Anyone who has ever spent any quantifiable amount of
time in America has probably heard about “The American Dream”; In
essence: the ability to climb the social ladder and become successful by
working hard and chasing one’s dreams. In theory this sounds fantastic
but the bitter reality is that it seems unattainable, many of us feel
pegged and trapped at the bottom of the food chain, destined to remain
the smallest fish in the pond. I certainly know what it’s like to taste
poverty and I know that chasing a dream often leads to a hard punch to
the mouth, I’ve been there and in many ways haven’t left. I spent most
of my time believing that success is a lie and that there is no
“Manifest Destiny”. Though a fairly recent experience may have shook my
very understanding what it means to persevere through adversity.
After suffering some of the aforementioned adversity I decided to quit my job and fly out west to visit an old friend of mine for a few weeks, I was on the verge of abandoning hope and accepting an existence marred by mediocrity. We walked around San Francisco, fell prey to the various tourist traps, and managed to take in a crappy movie, but the most important part of our journey was born out of impulse.
While we were walking down the street we stumbled across a game developers conference so naturally, we went inside (despite not paying the $200 admission fee) the conference was full of small presentations made by various independent developers. and while some of them were more successful than others they all shared a common genesis. All of the devs. we spoke with came from rather humble beginnings-a lot came from minimum wage jobs and just tinkered with software in their spare time.-
One of the reasons I admire the gaming industry is that even though there is still a separation between the haves and have-nots, the little guy can still get involved and be successful. Due (in part) to the fact that modern technology is difficult to contain. While the playing-field may not be completely level, anyone can obtain decent software and when that is paired with ingenuity and creativity the possibilities are innumerable in scope. Someone in their basement can feasibly make a damn good game without having a heavy wallet or intricate network of “higher-ups” to get their foot into the right doors. The gaming industry encourages involvement and offers various opportunities for the average Joe to showcase his/her work to the masses while many other industries are moving towards a more “elite” clientele. Sneaking into that conference allowed me to view people of all backgrounds showing-off their work and sharing knowledge freely. It seemed as though they wanted everyone to succeed irregardless of the competition they may create for themselves(if not encouraging the competition). Perhaps I’m overly-optimistic but the gaming industry seems like a place where everyone can do well. The last Asylum for the “American Dream.”
-Ron
After suffering some of the aforementioned adversity I decided to quit my job and fly out west to visit an old friend of mine for a few weeks, I was on the verge of abandoning hope and accepting an existence marred by mediocrity. We walked around San Francisco, fell prey to the various tourist traps, and managed to take in a crappy movie, but the most important part of our journey was born out of impulse.
While we were walking down the street we stumbled across a game developers conference so naturally, we went inside (despite not paying the $200 admission fee) the conference was full of small presentations made by various independent developers. and while some of them were more successful than others they all shared a common genesis. All of the devs. we spoke with came from rather humble beginnings-a lot came from minimum wage jobs and just tinkered with software in their spare time.-
One of the reasons I admire the gaming industry is that even though there is still a separation between the haves and have-nots, the little guy can still get involved and be successful. Due (in part) to the fact that modern technology is difficult to contain. While the playing-field may not be completely level, anyone can obtain decent software and when that is paired with ingenuity and creativity the possibilities are innumerable in scope. Someone in their basement can feasibly make a damn good game without having a heavy wallet or intricate network of “higher-ups” to get their foot into the right doors. The gaming industry encourages involvement and offers various opportunities for the average Joe to showcase his/her work to the masses while many other industries are moving towards a more “elite” clientele. Sneaking into that conference allowed me to view people of all backgrounds showing-off their work and sharing knowledge freely. It seemed as though they wanted everyone to succeed irregardless of the competition they may create for themselves(if not encouraging the competition). Perhaps I’m overly-optimistic but the gaming industry seems like a place where everyone can do well. The last Asylum for the “American Dream.”
-Ron
No comments:
Post a Comment