GameTrailer's "Bonus Round"

It is in the very nature of online media to overly discuss that which bears no importance in the long run. It’s to expect, I guess, considering its online, minute to minute, free access, and the ad-money-per-link business model that supports it. Bottom-line is, debate rages about the most useless, unimportant subjects, and when it comes to video-games, the greatest of these hideous topics is the “console wars” – that tiresome discussion that leads nowhere and informs no one. I would have thought that semi-professional and semi-serious programs, such as Gametrailers’ “Bonus Round” could be a bit more captivating and interesting than to watch the constant spewing of forum rant by fan-boys, but then again I have been known to be wrong on many occasions.

The E3 sum up was filled with fan-boy oriented debates on “who won?”, with abstract grades flying around – Michael Pachter on Sony’s conference, “I have to grade Sony on two levels, one on substance, one on presentation. Substance ‘A’, presentation ‘C’.” – and unreflected affirmations that’d be shocking to any viewer with a brain to speak of – Dan Hsu on “Metroid M”, “It feels as we’re taping to Samus Aran’s more human side […] this wasn’t a quick cash in.” The depth of their analysis was simply baffling.

Microsoft's Project Natal Commercials

To top it all off, their newest episode is totally dedicated to new input methods and interfaces in consoles. It’s nothing more than an apparently credible take on who’s got the coolest controller/interface/online-features in the ongoing console war. They’re not even discussing the games that have been, or are being developed with these new technologies… oh no, they’re discussing the technology and its commercial potential for casual gamers. Never mind the fact that no good games ever come from these new technologies (unless you want to call “Wii Sports” a game instead of a mini-game collection thingy), and that Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo just keep wasting money by cramming useless shit we already have access to in our faster, more intuitive personal computer into their consoles.  Forget that, people want to know who’s got the most unresponsive piece of virtual hardware. Is it natal, the magical wand or the motion plus? WHO CARES? Meanwhile, there’s a shortage on new games and game ideas. The media, like the developers, insists on missing the point.

You can watch the latest “Bonus Round” episodes by following this link.