Borkowski Weekly Media Trends: BBC Annus Horribilis | Microsoft vs CMA
PLUS Hyper-realistic video games | Mark Borkowski on the Royals
In case you missed it check out Mark Borkowski’s thoughts on the challenges faced by the Royal Family on the eve of the Coronation:
BBC in Danger of Annus Horribilis
Following the BBC’s censure of Gary Lineker and subsequent climbdown and brutal cuts to local radio, the BBC was visited with its another major scandal when Chairman Richard Sharp was forced to resign after a damaging report into his financial relationship with disgraced former Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
For an undoubtedly world class broadcaster the BBC spends surprisingly little time in anything other than a perpetual state of crisis. The most Damoclean existential threat in the past decade is removal of its Charter and ability to collect licence fees. This has consistently been dangled by Conservative governments in the context of austerity programmes or what is perceived as a liberal bias within the organisation.
Now the BBC’s reputation is suffering for a different reason; a growing proportion of the political left and centre see the institution’s membership as problematically closely linked to the Conservative Party. This criticism became prominent when Tim Davie was appointed as Director General and began to crescendo when revelations of ties between Chairman Sharp and the boorish ex PM, not helped by what many of the same critics felt was uneven treatment of Lineker for his expression of political opinions off air.
This is a different kind of threat to the BBC. It’s one thing being seen as too liberal and too expensive by a cost-cutting, conservative government – that’s an easy one to defend against morally and intellectually. It’s quite another to be accused of being institutionally in thrall to that government, even accused of being the broadcast arm of the Conservative Party.
If the major spectacles of Eurovision and the King’s Coronation go well it will be a timely reminder of what the BBC does best, but expect continued sharp scrutiny of the corporation’s links to the Government in the months to come.
Microsoft and Activision Vs CMA (And the British People)
The CMA has thrown a wrench in Microsoft's plans to acquire games giant Activision. This story is interesting from a Comms point of view because, uncharacteristically for a major corporate, Microsoft has launched an aggressive publicity campaign about how unfair the CMA’s decision is.
Microsoft has been eyeing up Activision for a while now. They wanted to merge with them, forming a mega-company that would control a huge chunk of the video game industry by dominating both the games and the machines they are played on. But the CMA stepped in and put a stop to the merger because they didn't want Microsoft to create a monopoly.
Microsoft’s tactic was almost like something out of the Donald Trump-Boris Johnson playbook; the bully positioning itself as the victim, but it seems not to have landed.
There has been a lot of support for the CMA’s decision along the lines that letting big companies turn into mega companies is bad news. They stifle competition and innovation, and can lead to higher prices and poorer quality products. We have seen this with the dominance of Meta (Facebook), Apple and Google over their respective domains.
Ironically the one group who didn't seem bothered was the shareholders, the announcement did little to the share price. Probably because they knew the acquisition going ahead would be more painful in the long run and Microsoft is already a strong company without Activision.
Microsoft and Activision can still do business with each other, but they'll have to do it as separate entities.
Ultra-realistic Video Games must beware Uncanny Valley
Last week, body cam footage emerged online of an intense pursuit through an abandoned lot, with someone navigating through the graffitied building wielding a pistol and engaging in gunfire with several armed men. But here's the kicker: it wasn't recorded footage; it was the gameplay of an ultra-realistic first-person shooter called 'Unrecord'. Many were shocked that this game was indistinguishable from reality; it's only when you see visual pop-ups like the ammo count and a dropdown menu to negotiate with enemies at gunpoint that you can be sure it's just a game.
For decades, the media has covered the extent to which violent video games like Grand Theft Auto cause harm, publicising many studies attempting to link violent video games with aggressive behaviour. However, while some published evidence links these games and aggression, most research has failed to establish a direct causal relationship.
In steps Unrecord - the latest game upping realism to new heights and landing us in the Uncanny Valley. It's a potential crisis for the next wave of video games whose graphics are too realistic, raising questions about what type of content should be permitted.
And since Unrecord doesn't have a publisher, the game's realism may put off potential collaborators who may be concerned about the game's public perception. But on the other hand, the game's realism could be doing the opposite of glorifying violence and, instead, making shooting people scary and chilling.
This game's virality means the developers might've lost control of the narrative - it has taken the gaming world by storm prompting hard questions about the game's photorealism. They could've been better prepared with detailed messaging about player safety and safeguarding. Still it remains to be seen how Unrecord will impact the industry and whether it will be the beginning of a new era of ultra-realistic games.