push to talk #48 // a digression on william faulker + what the book publishing industry can teach us about the value and ultimate fate of industry gatekeepers
This is probably an unpopular opinion, but... I miss gatekeepers. At least a little.
Sure, it's great that artists don't need a gatekeeper to make it big now, but at the same time, there's just so much STUFF out there these days, whether it be books, movies, shows, or games, and most of it is mediocre to terrible. Even the good-to-great stuff can be hard to find unless it's universally praised (word of mouth again), and even then, that doesn't guarantee an audience. Perhaps it's always been this way, but I feel like the sheer glut of product brought on by lack of gatekeepers has been detrimental. No, the gatekeepers weren't always right, but they could by and large keep out lesser works of artists from being released into the atmosphere.
Great piece. Regarding gatekeepers and word of mouth, the bigger problem for games these days is that there are too many of them, and even exceptional games don't get enough traction.
Without the support of publishers (that is, when they do their job), developers have to put in a lot of time to build contacts and promote their games. I follow a lot of upcoming indie games, and most of them fail hard when it comes to those areas, some not even producing proper trailers for their games.
Another issue is that media coverage has become reactionary. Major outlets cover major games because the majority of readers respond to those games. Influencers also tend to gravitate towards games and genres that draw large audiences. So, word of mouth becomes diluted by a popularity contest for views.
What a great piece!
This is probably an unpopular opinion, but... I miss gatekeepers. At least a little.
Sure, it's great that artists don't need a gatekeeper to make it big now, but at the same time, there's just so much STUFF out there these days, whether it be books, movies, shows, or games, and most of it is mediocre to terrible. Even the good-to-great stuff can be hard to find unless it's universally praised (word of mouth again), and even then, that doesn't guarantee an audience. Perhaps it's always been this way, but I feel like the sheer glut of product brought on by lack of gatekeepers has been detrimental. No, the gatekeepers weren't always right, but they could by and large keep out lesser works of artists from being released into the atmosphere.
Thanks, Ryan!
Will definitely be picking up the Blotner biography. Thanks for sharing! I came for the video games, I stayed for the Serious Literary Discussion.
Great piece, great analogy!
Great piece. Regarding gatekeepers and word of mouth, the bigger problem for games these days is that there are too many of them, and even exceptional games don't get enough traction.
Without the support of publishers (that is, when they do their job), developers have to put in a lot of time to build contacts and promote their games. I follow a lot of upcoming indie games, and most of them fail hard when it comes to those areas, some not even producing proper trailers for their games.
Another issue is that media coverage has become reactionary. Major outlets cover major games because the majority of readers respond to those games. Influencers also tend to gravitate towards games and genres that draw large audiences. So, word of mouth becomes diluted by a popularity contest for views.