MetaKz

I barely ever watch TV anymore anyway.

Sabre_Justice: Okay, no more long name.

Hades

I say let the current system rot. When a show like Futurama (excellent case study), or Dexter come around that I like, I download them to check them out, watch them, and if they're good, I promptly go out and buy the DVDs - not so much for the video quality and archive copies, but as more of a tip jar - same with CDs. That way I can show my support more directly and financially, help those producing the shows I like, and cut out all the parasites from the equation.

fuchikoma

Irenicus-the one and only

Barbara

xpnet

Of course, give it long enough and eventually the format will begin to mimic television; no upfront cost at the expense of commercial advertising.

The Great Moof

Americo

Otherwise that was pretty much how it was going to end, strike or no strike.

KevinSetzer

Yesterday he did a skit where he saved Abraham Lincoln from getting assassinated by going down a zip line wearing rocket boots and a rocket helmet (sponsored by Oscar Meyer, cause it was expensive), and kicked the hell out of John Wilkes Booth.

Truly excellent programming.

Mini-Boss

People can't do without waitresses because no one is allowed to enter the kitchen and retrieve their meal themselves.

Apples to oranges. People have lived without TV for centuries, and things like educational shows (Top Gear, Mythbusters), sports, news (fake news too like The Daily Show) don't need writers. If the writers didn't have the foresight to realize that we were already well within a digital world then who is to blame? Did they not think the web was a viable source to distribute TV shows from? The web industry has strived for it for decades and finally when the bandwidth capacity had reached a high limit within the public, it became a reality.

Game writers are paid crap, which is why it is hard to find a decent story within a video game. How many games do we have were a super soldier comes onto the scene and blows crap up? Or how many Orcs vs. Humans style of fantasy games are there? Enough to prove the game industry has very little - good - writers.

The point being people can do without TV shows. Especially with a huge backlog of DVDs from the past forty years or so to go through. The writers on strike will be tool old to go back to work before the DVDs alone run out, and movies are still coming out at a steady pace.

So I pose to you the question, do we really need TV show writers? Especially when there is a near infinite pool of non-union writers to choose from.

Custom Reality

oh, and 24 and American Dad. other than those three shows, screw tv.

stevemkrenz

Andy S.

Would we see the same number of people screaming "get back to work you filthy hippies" then? I wonder.

The whole argument about writers getting paid twice is serious crap, because the pay arrangement is more like that of waiters/waitresses -- they work for severely reduced core pay, made up for by tips, just as writers work for a reduced up-front amount, followed by residual checks. If you want to argue that this is a stupid way to do business, fine -- let's just have writers increase their up-front costs by about 400 percent instead. As it stands now, producers end up paying the writers less if a show flops, and more if it does really well; with a single up-front fee, they'll get to pay the same amount no matter how well the show does. Somehow I doubt the studios would prefer that arrangement.

gregly

"When you watch content for free via BitTorrent, and the companies don't get paid, it's piracy. When you watch content for free via the companies, and the writer doesn't get paid, it's 'promotional.'" - Nancy Prager

tyjinks

I'd rather play games most of the time, and if I feel like chilling and watching a show, I'll just download the whole season. Commercials suck. Planning your schedule around a show sucks. Besides, torrents are free! :D

Kruel

I suppose I should consider the audience. It makes sense that a blog catering to gamers would be frequented by people who don't give much of a flip about network television. But to say that modern TV is complete shit could not be more wrong at this time (inasmuch as a person can declare that an opinion is wrong.)I suppose it could be a little right at this particular time, what with the lack of scripted network TV.

I've noticed a fair amount of Lost love on the boards and even though I decided to quit watching in the middle of the second season, I still have to admit that it raises the bar for production values.

Does anyone remember Arrested Development? Anyone? Unparalleled writing, that. And now, if it's passed anyone's radar, if I had to choose between Pushing Daisies and a world without Tom Stoppard or... um... who's a top screenplaywright? Judd Apatow is pretty golden nowadays. If I had to choose between Pushing Daisies and Judd Apatow films, I'd vote for Pushing Daisies anytime.

We face a golden era for television, ladies and gents.
Bright and shiny, like El Dorado. Except it's real. Really real.

tyjinks

I'm not trying to diminuish what writers do because I do enjoy a well writen television program. But I enjoy a well acted show as well. And one doesn't necessarily correspond with the other. There are a lot of qualities that can make a show enjoyable. After all is Steve Carell funny? or are Steve Carell's writers funny?.

@jayntampa: Check out a website now and then. Most shows ARE available streaming. I watch TV when I can but when I can't. I no longer stress about it and just catch it online.

@Custom Reality: "I still have my hockey, football and racing (rally, F1, Trans-AM, GT, etc.) " for a second I thought you were talking about doing those yourself. I was about to call you out for being extremely lame.

@velvet396: what you really want is called Mini-series. Miniseries is the best format idea ever created. They look better than regular TV shows but without all that "we gotta introduce a gazillion chracters and make people love them in 90 minutes" drek you get in movies.

Wolfkin

When the writers strike hit, it was almost as funny as the hockey strike... it may as well be an opera strike. Hope they iron it out for their own sake, but... whatever.

fuchikoma

Featherhammer

I don't even watch DVDs much anymore. The TV mostly is used for the Wii and Gamecube.

eugaet

Korbei

*cue mythbusters and cash cab*

NeoAkira

Torusan

Optimistic Prime

ichiban1081

iainttha1

Good point. Only American games would be affected, and how much writing does it take to make an FPS?

I kid I kid!

Billkwando

I've always preferred gaming over TV.

Digital-Moth

xgenius

game writers strike?

homelessvagrant

ca$h

Tei

ZinkO: USA WE DA BEST

greeble

teh_joe

Also some ISPs now block all file sharing and torrent programs so you can't download shows very easily now.

SSJPabs

velvet396

BTW, I'm personally on the writer's side for this strike. The studios should just pay them a fair amount ... people tend to work better when they get paid what they're worth.

jayntampa

I have been playing a lot more video games recently though, but that's probably because of the incredible amount of games released year end of 2007 more than the lack of good TV to watch.

On top of going out and doing other things as well, the cable box certainly has been at the bottom of the list for bringing me entertainment recently.

Zhabin

Mr.SithNinja

I do know they are on strike though, as my wife watches lame show after lame show. We have been watching some Stargate on DVD lately. But I always have a handheld while on the couch to play games. I thought that was mandatory - oh well.

sadkermit - soon to be banned for standing up to the ummm nazi.

Crusoe

I think the biggest impact the strike has made on my viewing habits would be that I get to bed earlier for not staying up to watch The Daily Show and The Colbert Report.

So.. Thank you WGA.. dont give up the fight. Your lack of content has improved the lives of many.

Korbei

Sending signals via antenna, satellite, or cable is ridiculously cheaper than sending it digitally. Which means more ad dollars are needed to support it. Which means twice as many commercials. Which means they're just driving viewers back to the TV. Which means... well, it's not worth it.

Tonx

CoverlessTech

Atrahasis

GUNDAM-RX-78-2

teh_joe

Archebaldo

I still have my hockey, football and racing (rally, F1, Trans-AM, GT, etc.) and that's just the sports. Not to mention baseball will be on before we know it. There's always the internet, DVDs, movie theaters, music, social lives, love lives, friends, the great outdoors, trekking through woodland trails in a Jeep, camping, work, school, etc. etc. etc.

In short, the hell with the writers and the people they're putting out of work because they couldn't see that the world was headed in a digital direction.

Custom Reality

Snappywave

djricekcn

DarkLuigi

rabbitsoup_87

SwordandSorcery

Just my two cents :D

jayntampa

haha nice Fahey

LittleBigPlaneteer

nxp3