GF Blog: TV strike...

It’s called a “Television”.

I have always considered the new year to start on Labour Day, as opposed to this January 1st nonsense. Labour Day marks the beginning of the school year, beginning of the football season, it’s when game releases kick into high gear, although it seems like there is never any slowdown. But, you dear gamer, may not realize that it is also the beginning of another season. It’s called “tel-eh-vi-shun”. It’s that big box like or thin glass thingie that you watch when you play console games or movies. But it also features these quaint little things called “television shows”. They are sort of like movies, but shorter, and you have to sit through advertisements. Unless you have a PVR, which I do.

Yes, all kidding aside, it’s the beginning of the TV season, or at least will be sometime soon. Or maybe in January when half the shows seem to start. I used to watch TV, and I used to enjoy it. Today, there is nothing that I want to watch, really. Okay, other than sports, Survivor and Heroes. Yes, I am a Survivor addict and I watch it faithfully, or rather I PVR faithfully. Unless, of course, Rogers cable screws up, then I miss it. But even then, I can’t say I get upset at all, I almost don’t notice. It’s not such a big deal. If the writer’s strike has shown me one thing, it’s that I don’t miss TV. I may miss one or two shows, but not TV in general.

I wonder, how many other TV viewers have been lost to gaming due to the writers strike? I would imagine quite a few. I mean you don’t have TV, you have to fill your entertainment time somehow. Even if you aren’t a gamer, but are a dedicated TV watcher, you may do something else, like surf the net or what have you, leaving that TV free for the gamer of the household. Once these things become a habit, as they have over the past year, people are more reluctant to go back to old ways. The gamer of the house has set up shop and is gaming, and the non gamer is fine with it, because they have found other things to do that doesn’t involve the TV.

Hollywood should be getting nervous. It will be very interesting to see if TV viewers come back, cause I know I won’t. But what about you? How much of your TV time has been replaced by gaming, and more importantly, are you going to go back to your pre-strike ways?