The IMDB game - An explanation

When I was in University, I (like many) was forced to write a multitude of ridiculous essays. While I generally enjoyed the topics I wrote about in school, I hated the strict, regimented way in which I had to organize (re vomit) information in academic "essay" form. That strict Hamburger method generally left me feeling uninspired to do more than was necessary to finish an essay. Lets be real here; there is no art to University essay writing. If you can figure out the formula (it's not that hard), you can crank out mindless, quote-laden schlock to support your wildly baseless arguments in mere hours. What fun! 

I always found it beneficial to my overall well-being to stretch these mere hours into days. Some would call this procrastination, but I preferred to call it "extra-curricular research time." To escape the monotony of school work, I, like many, tended to drift to the wide expanse of the Interweb. While others spent their time playing mindless flash games on ebaumsworld, I chose to waste valuable essay hours surfing IMDB.com.

Love it or hate it, IMDB is the single best resource for pertinent film news on the web. Of course, IMDB doesn't approach the industry with the same robust intellectualism of a trade magazine or well-informed blog, but its database format allows IMDB to synthesize mountains of key film information easily and in one place. It's ultra-clickable interface also makes it invaluable in determining who worked on what and, more importantly (or so says I), who's working on, or will be working on what in the near future. For click-hungry, film buffs or for those who just don't feel like sifting through a bunch of text to figure out what's going on, IMDB is the place to be.

I spent hours in university foregoing essays in favour of semi-conscious IMDB clicking. I found that by beginning with a particular actor/director/film of interest, I could start on a click adventure and discover what new/exciting projects were in the works while still keeping in the spirit of wasting time. Soon after, I began trying to work my click adventures into full circles; trying to see if I could start and end with the same person/film. And thus the IMDB game was born.

Feel like playing? Here are a few rules I created to make the game challenging and super FUN!!!

1. Beginning with any actor, alternate between individual (actor, director, producer) and film title. When possible, try to keep the loop going using new film projects (the ones with red writing next to them). This way, you'll get a better handle on what's going on.
   
2. Don't be a hero. There are millions of entries in IMDB. If it's been an hour and you still haven't come full circle, just quit. After all, this is supposed to be a mindless distraction from important computer-related things, not a psychotic obsession. If you're feeling industrious though, write out your connections (see below) and pick up where you left off later. 

While the IMDB game doesn't always produce high-calibre projects, it does give you an informative - and potentially hilarious - whitewash of information (you'd be surprised how many actors have starred in now-defunct TV series'). This game also forces you to select people in the industry who are well-know, relevant and most-likely still working and keeps you abreast of many new and proposed major films coming out in the near future.   

So with that, here is my first IMDB game entry. I will be playing it from time to time, then posting my results on my blog. If you'd like to play as well, I encourage you to record your connections and post them in the comments section under the IMDB game blog posts.

I began this IMDB game entry last week, shortly after writing my The Rocker post. However, because of my erratic laptop battery, I lost my original post and was discouraged to reproduce it until now. Don't you just hate when that happens?

Anyway, here's my first entry. I managed to go full circle on this one. I had to trudge through A LOT of terrible one-off TV shows, but it was worth it. Have a look

The Rocker -> Rainn Wilson -> Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen -> Megan Fox -> Ironclad -> Paul Giamatti -> The Last Station -> Christopher Plummer -> Up -> Edward Asner -> Trim -> Bruce Dern -> Hart's Location -> Diane Ladd -> American Cowslip -> Val Kilmer -> The Dirt -> Christopher Walken -> Kevin Approaches -> Guy Pierce -> In Her Skin -> Sam Neill -> Daybreakers -> Willem Dafoe -> The Wild Bunch -> Elizabeth Hurley -> The Last Guy on Earth -> Carol Burnett -> The Post Grad Survival Guide -> Jane Lynch -> The Rocker

Happy IMDB gaming!!!