Slice of life with Scot Rubin
Since 1996 Scot Rubin had a single vision: to create entertaining, authentic content for the video game generation.Two years after launching All Games Network and the world's first daily talk show about games, he was invited to join forces with webcasting pioneer Pseudo Programs in NYC. At Pseudo, Rubin was Vice President of games and sports programming. In that capacity, he was responsible for all marketing and production of All Games Network and the NFL QB Club Channel amounting to more than 12 hours of live and on-demand programming each week.
In 2000, Rubin was lured to Hollywood (as a consultant for Comcast) to develop the video game TV channel G4 where he served as VP of Program Development, Internet and IT before finally settling in as the VP of Editorial. In 2002, he created and hosted a weekly interactive talk show and various specials. As G4 shifted away from gaming in 2005, Rubin left to re-launch All Games Productions. Since then, he has provided consulting and production services to GameSpot, Shiny Entertainment, CFP Productions, Crisp Branding, E For All Expo, Hewlett Packard, The Viral Factory, Wilshire Communications and others. Rubin was executive producer for the television pilot "Hollywood and Games" in HD as well as the documentary "As Real As Your Life."
VP of Executive Recruiting and Client Services Norma Crippen caught up with Rubin to discuss his career breakthroughs, current projects and the future of the video game industry.
Norma: How did you get your break in the industry?
Scot: As a lifelong gamer with a passion for broadcasting, I registered allgames.com in 1996 to create All Games Network. I used the first generation of real audio technology to create the world's first daily talk show about games. The goal was to provide gamers a chance to go inside the development process by hearing from the game makers themselves. Since then, I’ve interviewed more than 700 industry insiders and produced more than 1000 hours of television and radio programming about games. We were also the first to deliver three days of live video coverage of E3 from 1998-2000.
Norma: Many video game players play video games as if they are a sport. ESPN has even covered championships for things like Golden Tee calling it a “Video Sport”. Would you call video games a sport?
Scot: By definition, competitive video games are a “sport.” The thing holding it back from becoming the NFL or NBA is the lack of a consistent game/platform/rule set.
Norma: Did you find you had to use very different techniques to cover sports and video games?
Scot: Yes. Coverage of competitive video game competitions presents a number of different challenges. Most games do not have a broadcast-friendly spectator mode, and online competition is still hindered by lag, cheats and exploits. The other major challenge is with the players themselves. In contrast to traditional athletes, gamers tend to sit stoic and emotionless while focusing on the game. Professional poker is probably the closest parallel, and the example pro game leagues use when pitching to the mainstream media.
Norma: What kind of markets do you think video games should target next?
Scot: The success of Guitar Hero and Rock Band shows how quick a new market can grow--then drop. Revenue for music/rhythm games was down 36% during the first quarter of the year and 42% in March. The next big market looks to be Iphone games. UbiSoft and EA are enjoying great success with their titles, and developers are walking away from big companies for the opportunity to sell their own games without the expense of huge teams, packaging and retail distribution.
Norma: What would you say is the target market that most video games are aiming for currently?
Scot: Most people are simply overwhelmed by the number of buttons and complex controls in video games. It’s clear the industry is targeting the casual gamers that have gobbled up the Nintendo Wii. Sony and Microsoft are preparing to unleash their own motion sensing add-ons that will combine simple controls with HD graphics.
Norma: Why did you start a video game television network and what did that experience do for your career?
Scot: When I told people I wanted to create a television network about games, most people thought I was crazy. Then I explained that video games were a billion dollar industry and had all the elements of film, sports and music. It wasn’t until the games started to evolve past the pixilated images and get crossover appeal that a true TV channel could be taken seriously. In 1999, I was producing 12 hours of live programming each week at All Games Network. Disney TV President Charles Hirschhorn cold called me to see my operation, and a year later hired me to lead the development of G4. It took two years and a cross-country move to raise $250 million and develop the network. The lessons learned were invaluable. The experience allowed me to share my unique knowledge of television and video games as a consultant for a variety of companies looking to be in this space.
Norma: What are people most surprised to learn about you?
Scot: That I spent two years as a bartender for Club Med in Cancun, Turks & Caicos and the Bahamas.
Norma: What games are you currently playing?
Scot: I just started playing Wolverine which is surprisingly fun for a movie licensed game. I’m known for being a huge Madden NFL fan, and I admit I play online at least 5 days a week. It’s like chess to me, and helps me unwind after a long day. I’m also addicted to Flight Control, a 99-cent game on the iPhone.
Norma: What is your claim to fame?
Scot: It would have to be my time hosting the interactive talk show G4tv.com. In the early days of the network people would leave it on like wallpaper and we had a very loyal fan base.
Norma: What are you working on right now?
Scot: I’m working on a new show that combines the irreverent nature of the “Daily Show” with the interactivity of my previous shows. I’m also working on a 3.0 version of All Games Network that features 30 hours of live and on demand talk shows and video game music. Our station will also be accessible through our iphone streaming app that should be available this summer.
Norma: Drum roll………If you were a zombie who is the first person you would eat?
Scot: Probably Sarah Silverman. If I’m going to be walking dead forever, I want to be laughing most of the time.
Norma Crippen is vice president of executive recruiting and client services at Mary-Margaret Network. Her 20-year career in recruiting spans games and high tech. She spent several years at legendary game developer Origin Systems. If you would like to meet Scot Rubin, please contact norma@mary-margaret.com for an introduction.
