I've been snowed out of work today (sudden 4" storm in the middle of March, yay!).

After Selection Sunday, the one thing I really wanted to do was to play a college basketball game for a bit. Unfortunately, there is no recent game out due to all of the stupid litigation taking place.

I'm 25, and that puts me toward the early half of the "video game" generation. Back when I was in HS/early college, it would always be a fun weekend get-together to spend a few afternoon hours playing some NCAA over good beer. It would often keep my fan interest high between seasons, and would actually help get the younger generation hyped about the coming season throughout the summertime.

One thing I realized this morning over breakfast is that if you REALLY want to get to middle-class guys between the ages of 14-28, use video games. It's what is on at 9:30pm on a weeknight after work/HW/dinner. The future generations are NOT as invested as the earlier ones into cable TV outside of certain special events. Today's youth find video games/computer activity to be far more engaging than any cartoon or sitcom out there.

...and that's the scary part - college sports is currently NOT engaged in the younger gaming community. The NCAA is not integrating with their form of "digital culture" - and is instead catering to the older population (which DOES have the money, mind you). Combine this with exorbitant ticket prices, and it's not a surprise that the younger generations don't give a damn like the older ones did.

All this talk about money, but I wonder if the powers that be are actually killing off the future in this unwarranted mad dash for money in college athletics.

They ought to just do the video games and give the revenue to the student-athletes as stipends. Two birds, one stone.

video games are absolutely necessary for branding/marketing purposes. that is the reason the NCAA took such a big risk selling players likeness to EA.

let this lil stat sink in: there are only 11 video game franchises that have surpassed the 100 million copies mark. 2 of them are madden & FIFA

(03-17-2014 10:06 AM)oliveandblue Wrote:  I've been snowed out of work today (sudden 4" storm in the middle of March, yay!).

After Selection Sunday, the one thing I really wanted to do was to play a college basketball game for a bit. Unfortunately, there is no recent game out due to all of the stupid litigation taking place.

I'm 25, and that puts me toward the early half of the "video game" generation. Back when I was in HS/early college, it would always be a fun weekend get-together to spend a few afternoon hours playing some NCAA over good beer. It would often keep my fan interest high between seasons, and would actually help get the younger generation hyped about the coming season throughout the summertime.

One thing I realized this morning over breakfast is that if you REALLY want to get to middle-class guys between the ages of 14-28, use video games. It's what is on at 9:30pm on a weeknight after work/HW/dinner. The future generations are NOT as invested as the earlier ones into cable TV outside of certain special events. Today's youth find video games/computer activity to be far more engaging than any cartoon or sitcom out there.

...and that's the scary part - college sports is currently NOT engaged in the younger gaming community. The NCAA is not integrating with their form of "digital culture" - and is instead catering to the older population (which DOES have the money, mind you). Combine this with exorbitant ticket prices, and it's not a surprise that the younger generations don't give a damn like the older ones did.

All this talk about money, but I wonder if the powers that be are actually killing off the future in this unwarranted mad dash for money in college athletics.

Maybe so, and maybe that is not a bad thing. The same with countries and civilizations.

Blow the thing up and start anew.

(03-17-2014 08:48 PM)TerryD Wrote:  

(03-17-2014 10:06 AM)oliveandblue Wrote:  I've been snowed out of work today (sudden 4" storm in the middle of March, yay!).

After Selection Sunday, the one thing I really wanted to do was to play a college basketball game for a bit. Unfortunately, there is no recent game out due to all of the stupid litigation taking place.

I'm 25, and that puts me toward the early half of the "video game" generation. Back when I was in HS/early college, it would always be a fun weekend get-together to spend a few afternoon hours playing some NCAA over good beer. It would often keep my fan interest high between seasons, and would actually help get the younger generation hyped about the coming season throughout the summertime.

One thing I realized this morning over breakfast is that if you REALLY want to get to middle-class guys between the ages of 14-28, use video games. It's what is on at 9:30pm on a weeknight after work/HW/dinner. The future generations are NOT as invested as the earlier ones into cable TV outside of certain special events. Today's youth find video games/computer activity to be far more engaging than any cartoon or sitcom out there.

...and that's the scary part - college sports is currently NOT engaged in the younger gaming community. The NCAA is not integrating with their form of "digital culture" - and is instead catering to the older population (which DOES have the money, mind you). Combine this with exorbitant ticket prices, and it's not a surprise that the younger generations don't give a damn like the older ones did.

All this talk about money, but I wonder if the powers that be are actually killing off the future in this unwarranted mad dash for money in college athletics.

Maybe so, and maybe that is not a bad thing. The same with countries and civilizations.

Blow the thing up and start anew.

I feel like were in a subway. We can only go where the tracks take us, and the rail we're on now is heading right into a underground fire. The junction points - the places where we could have taken a different rail - were all a few miles back, and at this point our future is sort of an inevitability.

It's like everything over the past 10 years has been connected, and in the next 5-10 it will reach its natural conclusion. All of the parties involved will take predictable steps that ensure this conclusion.