Peter Jackson doesn't get video games. The nature of the medium is just lost on him. That's not to take anything away from him as a director of movies, but let's just get this straight: games are NOT movies. This is of course contrary to the direction many of the major players want to take the video game industry.

Well, who the hell am I to criticize 'The Lord of the Rings' anyway? Well, I'm not just any old chump spouting crap on his blog - I'm a chump who works in the games industry making games for one of the top publishers in the world (who shall remain nameless), and I've been doing it for a number of years now.

So, that out of the way, let's examine just how out to lunch our director from down under is:

"I think that intrinsically, most video games, and virtually all movies, do one basic thing: tell stories."

Wrong! Games are not an inherently narrative medium, and the best games are not narrative driven. Many games do have stories, but they're merely a scaffolding for the game that lies at the core. What makes a game good is not what characters say during the cutscenes, or even how believable the voice acting is - it's whether or not they're fun and challenging and rewarding.

"For example, music videos were originally just musicians playing music while being recorded on video so people could watch them, but now they are elaborate short movies that do everything from interpret the song through the medium of visual art to communicating political statements."

What? What in the crap are you on about here? Music videos? Really? This is your great vision for video games? Oh wait, I see, you mean that some day video games will be 'art' and have grand messages and aesthetic appeal.

WRONG AGAIN! It's difficult to craft authorial intent in a dynamic medium, and questionable as to whether a game is really an appropriate venue for even delivering those kinds of messages. Now that is not to say that there can't be artistic statements or thematic depth to a video game (ie. the very choices of what story paths are included/excluded are thematic statements, or the rules of a simulation reflect worldview biases) but their effectiveness as a means of conveying that message are questionable when the goal of the game is to entertain and to engage, and often, to sell.

I don't want to break out the cliches like, 'The Medium is the Message' or anything, but well, they are called GAMES.

"I definitely see improved graphics and sound as continuously positive attributes for consideration among the Hollywood community. Actors will look more "life-like" in HD and the sound continues to get closer to the theatrical movie experience -- this makes it easier to provide sound effects, artwork, and talent when you, as a filmmaker, know that the final game will be a strong representation of the film."

Oh wonderful. More pixels. Higher bitrate. Yes, this will make better games. I think it's obvious that what this really means is that it will provide better licensing opportunities by creating better movie-look-alike games that are completely devoid of any innovation. Pretty soon they can render the cutting-room floor outtakes straight into the game development pipeline and properly synergize the cross-development.

The future of video games according to this award-winning director are essentially DVD outtakes and lame rehashes of the movie that look more like the Hollywood product. Fantastic. Where do I sign up?

"I'm excited that with the new hardware and such amazing leaps forward in technology, I may be able to experience games that even I can't imagine."

Well, from this interview, it apparently doesn't take much to stretch this man's imagination as movie licenses, HD actors, and more movie-like stories are this limits of his vision for video games.

Sorry there Peter, but maybe you should stick to movies and leave game making to the professionals who actually have a clue about just what gamers actually want. Save the outtakes and advergaming for the DVD.

Go back to your texture work or that model of a toilet you are working on... you don't make games... you make assets that directors like Jackson use in their games. You definitely are a chump and if you had your head removed from your ass you would realize that Jackson was talking about the leaps in technology that is allowing more options for game developers to tell their stories. Yes, STORIES drive great games. There are exceptions but the greats all have great story lines. If you were actually making games you would know that... now get back to work, that model has too many polys!

Garrett: You are a brainwashed IDIOT.

i don't know why you'd consider garrett a brainwashed idiot. the evidence is all there. just look at the greatest game of all time, pac-man. awesome story. a yellow circle gets hungry, eats dots, pretzels, cherries, and when necessary, monsters. in the end he gets the high score. it's just like rocky III.

- noodles