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I have no idea when this was written, but it reflects my feelings exactly. Everyone should check it out. http://blogs.sampy.com/ken/archive/2004/06/30/192.aspx
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Yeah, I definitely have to agree. I feel many of the same sentiments about Sierra that the author of the blog does, but what’s done is done. The game industry changed during the 90’s, yes, but the story is bigger than that it was taken over by corporate greed. Historically, games have always pushed the envelope of what hardware could do. I think adventure gaming died because there was nowhere left for them go to after they had high resolution VGA graphics, full digital sound, and a fully developed story. I think King’s Quest VI represented the pinnacle of what adventure gaming could accomplish (other than that it could have been in higher resolution, but the cinematic intro was the clincher for me) In any case, computers were ever increasing in power and developers who wanted to harness this power had to think of something completely new – the 3D game – Wolfenstein 3D, Tomb Raider, Doom, Quake, et al. Coporate money taking over game development was inevitable. These days developing a top of the line game requires millions of dollars, dozens of talented staffers, and years to make. There are not that many people who can make a venture like that out of their own pocket, and that means corporate dollars have to get involved. Contrast this to back in the early days where one guy could make an awesome game, ala Price of Persia/Jordan Mechner. It’s not like one person can’t make a good game today, but there’s no way it’s going to get the attention that the big ticket games do. In my opinion, however, that doesn’t matter. Such people write games primarily for fun and not money. Some are good, some are not, but most of them are available to everyone as a free download. There are dozens of sites that are dedicated to independent game development. This homebrew industry gives me hope that the spirit of Sierra lives on.
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I spoke with a non-profit group here in Texas, and they have lots of V.C. (money) available specifically for Technology-related businesses. They help individuals or company who go from Zero-To-$10Million with a cutting edge invention or product. They are working with me to get my non-game project off the ground.
I also asked them about my hobby, creating online games. That would be different, they said, because I do not have a game product, and most of the game development happens in Austin (I live in San Antonio).
But, if I had a game that was HOT, they would reconsider their position, for then I would have a product. They also mentioned partnering with someone already in the game industry — someone with experience and capital. Perhaps, Ken Williams?
When all is said and done, it’s clear that anybody could have done what Sierra did, but only Ken and Roberta actually worked at it and made it happen!
If anyone else is as determined to break into the game industry, let me know. For now, my work is concentrated on databases; it gets the bills paid until my hobby is complete: An Original Online Murder Mystery.
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