Whole New Door

"As an icon, Mario is inseparable from the medium he represents, a name practically synonymous with the pastime, and like other creations brought about in gaming's infancy, absolutely absurd. Stare too long and you realize he's an overweight, mustachioed Italian stereotype who battles sentient turtles and grows to immense proportions when he comes in contact with mushrooms. But these are conventions of a universe that we've had over 20 years to become familiar with. Why does the mushroom make Mario big? Because it's a super mushroom. Duh."

Aaron Linde explains why "Mario is Unmarketable!"

"The whole by-carrot approach means developers first have to work on something that represents a safe financial bet for the publisher - something like an Incredible Hulk tie-in, something possibly rather dull, something that may put drastic limits on originality and is almost certainly tied to a brutal schedule. What's more, the developer not only has to work on this humdrum project, it has to produce sales volume if it wants its carrot."

Matthew Sakey explains how developers and publishers can both have their cakes and eat them too.

"Weiler is an old-school media manipulator for the new media age, a post-modern P.T. Barnum. I've managed to catch half an hour with him on the phone, delayed a week because he was traveling to LA for a 'mash-up' screening of Head Trauma. Next week he's off to London. After that it's back to work on the script for his next film ("it's in the horror genre, very visceral - Lord of the Flies meets 28 Days Later") and negotiating a deal for his new television series, which he can't tell me about - yet.

"'I kind of have a full plate,' he says - the understatement of the year."

Russ Pitts speaks to filmmaker and ARG creator Lance Weiler.

"A few years ago, when customers wanted a used PlayStation, I asked, "PlayStation 1 or 2?" Now the question is, "PlayStation 1, 2, 2 Slimline or PS3 with which hard drive?" When they want a used Xbox 360, I say a little prayer."

Brian Rowe recounts the hard knock life of a videogame retailer.

"What happens to these games after they're removed from store shelves? Well, it used to be that they were relegated to bargain bins, online auctions and, of course, internet piracy. Any way you slice it, the developers aren't getting a cent, which gives them neither funds for a new project nor financial incentive enough to pursue one."

John Adkins takes a look at how digital distribution has breathed new life into the industry.