Jimmy Fallon and the Future of Gaming
Posted by Benny Torres | June 16, 2009Jimmy Fallon has been making some tech-friendly gestures lately at his new position on the Late Show. Recently he featured Microsoft’s Project Natal only a couple days after it was unveiled at e3 (with John Krasinski in tow in less). The clip above is certainly entertaining in its own right (especially Jimmy channeling a 5 year old right before opening his birthday gifts) and the tech seems to work well – but it’s the larger implications of this appearance that have me the most excited.
See, Jimmy is a self-proclaimed gamer – and has stated that he hopes to use the late show to promote new game releases “like they were new movie releases.” This includes having game’s creators on the show when their game is being released (ala Jack Black and Tim Schafer when Brutal Legend is released). There are some pretty important implications to Jimmy’s actions here.
Gaming is only beginning the journey to mainstream acceptance. Gaming culture in particular is still a very niche subject. Your Mom and friends may want a Wii – but they has no idea about the awesomely metal roots of EA’s Brutal Legend or the Italian inspiration of Assassin’s Creed 2. It’s just not on their radar (where something like a new James Bond flick would be, even if they’re not the intended audience). Jimmy may be able to start change that. He’s not drawing American Idol numbers or anything, but by devoting time to discussing games and their creative process Jimmy will only help bring games out of the niche. As gamers continue to grow older – mainstream culture will certainly change to address their hobbies and habits. Jimmy is proof of this occurring naturally – and hopefully is a sign of things to come.
