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With the Oscars coming up on March 12, everyone is making their predictions as to what will happen and who will win. Right-wing talking heads are busy bashing the entertainment industry every chance they get. What does the entertainment industry do for America, though? How does the entertainment industry benefit us, and does it even matter?
We have to first realize that the entertainment industry is big. I’m not just talking about movies, I’m talking video games, music, and art. When it comes to exports, the International Trade Administration reports U.S. exports are over $660 billion per year, adding $2.2 trillion to the U.S. economy. That number continues to grow as more people play games, watch movies, stream television, and listen to music.
When we attack the entertainment industry, we are really doing a disservice to our own workers, the people who work in front and behind the scenes. My oldest son has one particular demand whenever we see a movie: we watch all of the credits. We will stay until the end of every movie, whether we expect a post-credits scene or not. “They all worked on this, Dad,” and then he applauds at the end if he liked the movie. Most recently, we watched Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania in the theater, and it seems we enjoyed it a lot more than several critics. I enjoyed it more than Thor: Love & Thunder, for example. It was light fun, and in the end, that is what we wanted.
And then, when I can, I make my way through books, music, and so many other forms of entertainment every day to help keep my mood light. As I type this, I’m busy watching YouTube content creator Gamers Nexus, and thinking back to spending 20 or more years building my own computers, back in the day when “water cooling” meant cooling a PC with a kind of radiator—and doing everything you could to keep it cool enough to play the best games.
Going back generations, I still think about games that influenced me: Chuck Yeager’s Air Combat, Doom 1 and 2, Descent, Fallout, Dishonored 1 and 2, and Civilization. Old games like Zany Golf and newer ones like Last of Us and God of War. All of these require creative talent and people who take part in every step of the media and entertainment industry. Actors, writers, special effects designers, directors, music producers, sound effects coordinators, scoring, programmers, beta testers, and more.
Do you play board games? Enjoy card games? Tabletop gaming is a huge business on its own, and we aren’t talking about getting together and playing Monopoly. Oh no. Let me introduce you to board games that are all about resource management, can take days or longer to play, and have deep, deep partner-based strategies that manage the odds, not the resources. How many of you guessed Settlers of Catan already?
There are so many options that are just out there to help you find what you want: Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, Disney+, Paramount+, Peacock, Apple TV, and Amazon Prime. Looking for a Steampunk murder thriller? Amazon Prime is back with Carnival Row. Paramount+? Home for all things Star Trek. HBO/Max? The Last of Us, Game of Thrones, and more.
As more of our culture is automated, we have to recognize it gives us more opportunities to enjoy leisure time, and more opportunities for people who want to work in those industries. There has never been a better time to think about becoming a graphic designer for computer gaming. Programming? Same.
Long live Hollywood. Long live our entertainment industry. Thank you, gaming. What are you playing, watching, or listening to right now?