Machinima as a Viable Commercial Medium

Abstract

The author investigates the feasibility of machinima as a commercial filmmaking format, suggesting that quality-wise, it cannot compete, in its current state, with computer generated imagery. Moreover, although computers and game engines will improve dramatically in the next decades, machinima’s re-sampling nature will not allow this form of expression to achieve the variety and originality of live action or animation. The author concludes that machinima could become more successful — critically and commercially — in other areas, such as television and the internet.