Genre – FMV

The Full Motion Video, or simply abbreviated FMV, is a genre of games in which the game’s graphics comprise pre-recorded videos instead of animated polygons, sprites, etc. The videos display the action and are often only operable by the gamer pressing a button (which would send a signal to boot up a different video depending on which button you pressed and when). FMV games were also known as Interactive Movies, and were highly regarded as the “next big thing” in the early and mid-90s. Many games in the FMV genre are well-known for their narrative storytelling and for truly getting the gamer involved, often asking questions directly to the screen (aka, gamer) prompting the gamer to perform an action. The concept is sound but the technology and systems in place at the time were too flawed and imperfect for any true success. The videos were grainy and systems could hardly keep up with the speed as the gamer would press a button and have to wait for the laser to locate the accurate spot on the disc! The acting was bad, the action was typically mediocre (although some games were okay), and many games hardly required ANY interaction and were more like a shitty movie where you press a button to advance to the next scene! Ugh talk about a headache.

The first FMV games were in the early 80s and used Laserdisc for their video and CD-quality audio. These games were difficult to develop and expensive to maintain, thus requiring 50 cents to play instead of the traditional 25 cents. It is for this reason gamers quit playing, and it was a no-brainer for the developers to stop making them. With an increase in technology and a big push for “interactive gameplay”, developers picked up on the “forgotten” genre and attempted a comeback in the early/mid 90s. The rest is history (good and bad history).

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