Space Invaders - Warner Bros. and the History of Hollywood in the Video Game Industry

Oct 13, 2026

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This dissertation traces the history of convergence between “Hollywood” and the video game industry, focusing on the Warner Bros. studio and its conglomerate owners. It examines how Warner’s involvement in inhouse production and licensing has confronted cultural incompatibilities between games and other media. The study argues that convergence often functions as a corporate ideal that intensifies struggles for creative control and cultural survival. Interviews, press analysis, archival research, and close readings of specific games support the conclusion that these dynamics will shape future media convergence regardless of practical effects on creative labor.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryPresentations

FormatPDF

Pages552

Reading Time3 h 13 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Methodology

Literature Review

Chapter Breakdown

Chapter 1: The Emergence of Film and Video Game Convergence

Chapter 2: The Role of Hollywood in the Video Game Industry Crash

Chapter 3: How Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Reset the Game

Chapter 4: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment’s Approaches to Contemporary Video Game Industry Trends

Conclusion

Bibliography

UCLA UCLA Electronic Theses and Dissertations Title Space Invaders: Warner Bros. and the History of Hollywood in the Video Game Industry Permalink [https://escholarship.org/uc/item/14c9z3p6](https://escholarship.org/uc/item/14c9z3p6) Author Fleury, James Bernard Publication Date 2019 Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation [eScholarship.org](eScholarship.org) Powered by the California Digital Library University of California UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Los Angeles Space Invaders: Warner Bros. and the History of Hollywood in the Video Game Industry A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Film and Television by James Bernard Fleury 2019 © Copyright by James Bernard Fleury 2019 ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION Space Invaders: Warner Bros. and the History of Hollywood in the Video Game Industry by James Bernard Fleury Doctor of Philosophy in Film and Television University of California, Los Angeles, 2019 Professor John T. Caldwell, Chair This dissertation traces the history of convergence between “Hollywood”(i.e., the American film and television business) and the video game industry. It focuses on the Warner Bros. studio and its conglomerate owners (i.e., Warner Communications, Inc.; Time Warner; AOL Time Warner; and AT&T), whose video game industry involvement has included both inhouse production (through Atari and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment) and licensing arrangements with outside companies. Although “convergence” as a corporate ideal implies two cultures cooperating as they move toward becoming a single culture, its application as a corporate mandate often has led to competition arising out of established hierarchies between groups of creative workers within the media industries. This project charts how Hollywood conglomerates have found it challenging to practically implement video game-related convergence due to seemingly incompatible cultural differences between the games business and other media industries. Even as Warner has changed over time in terms of ownership and structure, I argue that its decades of game development and licensing show that convergence between so-called “old” and “new”media tends to involve struggles for not just creative control but also cultural survival. Reflecting on continuities present throughout Warner’s video game history can provide insight into Hollywood’s contemporary, and future, involvement in emerging media. In particular, this history demonstrates a recurring trend throughout Hollywood of initially using new technology to promote existing old-media interests prior to experimenting with original content—all while maintaining a hierarchy in which the newer media and their creators occupy a lower position than those in older media. Through interviews with artists and executives connected to this history, analysis of trade and popular press reports, archival research, and close readings of particular games, this project considers the implications of trends underlying Warner’s conditions for creative labor in efforts to converge the film and video game industries. Based on these trends, I contend that Hollywood conglomerates will continue to approach the implementation of media convergence as an industrial ideal without regard for its practical effects on creative workers. The dissertation of James Bernard Fleury is approved. Stephen D. Mamber Denise R. Mann Ross Melnick John T. Caldwell, Chair University of California, Los Angeles 2019 To my parents. v TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures…………………………………………………………………………………viii Acknowledgements……………………………………………………………………………...xi Vita……………………………………………………………………………………………...xiii Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………1 Methodology…………………………………………………………………………….28 Literature Review………………………………………………………………………...49 Chapter Breakdown……………………………………………………………………...71 Chapter 1: The Emerg

FAQs

What relationship does the dissertation study between Hollywood and the video game industry?

It traces how corporate “convergence” between Hollywood and video games has developed over time, with a focus on Warner Bros. and its owners.

How does the dissertation explain why media convergence is difficult to implement?

It argues that incompatible cultural differences and existing hierarchies between groups of creative workers lead convergence efforts to produce competition rather than cooperation.

What sources and analytical methods does the dissertation rely on?

It uses interviews with connected artists and executives, analysis of trade and popular press, archival research, and close readings of particular games.

Oct 13, 2026

Upload by Jake