Attack of the nerds – our time, our choices, our games

Back in the day when the world was simple, gamers were pretty happy with what they played coming from the big publishers. All they had to do was buy a console, select a few initial games to play through, and when they finally get sick of their titles, they wait a few months until the developers release a new game and then pray real hard that they end up liking it.

That was the scenario in the last few generations of console gaming. Not until the 32-bit age was over did we see the first semblances of games created by gamers themselves on console platforms. Obviously, not a lot of people had the desire or know-how to create their own game cartridges, and even if they did, there was no internet to serve as the stage where they can rant and rave about their genius.

Gaming is a business. As a matter of fact, it’s one of the biggest entertainment industries in the world and it grows as we speak. The production of games has always been based on studies where companies try to dig real deep in the hearts of target markets and try everything to appease the creative hunger of their patrons to ultimately get the market to buy the games that they put out.

In the documentary “The Architects of Cool” it was revealed that multinational brands, including game development outfits actually have entire departments who monitor, consult and analyze “cool kids.” These are kids who are leaders in their peer groups and have the highest propensity to set trends because of their reputations. By basing their next product models on ideas of these trend-setters, they increase the chances that what they release will be the next big thing. (Though the concept behind fat plumbers in red jump suits fighting spiky reptiles may not have been a product of this method.)

Given the fact that cheerleaders and jocks have secretly been getting their way all along even with the games we play, the question now rises – what about the geek’s ideas? Do they matter at all? Does anyone care what the fat kid thinks about Mortal Kombat? Fifteen years ago, the answer was no.

The full article awaits after the jump!

Back in the day when the world was simple, gamers were pretty happy with what they played coming from the big publishers. All they had to do was buy a console, select a few initial games to play through, and when they finally get sick of their titles, they wait a few months until the developers release a new game and then pray real hard that they end up liking it.

That was the scenario in the last few generations of console gaming. Not until the 32-bit age was over did we see the first semblances of games created by gamers themselves on console platforms. Obviously, not a lot of people had the desire or know-how to create their own game cartridges, and even if they did, there was no internet to serve as the stage where they can rant and rave about their genius.

Gaming is a business. As a matter of fact, it’s one of the biggest entertainment industries in the world and it grows as we speak. The production of games has always been based on studies where companies try to dig real deep in the hearts of target markets and try everything to appease the creative hunger of their patrons to ultimately get the market to buy the games that they put out.

In the documentary “The Architects of Cool” it was revealed that multinational brands, including game development outfits actually have entire departments who monitor, consult and analyze “cool kids.” These are kids who are leaders in their peer groups and have the highest propensity to set trends because of their reputations. By basing their next product models on ideas of these trend-setters, they increase the chances that what they release will be the next big thing. (Though the concept behind fat plumbers in red jump suits fighting spiky reptiles may not have been a product of this method.)

Given the fact that cheerleaders and jocks have secretly been getting their way all along even with the games we play, the question now rises – what about the geek’s ideas? Do they matter at all? Does anyone care what the fat kid thinks about Mortal Kombat? Fifteen years ago, the answer was no.

For the most part, this has been a viable model to follow. However, after the internet became the behemoth that it is now and when online play was finally introduced to console platforms, things began to change and a lot of gamers from different social backgrounds began to realize that they too had the power to weave creative magic in games.

Without a budget and armed only with passion and creativity, they set out to make a revolution happen. In the advent of the PS2/Xbox age, we flooded the floors with gamer drool when we saw Final Fantasy X and Halo for the first time, but weren’t we equally amazed to see 3d platformers running on the Xbox from indy developers who never really released their craft?

Now, more than ever, end-users have more of a direct say to what they’ll play with the advent of homebrew. We’ve seen what modders can do with PC games, and what they did with Half-life is more than gaming gold – it was a milestone in the industry.What started as a hobby for some in PC gaming has now become day jobs for many independent developers in console platforms. What was then illegal is now gaining recognition from the industry’s giants. Take for instance Microsoft’s XNA model which allows home users to access development tools through Microsoft‘s own network in order to tap creative talents.

Nintendo has also bought in to the act, as it introduced Mii‘s – avatars which can interact with other Wii users to not only set the stage for online play, but to serve as a starting tool to foster cooperation and interaction in their end-user backyard.

So far, homebrew has hit a few shots, coming up with emulators and a number of fun mods and indy games. It may not have nailed that one defining moment just yet, but it’s likely that one is already in the works. Given the fact that the desire has always been there and tools are made more and more easily accessible, it won’t be surprising to see if this end-user empowerment phase leads to an outright revolution.

Gaming, in a stricter sense, is a high form of communication. Game companies have been feeding us messages for three decades now. Homebrew looks to become the player’s feedback in a loud way.