Silliwood

Silliwood is the term given [ [http://rccs.usfca.edu/bookinfo.asp?ReviewID=70&BookID=73 RCCS: View Book Info ] ] to the failed video game convergence of Hollywood and Silicon Valley in the early-to-mid-1990s. This was spurred on in large part by the success of CD-ROM games like Myst, and as a result gamers were given such quality productions as The Horde (starring Kirk Cameron), A Fork in the Tale (starring Rob Schneider), the infamous Night Trap (starring Dana Plato) and several games starring Tim Curry. But the byproducts of Silliwood weren't all terrible, and some decent titles still managed to squeeze their way out of the crap pile. These include the Dreamworks Studios title The Neverhood, the Warner Bros. Edgar Allan Poe game The Dark Eye and The Residents game Bad Day on the Midway. Not to mention appearances by Mark Hamill and Malcolm McDowell in the later Wing Commander games.

As all of these games (even the good ones, unfortunately) emphasized flashy production values and big name (or at least, recognizable) actors over gameplay, the overwhelming majority of them tanked, and by '97 the gold rush was well over. Of course by that point the Internet gold rush was on, and Hollywood moved on to put its money into online experiments that fared about as well.

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