Time Talks Games And Economy...And Gets It Wrong

No, Bill's not bragging about his RRoD. We have to assume that the in-depth article may discuss how the Xbox 360 has become more reliable (or so one would hope), but the crux of the matter is how the game industry is often a good economic indicator.

Now, before we summarize the article, let's explain something: Thomas Jefferson said the economy is magic. If you tell people the economy is bad, it will be bad. If you say the economy is good, it will be good. In some capacity, small or large, the media is responsible for the current state of the economy. And it always is. That being said, the Time Article talks about how the April sales of the game industry are "troubling." Sales of games dipped 23% and console sales were down 40%. Then it goes on to the painfully uninformed conclusion that such numbers are a "clear sign that sales of consumer electronics are in a flat spin." And this, my friends, is what happens when those completely unfamiliar with this industry pose as industry journalists. Apparently, even a publication like Time hasn't figured it out.

The video game industry thrives on software. Software people want to buy. Hence, examining sales in this industry isn't the same as examining the sales of freakin' iPods. If there are no big games out that people want, both software and hardware sales will dive big time. Now, 'ahem'...what happened in April? Take a quick look to see what released. Yeah. Nothing. April was a dead month. Perhaps it doesn't matter to these people that industry analysts have already predicted another huge year in 2009, and that Sony has upped their fiscal PlayStation 3 sales projection by 30%. And of course, why bother to look at NPD numbers in months when huge releases reigned? And when the economy was at its lowest (early this year), what were the numbers like? In comparison, not too shabby, no? People didn't buy a lot of software and hardware in April because there wasn't sh** to buy. ...and these are professional journalists? Really?

5/15/2009 Ben Dutka

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Comments (46 posts)

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Zemus101
Friday, May 15, 2009 @ 10:20:47 PM
Reply

Apparently not.

0 up, 0 down

EddPm6
Friday, May 15, 2009 @ 10:35:21 PM
Reply

IN reading that article i got a large feeling and sense that the guy REALLY didnt know what he was tlaking about. It sounded like a a terrible high school students paper that was done last minute because he put the project on hold to long even tho he had all the time in the world. So instead of doing ACTUAL research, he went onto the internet and looked for a few facts about the gaming industry to post up slightly before the deadline to please his boss and keep his pay-check. Thats what i got out of it.

4 up, 0 down

WorldEndsWithMe
Friday, May 15, 2009 @ 10:47:03 PM

Hey, that's how I did my high school papers!

8 up, 0 down

Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Saturday, May 16, 2009 @ 1:07:04 AM

HA. :)

4 up, 1 down

Banky A
Saturday, May 16, 2009 @ 6:49:28 AM

Me too! lol

I even won a Science Fair for my grade 2 years ago, when I left it for the last minute. Literally polished and did 70% of it about 1.5 days prior the deadline =D
It works everytime.

Though I feel bad for the people that put a lot of hard work into their projects :(

2 up, 0 down

NiteKrawler
Saturday, May 16, 2009 @ 3:54:24 PM

Hell, I'm in college and that's STILL how I do my papers!

0 up, 0 down

tes37
Friday, May 15, 2009 @ 10:37:56 PM
Reply

They did a poor job of making that xbox look like a dollar sign, because that's all he's interested in. Don't get me wrong, Sony definitely wants your money too, but at least they earn it instead of stealing it by selling deficient products. I'm a macintosh fan and Sony sealed the deal with me against this theif

2 up, 0 down

sunspider13
Friday, May 15, 2009 @ 11:47:11 PM

I think the xbox in the pic is saying "Help me, please help me".

3 up, 0 down

WorldEndsWithMe
Friday, May 15, 2009 @ 10:46:21 PM
Reply

I had your reasoning in mind before I finished the headline, April was practically a funeral dirge. These people are soooo clueless.

2 up, 0 down

tes37
Friday, May 15, 2009 @ 10:47:05 PM
Reply

thief "I before E" I remember school, kind of. Notice the Dave Chappelle at the top of the magazine, probably way more interesting

2 up, 0 down

Scarecrow
Friday, May 15, 2009 @ 10:47:40 PM
Reply

Amerika trying to force its economy on our faces

American cars = failure
TV = failure (minus sports)
Advertising = failure (for the most part, specially tv ads)

So they're trying to push anything that is "American" like Microsoft down our throats

Just how they're trying to blame Japanese made cars, etc.

Funny, it's all propaganda and angedas. Sadly the majority of Americans will believe any bullsh*t they see/read out of these "big companies" like TIME.

Well we'll see, I know for a fact GT5 will steal Europe.

Uncharted 2 and GOWIII will conquer the US in a sweet way.

There's a future for ps3
There's really not future for 360

7 up, 2 down

Reccaman18
Friday, May 15, 2009 @ 11:10:24 PM

American cars dont equal failure. The Corvette ZR1 would blow any import off the road. And dont try to say that a tricked-out import would beat it. Im talking stock. But, I do agree that most Americans are just mindless drones waiting for someone to tell them what to say and do. I wish it would change. Im tired of living around morons.

5 up, 0 down

WorldEndsWithMe
Friday, May 15, 2009 @ 11:30:33 PM

I wouldn't say our advertising is a failure, it gets people to buy the stupidest sh*t imaginable. I understand your constant beef with american stuff but we aren't all that way. The "most" you refer to just happens to be the ones who get publicity.

3 up, 0 down

migabyte
Saturday, May 16, 2009 @ 12:50:58 AM

Some American stuff is good. But Americans have to get over where stuff is made. Globalization has broken down barriers and people should buy what is the best product, not the product from their home. It doesn't make alot of sense to me. Ok, I'm Canadian, and we make nothing really. I certainly wouldn't buy an inferior product because it's Canadian, that seem so silly to me. Personally I don't care if more Canadians have a job than Japanese people. People are people. I live in Korea, and they are very loyal to their products, more than Americans. But the younger people are changing. This was a result of being such a crap economy for so long, and this was how they rose up, so I understand it, but I don't agree with it. Japan, they don't do this no matter what some Xbox owner says. I have been there many times, the people are so cool, and this is not something that concerns them, there may be exceptions, but as a country they don't have this mentality.

1 up, 0 down

Robochic
Friday, May 15, 2009 @ 11:09:32 PM
Reply

BOORRRIINNNG :)I agree w/u Scarecrow

0 up, 0 down

zerostar39
Saturday, May 16, 2009 @ 12:43:48 AM
Reply

stupid media trying to create panic and fear in the consumers for their own benefit.

Thats why I no longer watch the news. I get the news I need from the weather report.

3 up, 0 down

fluffernutter
Saturday, May 16, 2009 @ 2:11:28 AM
Reply

Wow. I just read that Time article. What a complete stinking pile of shtit. Say it with me. Shhtiiit. See how it rolls off of the tongue so well? Kind of like what needs to be placed on this fella's tongue for writing such garbage.

* The author of this statement does not advise nor condone that anyone attempt to snail mail a package of some stinky fecal matter anonymously through that wonderful site that offers this highly rewarding service to the aforementioned "journalist".

Last edited by fluffernutter on 5/16/2009 2:14:08 AM

5 up, 0 down

BikerSaint
Saturday, May 16, 2009 @ 2:41:31 AM
Reply

The only thing I got from that cover pic, was that by showing us the 2 red rings all aglow, the new 360's are now coming standard with a earliy warning system for the upcoming 3-red rings of death.

Wonder if they'll come with airbags too?

Last edited by BikerSaint on 5/16/2009 2:42:23 AM

5 up, 0 down

Byakko2009
Saturday, May 16, 2009 @ 3:50:58 AM

Haha airbags, maybe smoke detectors as well? What I got out of that cover was "buy an Xbox", a simple subliminal message aimed for the average consumer. Sad thing is, it will probably work too.

0 up, 0 down

www
Saturday, May 16, 2009 @ 6:22:16 AM
Reply

What's the meaning of that pic?

Last edited by www on 5/16/2009 6:22:36 AM

0 up, 0 down

robinhood2010
Saturday, May 16, 2009 @ 6:59:12 AM
Reply

Bill Gates really is an ugly little man...

2 up, 1 down

WorldEndsWithMe
Saturday, May 16, 2009 @ 2:09:11 PM

he's a bridge troll.

2 up, 0 down

BikerSaint
Sunday, May 17, 2009 @ 9:28:00 PM

He's sickly looking,
kinda like death eating a soda cracker

0 up, 0 down

Totalz
Saturday, May 16, 2009 @ 9:56:11 AM
Reply

Lol the Xbox in the pic looks like it's about to red ring!

1 up, 0 down

Nynja
Saturday, May 16, 2009 @ 10:20:51 AM
Reply

YOU TELL THEM BEN!

If my memory serves me correctly we had a huge blockbuster release April of last year. It's interesting how no other publication has cited this when comparing the previous year's sales.

0 up, 0 down

fatelementality
Saturday, May 16, 2009 @ 10:22:13 AM
Reply

AHHHHH!!!!!! CYBORG GATES!!!! RUN FOR YOUR PATHETIC LITTLE LIVES!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Last edited by fatelementality on 5/16/2009 10:22:47 AM

3 up, 0 down

rjmacready
Saturday, May 16, 2009 @ 10:25:57 AM
Reply

Ben,
I sit here hoping that you would write to Time to try to give them some kind of clue about this subject matter.
Since Time is a respected magazine to the public, its a shame that they would publish material that they know very little about.
Hell, give them some insight Ben! :)

0 up, 0 down

Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Saturday, May 16, 2009 @ 10:30:16 AM

That's the very problem with print publications like Time: they believe they've reached such an elevated, Godlike plateau that they wouldn't listen to advice if they were drowning in a sea of financial despair.

.............oh, wait.

1 up, 1 down

Xra897
Saturday, May 16, 2009 @ 1:52:33 PM
Reply

nice use of words ben :)

0 up, 0 down

WorldEndsWithMe
Saturday, May 16, 2009 @ 2:10:43 PM
Reply

Look into my Red Rings and come flocking to buy more flat broke busted systems, I WANT YOUR MONEY!!!!

1 up, 0 down

NiteKrawler
Saturday, May 16, 2009 @ 3:57:38 PM
Reply

Bill's new Xbox? Is this referring to a new version of the 360...or the 360 in general? If it is about the 360 in general, then why are they calling it new? Is this title a leftover from 2005?

0 up, 0 down

WorldEndsWithMe
Saturday, May 16, 2009 @ 4:39:30 PM

Xbox: Now with more add-ons required to function properly!

2 up, 0 down

tes37
Saturday, May 16, 2009 @ 4:44:55 PM

If they strip all the guts out and fill it with candy, I might buy one. The candy would probably last a little longer.

4 up, 0 down

fluffernutter
Sunday, May 17, 2009 @ 1:09:10 PM

That's an old cover, actually. It came out May 23, 2005.

0 up, 0 down

Karosso
Saturday, May 16, 2009 @ 4:49:45 PM
Reply

I believe the picture is a old Pic from a while back, not related to the news at all...

0 up, 0 down

Alienange
Saturday, May 16, 2009 @ 8:09:48 PM
Reply

Your article makes me wonder just how much "posing" is going on in Time mag. It can't possibly be that their stupidity stops with gaming news...

1 up, 0 down

fluffernutter
Sunday, May 17, 2009 @ 1:12:30 PM

Very good point. If they miss the mark this badly when there was such an easy way to take an informed, fact-filled, point-of-view into this "journalistic" piece, imagine just how badly some other people might botch up their pieces that have been published. Not only in Time but in all of the other publications in this world. It's very alarming. I'm getting the same sick feeling that I get when I've happened to watch The View. If any of you have ever seen that show, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Pure ignorance to the upteenth scale. If you haven't watched it, I suggest you do so that maybe someone gets the gumption to take them down. (And by take down I mean get them off of the air.) I'm surprised their show isn't on Fox. LOL

Last edited by fluffernutter on 5/17/2009 1:12:51 PM

1 up, 0 down

kratos17
Saturday, May 16, 2009 @ 8:43:26 PM
Reply

microsoft should take there console more seriously

0 up, 0 down

Jawknee
Saturday, May 16, 2009 @ 9:33:02 PM
Reply

Time and the rest of the liberal media have no credibility. these Harvard educated left wing nut jobs think they know everything about anything and look at the rest of us as mindless inferiors who need to be controlled.

2 up, 0 down

NiteKrawler
Saturday, May 16, 2009 @ 10:55:09 PM

Oh, and conservative media is better?

0 up, 0 down

WorldEndsWithMe
Sunday, May 17, 2009 @ 12:59:02 AM

O'Reilly? is that you?

2 up, 0 down

tes37
Sunday, May 17, 2009 @ 4:52:43 AM
Reply

You know since this machine will light three rings to red to indicate system failure, it has to be designed to do that. I wouldn't be surprised if they program it to expire just like they do with trial software keys.

1 up, 0 down

Dancemachine55
Sunday, May 17, 2009 @ 7:09:29 AM
Reply

Haha, has anyone noticed that the rest of the world follows the Japanese in sales trends a year or 2 after them? Not America.

Also, it is mostly Americans who are the biggest Xbox, Microsoft and 360 fans because it is an American product.
Smart, educated Americans who do their research tend to prefer the PS3 for its performance and reliability.

As an Aussie (Australian for anyone who didn't know), the 360 is only popular here because it is nearly half the price of the PS3, here's the price listing:

PS3 (80GB) - $699
XBOX 360 (60GB Pro) - $399
Wii - $399

Now do you see why 360 sells a little better here in Oz?

1 up, 0 down

fluffernutter
Sunday, May 17, 2009 @ 1:19:07 PM

I completely understand your point on how mass-sales works and I get it. Most consumers aren't educated. They just want a product for a reasonable price, not understanding things such as quality, reliability, etc.

My wife wasn't super bad but years ago she didn't understand why I researched my future electronics purchases in any realm such as computers, DVD players, memory card until we got an HDTV. I took her to Fry's. We went down the aisles and I showed her TVs and it just HIT her like a ton of bricks. She understood the difference in options and picture quality. It was amazing and now she doesn't question the purpose of research or why I might spend a little more money on a certain item.

I'm not saying that spending more always gets you more bang for the buck. Trust me, my Sammy in the bedroom was cheaper than the other comparable Sony but that's because I got it for over 1100 off of retail.

Sorry for going on a side road from the topic but misguided purchases by the masses really gets me in the keister. Anything done by the masses of society really gets me burning. Grr!

Last edited by fluffernutter on 5/17/2009 1:20:21 PM

2 up, 0 down

Mr Bitey
Monday, May 18, 2009 @ 7:54:41 PM
Reply

I'm just in awe of that picture. It's like there advertising RROD and Bill is laughing about it because he knows people will go out and buy one regardless. Amazing, simply amazing.

0 up, 0 down

BikerSaint
Tuesday, May 19, 2009 @ 3:36:12 PM
Reply

Every Cyclop's has to have 1 red eye

0 up, 0 down

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