A huge issue has arisen in the “nerd sphere” and entertainment industry over the past decade, and it impacts everything from video games to comic books to movies and TV shows.
The problem is a rising disconnect between companies, developers and creators who care more about microtransactions and marketing to every kind of demographic. They often shove aside or distance themselves from long-time fans of many different intellectual properties.
We see the rebirth of Rockefellers in the form of every intellectual property being bought out and the control of an entire market ending up in the hands of a few companies that destroy the market due to oversaturation and leave little room for healthy competition. More recently, we saw the attacking of indie and fan-made projects such as the “D&D” tabletop game market.
All these practices are killing and destroying the market, eliminating creativity and ingenuity and creating a widening gap between corporations and their long-standing fans.
What made nerdy media so great for decades was this free market of passion and trust and a sense of community. This new era is destroying these great worlds of imagination and dreams by treating them like a mass-produced market.
But I am hopeful.
These worlds of dreams were created by outsiders, and so will the next great gold rush of art. Creativity is in the hands of dreamers who will take on this new age of technology with fresh ideas.
I hope we are on the verge of brave new worlds where the gaming community can thrive.