Here’s To The Crazy Ones

I recently finished reading the Steve Jobs biography and there is a clear message throughout the book which is summed up as “The journey is the reward”. In other words it is not about the finished final product or if you succeed or fail but rather the reward comes from the journey up until the last point by working with others and seeing what you can accomplish.

Image by The Seg via Flickr

Now applying that motto to the gaming industry and its clear they have it all wrong. Long ago it used to be about the journey but in the last ten years it has been about the end result and money. I can’t blame companies for trying to make money but clearly they are lacking creativity and passion. Games were once crafted with talent, care and over the course of a few years at the very least. The journey was the reward because people came together to make something that truly was extraordinary and fans responded in kind. The end result wasn’t that bad either.

But today it is different. There is no journey but rather a company working its slaves away to get a product out as quickly as possible. Most often times games are released in a year or less than 8 months and they feel like almost carbon copies to their prequels. There is constant discussion on the miss management and miss treatment of employees and every other month a studio closes down and abandons those that helped to build it up.

So what happened? Somewhere along the line either gamers or companies alike got accustomed to the idea of buying the same (or similar) game every year on the same month. That took off and was financially successful which in turn caused companies to follow suit with the same practice. We’ve become drones shuffling in long line ups waiting for the same product to come out so we can drool at the mouth, hand over our money and pretend we’re having fun because everyone else bought the same thing.

This needs to change. Games need to come out every few years so we are actually excited and willing to be committed to the idea that it is something unique and fun. The journey needs to become the reward where the video game industry has fun making a game and we as customers have fun following that journey and participating in it up until the very end.

Steve Jobs may have passed on but his words have left an impression with Apple and I hope the rest of the world can take notice. Its not about being a dull corporation that pumps out the same drivel each year to the masses. It is about taking risks, trying new things, being creative and having fun on the journey to what you want to accomplish. That is the reward and that is what every video game should embody.