, you know some parent buys Metal Gear,Halo etc for a younger kid what are they going to want to, thats right a Snake, MC etc figures. same for collectors.

I'm hearing different on the natal. It is a little buggy but the issue is going to be price, it can detect your movement fan, it does however have problems matching you up with moving objects end game (the only glitch i'm hearing complaints is in the dodgeball game, they say the car game is flawless)

 

 

But action figures never die? well maybe they will always be some out there. But kids buying the video game figures? i'm not seeing it. If they were then the aisles would be dominated with them, and they are just not. Mostly it's still traditional comics and toon chars.

 

Most kids I know are video game fans first, and may (some don't at all) grab a few toys.

[revsears]

 

Check out that link. I'm setting at my desk and i have some joes right beside me, i'm tempted to put them in the drawer right now and let the dust start gathering. Don't get me wrong! i love my joes. I love the story behind them, i love being able to actually see them in 3-d, actually touch them, i love custimzing them! switching out their neat little gadgets or helmets etc. But things like this and recent games like Batman Asylum (sadly i'm a wii owner but i saw part of it a friends house) make me wonder when Joe is really going to make the jump over.

 

I want to play the new game, but cash is tight right now so i've put it off. Reviews say it suffers from basically what some of us feel the movie suffered from and subpar graphics. I just keep thinking someone could make an amazing game with all the characters we love and and market it as a game first, and it would get newbs to grab some figs and keep Joe alive past the action figure.

 

I've heard warner brothers have considered shutting DC comics down, but just keep them up for the profitable licensing, but if they can keep copyrights to characters just in video games (can they?) why print them? I'm of the mindset as prices keep going up on the joes, they are headed right behind comics to the way of overpriced rarities. Can you imagine though if you had to buy the figure to "scan" (just like in the video above) to get new outfits in a game? or new levels? Granted that might be hard to pull of but i'd love it.

 

Well I can't speak for the masses but I wouldn't buy one of those things. Instead of jumping around like a jack@$$ in my own living room with a scan of my own skateboard, I'd, well, go outside and skateboard (assuming I skated, but that's beside the point).

 

I like video games but I like sitting on the couch to do it. I think of my PS3 as the antithesis to the Wii because I don't even get off the couch to turn it on.

 

Don't get me wrong I'm not a lazy guy. Any time I'm invited to a Wii party to virtual bowling I respond with why don't we actually go bowling. I think guitar hero and that entire genre of games are stupid too.

 

So, will Joe survive the didgital age? I hope so. I don't like this trend of people flopping around like a fish out of water in front of a TV.

 

I think people need to actually go out and do stuff.

 

I love to be active, so i'm in the crowd they are trying to pull in with this stuff. I bought a wii! i regret it now, mainly because of the lack of well, any non-nintendo games on the system.

 

Give me that karate fighting game, and a hardmaster, ss, or se skin and i'm gold.

[revsears]

People have been touting the death of comics as a printed medium for over ten years now. Always saying we're just a year away. I do think you'll see it comics, toys and such become a much more niche market, but that's just how it goes. As for a company like DC/AOL/WB switching to making games to keep a copyright. Well I'm not sure if it would work the same and it took them two years to do the new Batman game. The amount of crap/subpar games that come out far exceed the number of good games.

 

 

Actually, people have been touting the death of comics since the 1950's. Well, we are looking at 60 years of that kind of chatter......and comics are still here.

Every decade someone pipes up and is CONVINCED that the portents of doom say that comics will die......soon.

Its years off, a decade even, at the earliest--because when print media no longer becomes viable, then comics will no longer be viable.

As for toys.......uh-uh......they'll be around for a LONG time yet.

Its simple psychology......people like a tactile sensation--they like to hold things (which is a big aspect of print media was well) and being able to hold objects helps cement ownership of something. Tactile feelings define value, and even ego. Being able to see actual physical objects sitting on a shelf is a mental cue to accomplishment.

Its why they hand out trophies, medals and certificates when someone achieves something in the sight of others.

That's too ingrained a trait in human psyche to diminish overnight.

 

A controller-less video game isn't going to supply enough sensory stimulation to shift the paradigm from stuff like toys and comics. If that were the case then something like playing air-guitar or shadow-boxing would be FAR bigger than it is.

Comics aren't quite there yet, but they are essentially dead to most new consumers, and to me personally. Not a good enough value for the buck, they have just got to expensive. I also won't deny i'm infuriated with the big events that try to force you to buy everything a company publishes, constant reboots etc. The sales aren't there in a lot of ways anymore. You might be right about the time frame though. They aren't completely there yet. If for no other reason than Manga's insane presence. There is still a market out there, tpbs and mangas are keeping comics alive for now.

 

As far as tactile sensation goes, didn't you ever just beat the snot out of imaginary bad guys as a child? To a certain point i'd say toys for younger kids aren't going away. Games like this will never completely replace controllers either, for that same reason. That may be enough for older kids and teenagers.