Celebrity Byte

Electronic Arts' The Simpsons Game marks the first time you actually play a role in the game world. What was it like to see yourself in a game?

Matt at the "The Simpsons Movie" premiere in Westwood, California.

It was the highest honor ever to be in a video game. That was great. I got to play myself and went into a studio and recorded my lines, which in addition to assorted whitisms, included a lot of noises of anguish and pain. I was exhausted after five minutes. I got a renewed awe of people that are voice actors.

Do you get to play video games much these days?

I have two kids that are too impatient to let me stay on and get good enough. They always take the controllers away from me. Of course, when I was growing up I always played games. I think the last game I was strung out on was Super Mario 64. That goes back a ways. I liked really dumb games. I liked Burger Time, Dig Dug, Mr. Driller...really simple games.

Those are all great classic games.

They are good games but they are not the games you think of games these days like Halo 3. Today it's all about grim, first-person shooters. I was just never good enough to play those, nor would my kids tolerate me trying. Halo 3 is playing at my house several hours a day and Gears of War is another big one. I watched my kids play BioShock and that game is amazing and looks incredible.

I do think of games as a new way of story telling. I feel that we're just beginning to explore the type of stories that can be told with video games.

What are your thoughts about games like BioShock focusing more time on strong story lines?

I think that is great. I do think of games as a new way of story telling. I feel that we're just beginning to explore the type of stories that can be told with video games. I think that Bioshock, in particular, for a recent game was pretty nifty. It certainly was stuff I hadn't seen before or even considered in a video game. I think as people apply ingenuity to story telling and the games expand in their possibility, it's going be a great age of video games. I can't wait to see what they come up with next.

Nancy Cartwright, Hank Azaria, Al Jean, Matt Groening and Yeardley Smith.

Speaking of what's next, what are your thoughts on Nintendo Wii?

We love the Wii. The Wii is great for The Simpsons Game. There is an eating level where you're using the wand to eat as fast as you can. It's a new and original way to game. The Wii is for the oldster like me. We can handle the Wii.

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