Metal Gear Solid director says video games will absorb movies and music

By Jeffrey Van Camp June 30, 2011

metal-gear-solid-4-solid-snake-old — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Hideo Kojima, best known for his role guiding the Metal Gear Solid series at Konami, doesn’t believe we’ll use the term ‘video game’ in the future. Instead, he argues, a new all-encompassing word will be created to replace it. Speaking with Nintendo Power (issue 268), the director predicted the demise of the word, reports Nintendo Everything.

“In this day and age, the video game business is a major entertainment industry that surpasses movies in terms of revenue,” said Kojima. “But when I started out, it was a completely different story. Back then, the game industry was a place for people with broken dreams to gather because they couldn’t land the jobs that they really wanted. Today, the industry has matured into a wonderful place where some of the most talented people in their field can take advantage of cutting-edge technology and world-class budgets to thrill and awe the entire world. In the near future I believe we’ll see the term ‘video game’ itself vanish as our industry evolves and eventually absorbs the movie and music industry to create a larger, all-encompassing form of digital entertainment.”

Leave it to Kojima, a man whose games have hour-long cut scenes, to predict the merging of games and other entertainment. While it’s possible that the term ‘video game’ will go away, the term has shown only resilience thus far, with many companies expanding its definition and scope by incorporating game-like elements into software and services that we would have never considered games 10 years ago, like FourSquare or Wii Fit.

But will the video game industry absorb the film and music industry? We’re not so sure about that one. While Metal Gear Solid games certainly feel like they’ve each absorbed several movies, there will probably be a distinction between the art forms for the foreseeable future.

Do you see a future where interactive entertainment (will that be the new name for video games?), movies, and music all combine into one giant, all-encompassing form of entertainment?

Editors' Recommendations

Jeffrey Van Camp

Former Digital Trends Contributor

As DT's Deputy Editor, Jeff helps oversee editorial operations at Digital Trends. Previously, he ran the site's…

Gaming

VR headset deals: Meta Quest 2 and VIVE XR

htc vive vs pro headphones

While VR may not be as big as was predicted back in the early 2000s when the original Oculus Go was released, there is still a considerable market these days, and some great VR games like Half-Life: Alyx that you can have fun with. Of course, VR headsets remain expensive, and while options like the Meta Quest don't necessarily require a high-end gaming PC, they can still be a bit pricey for those who just want to put a foot in the hobby. Luckily, there are some good deals you can take advantage of, even on some of the best VR headsets, so be sure to check out all your options below.
Meta Quest 2 -- $199, was $200

Even though the Meta Quest 3 came out quite recently, the Meta Quest 2 is still a pretty powerful contender, especially since it has a wider library and app support than the Quest 3 currently has. Even more so, the Quest 2 is a lot cheaper than the Quest 3, and with the latest permanent discount down to just $200, that's a whole $300 or so difference from the Quest 3. Of course, the Quest 3 does have more advanced AR and slightly better performance with software and Wi-Fi, but that may not be worth the extra cost for some. Either way, be sure to check out the breakdown between Quest 2 and Quest 3 to get a better sense of what you should pick up.

Gaming

BlizzCon 2024 is not happening despite Blizzard’s strong 2024 lineup

A still from World of Warcraft The Worldsoul Saga's reveal tralier.

World of Warcraft, Diablo, and Overwatch maker Blizzard Entertainment confirmed that BlizzCon 2024 will not be happening.

BlizzCon was a convention that Blizzard Entertainment held almost every year between 2005 and 2019 to celebrate its games and make new announcements. The pandemic and hostile workplace allegations against Blizzard meant that no shows were held in 2020 or 2022 (2021 was digital-only), but BlizzCon made its grand return in 2023. We attended it last November and had the opportunity to speak with developers and learn more about Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer's first visit to Blizzard, upcoming plans for franchises like Diablo and Warcraft, and more. Although Blizzard never outright confirmed that it would hold BlizzCon in 2024, the event was expected to continue after its return last year.

Gaming

How to unlock fast travel in Another Crab’s Treasure

Kril with a coconut shell

Another Crab's Treasure is a fantastical soulslike set deep under the ocean where danger lurks around every corner. And like other games in the genre, it's often brutally difficult to overcome the various challenges you'll encounter. As such, you may find yourself wanting to backtrack for level grinding, to uncover new secrets, or to buy additional items in the game's main hub. However, you may notice early in the game that you haven't yet unlocked the ability to fast travel between the multitude of Moon Snail Shells (aka "bonfires") you've found. Here's how and when you'll unlock fast travel.
How to unlock fast travel
In the opening hours of the game, you may notice that you can access your skill tree, which will show a skill called Shelleportation. But you may be discouraged to see that you aren't able to apply any points to it yet. That's because the game doesn't open up this feature until you've advanced a few hours into the story.

To unlock fast travel, you'll need to work your way through the first few main areas of the game until you reach a boss called the Polluted Platoon Pathfinder. After beating this baddie, you'll soon find yourself teleporting to the Moon Snail's Domain. Here, you'll learn about the power of Umami, as well as unlock access to your skill tree.