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CNN Live Today
Gifts for Gamers
Aired November 25, 2003 - 10:48 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, now there's a scary image of Santa.
Topping Christmas lists of both boys and girls this holiday season video games. The industry is expected to have another record setting year and the games are not just for kids, an estimated 160 million Americans have become console cowboys. For the gift-giving season they are expected to spend more than $4 billion. The 24-hour video game network G4 has come up with a holiday shopping guide, and here to share some of his picks with us, one of the networks prominent hosts, and gaming guru of course, Scott Rubin.
Scott, hello to you.
What's the deal? People are just wacky for this stuff.
SCOTT RUBIN, HOST, G4TV: Man, video games are great. There's a whole 24-hour cable channel about video games, and really it's about the gamer lifestyle as well as about the games themselves. And you know, before G4 came along, there was this void, really a billion dollars industry, and 100-plus million gamers, but nowhere for them to turn to programming about the games that they love.
You know, Nielsen, the heels of their report, wondering, the broadcasters wondering, well, the young male viewers are gone, but G4 has got them, and we're excited, because there are a lot of games to come out this holiday season, and it's tough to pick which ones to buy.
COLLINS: So as you say, there's certainly a demand for a 24-hour network like this. Of course, those folks aren't watching news. But just wondering, what do we see on there? Do you teach people to play the games?
RUBIN: We do that. We show them how to play the games. We also talk to the developers. I mean, making games is absolutely an artform, much like making films, and even painting, And they're interactive artforms, and we talk to the developers. We go behind the scenes. We talk to gamers, and go out and talk to gamers who are just having fun. It's not just all about, hit the a button and hit the b button. It's really about that lifestyle and having fun with video games. It's really about experiences that you can't have in your regular lives.
COLLINS: And there are so many different platforms. You've Xbox, Playstations, Nintendo, and of course the PCs. Which is the most popular? Which is the best? RUBIN: Well, I'll tell you, the fact that there is even a debate about which system is the best tells that all the systems really have their strength. They each kind of do something the others don't.
This year, I'm kind of looking more toward the Xbox, because it's a very forward-thinking device. It's got that hard drive built in, so you don't need to go out and buy memory cards. It's got controller ports for four players at a time.
COLLINS: Expensive, though, isn't it, Scott?
RUBIN: It is actually coming down. The prices are coming down to the holiday season. There are now valued titles that are like greatest hits. After they sell a million units, they'll lower the price.
And on the Xbox, we're playing "Project Dolphin Racing." This is an online XBox Live multiplayer racing game. Over the weekend, I was racing against people in London and having a great time, racing Ferraris and Porsches.
Also you're showing "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time." That game is coming out. And it's one of the best looking games of the year. It's so easy to pick up the controls and play this game and look like you're a pro. You can slow down time, a really compelling story, but what's great about "Prince of Persia," you've got to use your head. There's a lot of puzzles in the game. There's a lot of thinking involved. It's not just button mashing.
COLLINS: So obviously very interactive. Also, this is one of the most popular ones that we were looking at, "Prince of Persia."
Also "Project Gotham Racing," another very popular one.
But I got to ask you a little bit more about some of the other platforms. What about Playstation? Mostly for kids?
RUBIN: Definitely not. One of the great things about the Playstation II this holiday season is EA Sports has gotten all their sports games online. So I can play Madden Football against friends in New York, and Boston and Florida, college football, basketball, hockey, even "FIFA Soccer," which is like 100 million people around the world playing this game. I have been playing soccer against people in London, and in Australia, and it really is just a kind of global community of gamers on the Playstation II.
COLLINS: Quickly, Scott, before we let you go, I've got to ask about, because it is a holiday season, kids, we're talking more about Nintendo, I guess, right?
RUBIN: Yes, Nintendo's got the Gamecube. They've actually lowered the price, so it's really tempting to go out and buy the Gamecube and pick up "Mario Kart Double Dash," which is a great racing game.
Also "Beautiful Joe," a side-scrolling action game, kind of a throwback to the old action games. It's very, very good, with this kind of comic book art. Gamecube definitely has great titles, with Mario. A lot of exciting titles for younger gamers, but still compelling and challenging for adults as well.
COLLINS: OK, well Scott Rubin, we certainly appreciate your time today. G4 is a place to learn about it. Thanks again.
RUBIN: Go to our Web site.
COLLINS: All right, we'll check that out, too. Thanks so much, Scott.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired November 25, 2003 - 10:48 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, now there's a scary image of Santa.
Topping Christmas lists of both boys and girls this holiday season video games. The industry is expected to have another record setting year and the games are not just for kids, an estimated 160 million Americans have become console cowboys. For the gift-giving season they are expected to spend more than $4 billion. The 24-hour video game network G4 has come up with a holiday shopping guide, and here to share some of his picks with us, one of the networks prominent hosts, and gaming guru of course, Scott Rubin.
Scott, hello to you.
What's the deal? People are just wacky for this stuff.
SCOTT RUBIN, HOST, G4TV: Man, video games are great. There's a whole 24-hour cable channel about video games, and really it's about the gamer lifestyle as well as about the games themselves. And you know, before G4 came along, there was this void, really a billion dollars industry, and 100-plus million gamers, but nowhere for them to turn to programming about the games that they love.
You know, Nielsen, the heels of their report, wondering, the broadcasters wondering, well, the young male viewers are gone, but G4 has got them, and we're excited, because there are a lot of games to come out this holiday season, and it's tough to pick which ones to buy.
COLLINS: So as you say, there's certainly a demand for a 24-hour network like this. Of course, those folks aren't watching news. But just wondering, what do we see on there? Do you teach people to play the games?
RUBIN: We do that. We show them how to play the games. We also talk to the developers. I mean, making games is absolutely an artform, much like making films, and even painting, And they're interactive artforms, and we talk to the developers. We go behind the scenes. We talk to gamers, and go out and talk to gamers who are just having fun. It's not just all about, hit the a button and hit the b button. It's really about that lifestyle and having fun with video games. It's really about experiences that you can't have in your regular lives.
COLLINS: And there are so many different platforms. You've Xbox, Playstations, Nintendo, and of course the PCs. Which is the most popular? Which is the best? RUBIN: Well, I'll tell you, the fact that there is even a debate about which system is the best tells that all the systems really have their strength. They each kind of do something the others don't.
This year, I'm kind of looking more toward the Xbox, because it's a very forward-thinking device. It's got that hard drive built in, so you don't need to go out and buy memory cards. It's got controller ports for four players at a time.
COLLINS: Expensive, though, isn't it, Scott?
RUBIN: It is actually coming down. The prices are coming down to the holiday season. There are now valued titles that are like greatest hits. After they sell a million units, they'll lower the price.
And on the Xbox, we're playing "Project Dolphin Racing." This is an online XBox Live multiplayer racing game. Over the weekend, I was racing against people in London and having a great time, racing Ferraris and Porsches.
Also you're showing "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time." That game is coming out. And it's one of the best looking games of the year. It's so easy to pick up the controls and play this game and look like you're a pro. You can slow down time, a really compelling story, but what's great about "Prince of Persia," you've got to use your head. There's a lot of puzzles in the game. There's a lot of thinking involved. It's not just button mashing.
COLLINS: So obviously very interactive. Also, this is one of the most popular ones that we were looking at, "Prince of Persia."
Also "Project Gotham Racing," another very popular one.
But I got to ask you a little bit more about some of the other platforms. What about Playstation? Mostly for kids?
RUBIN: Definitely not. One of the great things about the Playstation II this holiday season is EA Sports has gotten all their sports games online. So I can play Madden Football against friends in New York, and Boston and Florida, college football, basketball, hockey, even "FIFA Soccer," which is like 100 million people around the world playing this game. I have been playing soccer against people in London, and in Australia, and it really is just a kind of global community of gamers on the Playstation II.
COLLINS: Quickly, Scott, before we let you go, I've got to ask about, because it is a holiday season, kids, we're talking more about Nintendo, I guess, right?
RUBIN: Yes, Nintendo's got the Gamecube. They've actually lowered the price, so it's really tempting to go out and buy the Gamecube and pick up "Mario Kart Double Dash," which is a great racing game.
Also "Beautiful Joe," a side-scrolling action game, kind of a throwback to the old action games. It's very, very good, with this kind of comic book art. Gamecube definitely has great titles, with Mario. A lot of exciting titles for younger gamers, but still compelling and challenging for adults as well.
COLLINS: OK, well Scott Rubin, we certainly appreciate your time today. G4 is a place to learn about it. Thanks again.
RUBIN: Go to our Web site.
COLLINS: All right, we'll check that out, too. Thanks so much, Scott.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
