Those that don’t play games easily lose touch as they’ve ‘no instincts’. THQ don’t rely on teenage test groups, otherwise it’s ”time to go to the rest home.”
”In the game industry, it makes me a genius,” declared Bilson, who insinuates its quite rare for an executive within our sector to actually play videogames. He talked up his early time with EA and how he even influenced a ‘swinging singles sim’ game (The Sims).
He likened product development and marketing with THQ once he’d jumped ship as like ”Germany and England in World War II,” but his high level placement helped soothe relations and build up trust. Perception is everything and marketing is key.
”It’s, ‘Do I want to go there?” Bilson explained. ”It’s not, ‘Do I want to be that guy?’ The guy is just a vessel.” He reveals he has been inspired by Microsoft’s ‘Where do you want to go today?’ marketing slogan.
”We don’t test,” Bilson said. ”What are 16 teenagers in Encino going to tell us that we don’t know? If I ever get to the point where I need to ask what a 15 year old wants these days, it’s time to go to the rest home…because you’re done.” Star Wars didn’t test well, he said.
Should publishers and studios strive to at least have a handful of videogaming executives in high level posts? Activision’s Bobby Kotick says he doesn’t game.
