Creation and Invention Are Games We All Play
Returning to blogging and finding why classics are classics.
“Some writers are only born to help another writer to write one sentence.” - Ernest Hemingway, Green Hills of Africa
I read a lot of classics. That’s because, reading them, I can often find a sentence or idea so beautiful that it just completely floors me. Which is why they’re classics.
The video game industry is in a time of chaos. Lots of layoffs. A massive glut of product. Tens of thousands of games coming out a year, many of them made with great care and love, most of which will disappear without a ripple. (And that’s without mentioning AI.) Nobody knows what the game industry is going to look like in five years.
And yet, there is so much creativity. I am trying exciting, fresh new games all the time. It can be hard to pick them out from all the roguesoulsvamppiresurvivors pickoneofthreeupgrades mess, but they’re out there. There is still so much to explore in this art form.
And you don’t have to be a developer to come up with great ideas. I have gotten bangers from fans and rando forum posters. Doesn’t happen often. But it DOES happen.
So if you are working on your hot new game, and you are not sure if anyone will care about it, and let’s be honest most of the time nobody will, I hope Hemingway’s sentiment provides some comfort.
There’s So Much Potential In Going Big, and Going Small
I recently wrote glowingly about Mewgenics, a truly massive game full of detail, creativity, and polish. I quit it when the credits rolled because, as I said in my post, if I play a game like that too long it becomes a depression symptom. But it’s really cool. Its hugeness is a major part of its appeal. A banquet of ideas to expand upon.
I also played a game called Buckshot Roulette. It’s an almost comically simple 2 player game. You can see the whole game really quickly. Yet, it is carried by an insane setting and art direction that makes it really creepy and cool.
As small as it is, it is full of tiny little details that I can see being expanded into other games. There is so much space to be explored in tiny games and small experiences adults can fit into their lives. (Though, as I have warned in the past, if you are charging more than $5 per hour of gameplay, you are in the Danger Zone.)
So as depressing as working in this industry can be, it is also a young, fast-growing, creativity-packed art form. We are making so much cool stuff.
If you are a creator, be proud. We all stand on the shoulders of giants. If the best you do it giving someone else an idea that turns into something great, well, there are worse ways to spend a life.
The alternative is worse ...
“The worst of it is that all you fellows have no sense of dignity; you don’t think enough of what you are supposed to be.” - Joseph Conrad, Lord Jim
Sorry for the long pause between posts. Lots going on. Life is happily returning to normal now.
Spiderweb Software has been creating turn-based, indie, old-school fantasy role-playing games since 1994. They are low-budget, but they’re full of good stories and fun.
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Sadly one of the folks who kinda have no dignity. Not sure whether I have thought through but I definite spent a hell lot of time on it and tried a lot of things. Kinda made peace with myself too — some people just don’t get to have dignity and you know what? It’s fine. Everyone dies anyway.