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COMPUTER GAMES HAVE become more mainstream and acceptable in the eyes of the media over the past two or three years, according to one of the former industry’s most influential figures.
Having previously lamented the reluctance of those in influential positions to embrace the video-gaming industry, studio director of the multi-million-selling Football Manager series, Miles Jacobson, now feels there is a more accepting attitude towards the industry.
Jacobson, who received an OBE in 2011 for his services to the gaming industry, admits there are some cynical reasons behind this change.
“I think it’s partly improved because the games industry advertises more in the mainstream media now,” he told TheJournal.ie. “Therefore, they take us more seriously because they’re making more money out of us.”
However, he also feels the transformation is partly as a result of the growing prominence and popularity of games at all levels.
Certainly, journalists who’ve grown up playing video games, as they start getting editorial positions, it does improve things, but it’s improving because gaming is becoming more mainstream in general.I still haven’t seen the guys who made Call of Duty on chat shows and stuff like that. I think there have been a couple of instances in America where people have gone on, but it’s normally to do game demos.
“But it’s still going to take time [before games gain full acceptance]. When Elvis Presley came along, it was described as the devil music and he did alright for himself. People [who criticise games] just don’t understand them. It’s just a form of entertainment.”
And despite his success, Jacobson and his colleagues are not universally loved within the industry.
Several installments of the Football Manager series are among the highest-selling PC games of all time, and this level of success has somewhat inevitably attracted skeptics.
“It’s more popular inside the football world than it is inside the video game world. And that’s quite an interesting thing.
“We’re kind of seen as the Status Quo of the video games industry, but when you look at us from a football perspective, people are using our database to aid their work and I think we’re a lot cooler in football circles than we are in video game circles.
“Maybe we’re more like Boyzone than Status Quo. Boyzone were always popular among footballers, but weren’t that cool within the music industry.”
Our full interview with Miles Jacobson will be up on the site from 12pm today.
Football Manager 2014 was released this week. More details here.
Who?
@Keith: He is a guy with a big TDs pension.
@Keith: I was thinking the same thing. With our voting system, you only seem to know your local TD candidates and the party leaders/government stranglers.
Since Brexit, I can name way more British MPs. Shameful and shows the West Brit I truly am.
@milton friedman: I’m in limerick and heard of this man, maybe read a newspaper or have a interest in your country, not really hard.
@Keith: exactly. I live in Fingal. I never heard of him.
@Mike Keane: he has been a TD for only 8 years, so he will receive a very small pension.
@John O’Neill: that’s your own fault then. You obviously don’t vote or you would have looked into all candidates
@Chin Feeyin: I’ve worked in the private sector for 40 years & I’d swap pensions with him in a heartbeat!
@Daniel Roche: I’m fresh out of medals unfortunately mate
Although i now know why I haven’t heard of him, my brain blocks out useless things like Irish Labour
@Dom Layzell: Fair enough. The maximum pension a former TD can get is €35K, which is not bad but is not a fortune, either. Former ministers and Taoiseigh get another pension on top of the TD pension.
Remember Joe Higgins of the Socialist Party? A good man. He was a TD for several years (about 15, i think), and he gets €25K.
Full list of 2019 TD pensions here:
https://www.newstalk.com/news/new-meps-dail-pensions-894052
@Chin Feeyin: sorry, 35K should be 39K.
When a politician you never heard of retires and when his successor, whom you never heard of either runs for election for a party that has no credibility and that is politics.
@Honeybee: But, they may go into coalition with Leo, what could be wrong with that?
There’s a general election on the horizon and Leo heads to a small village in Limerick canvassing votes. He’s busy shaking hands and kissing babies when a young man steps forward, ‘Can I count on your vote’ says Leo, ‘Well ‘ says yer man, ‘There are two issues I want to raise with you’, ‘Fire away’ says Leo. ‘Well, firstly, there are no doctors, my poor mother was below in UHL for days on a trolly ‘, ‘I’ll stop you there ‘says Leo,he picks up his phone and dials a number, there’s a lot of nodding and praise, then he turns to the young man and says ‘the day after the election, six doctors will be on duty in UHL so can I count on your vote, now what is the second issue’, the young man looks bewildered ‘ Well , the second issue is, we have no phone reception in the village and I was wondering if ……..
@Honeybee: LOL love it!
@Honeybee: some people will read that and think it’s a true story.
@Chin Feeyin: Just like all the blueshirts who believe anything and everything that comes out of Leo,s gob.
@Chin Feeyin: I very much doubt it chin, it’s tongue in cheek, the kind of stuff we hear all the time when there are elections for instance when Minister Flanagan announces a commemoration for the RIC because the advisory committee of the Decades of Centenaries recommended it, only for Diarmaid Ferriter of said committee to announce it was never on the cards.Bit of leg pulling….
@Honeybee: brilliant!!
Good idea, it would have been a waste of your time & money!!
” I can’t be arsed…I’m 66, wtf am I going to bother my hole doing any more work for…pension on the way yahooo”…I’d do the same.
I won’t be voting Labour anyway so don’t worry about it
@Niall Donnelly: so be it, and I wish you luck & sufficient wishful thinking to select between the alternatives.
FG,FF, blew the economy & have caused generational economic damage & emigration this millenium.
SF, having given up their 30 years of warfare, abandoned their constituents during the Brexit saga by remaining as lathair, as proverbial hurlers on the ditch.
The Greens are still in cloud cuckoo space worrying about restoring wolves in the hills.
The independents & other splinter groups couldnt play drafts without a dispute.
A fair examination of Labour’s role in this state since 1920 might suggest to rational people that they have had a positive, moderating role on behalf of the working & dependent population.
Never heard of him, can I presume he served long enough for his generous pension
@Marg FitzGerald: well according to the article he served 8 years, so your presumption as to eligibility for pension can easily be confirmed or denied by a simple bit of research. A simple bit of research would also make you aware that TD pensions for those so recently elected has been reduced and in this case the pension is a fast accrual over 20 years, as opposed to a typical workers which is 40. So for full pension a TD has to serve 20 years. In this case the TD is entitled to €19,200 per annum before tax
@David Memery: what about any Seanad service?
Hes creamed enough cash …
No loss
Why this when there’s a big story about one of our own Dubs has been jailed in New York for assault in New York up the Dubs
@Paul Dooley: 8)
@Paul Dooley: I read about that days ago. I didn’t vote for him either.
dont worry yourself – you wont be missed !
No loss
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