Creativity Driven By Commercialism

Why be critical of capitalism when it is quite obviously here to stay? The main reason criticism becomes difficult relates to the fact that there are no realistic working alternatives. Without an alternative you don't really have another option but to embrace the system that you have. As Gordon Gecko says, "Greed is good" but is it good when relating the need to profit over a creative venture?


Creativity driven by commercialism does not necessarily manufacture the best product. Just take a look at how the gaming industry has changed. The beginning of the industry spawned a number of relatively unique concepts within gaming which were then further defined in to specific genres. These concepts were created based on the limitations of the hardware which restriced the possibilities for content rather than enhancing the potential. This did not stop developers from establishing new ideas. Just to run through some of the genres which existed in early gaming: Platform, Shooter/Scrolling Shooter (Space Invaders), Text Adventure, Sports, Graphical Adventure (King's Quest/Space Quest), Role Playing Game, Simulation, Racing, Real Time Strategy, Strategy, Fighting, and others. Over time some of these genres have changed somewhat with Shooters being replaced by First Person Shooters and RPGs embracing the concept of the Massively Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game (What a mouthfull, Try MMO), many of these genres have faded from existance.

The platform games, shooters/scrolling shooters, text adventures, (to a degree Graphical Adventures are dying) have all died through the last fifteen to twenty years. Obviously some of this is related to technology improving and relieving the limitations which defined those categories, but what we are also seeing is a glut of releases in just a couple of categories. First Person Shooters, RPGs and RTS games nearly dominate release schedules. Simulation, Racing and Sports games (besides the ubiquitous EA Sports range) are becoming fewer and far between.

What happens when commercialism drives creativity is that those manufacturers who develop the software look for safe or guaranteed "no risk" options rather than push their creativity to develop something new. They find a formula which they believes works to generate a return on their investment. Because they have to report to their shareholders and the only language that shareholders understand is the notion of return on their investment the companies do not attempt to push the boundaries of the genre. Maybe this is one of the reason why video games has not seen a drive to unique and creative story telling. Preferring to maintain the cliched storylines of man defends world with his barehands or aliens have invaded type tripe. They have not wanted to invest their money in the resources which would see them push the gaming industry in to the area of being a narrative driven environment. This could possibly see the industry shift from being a purely "entertainment" based product to a well rounded and versatile medium.

Which gets me to my next point. Why would I put a Ken Done painting at the start of this blog? Well, to make a point. Art (or so-called art, cause I am not a Ken Done fan) does not have to necessarily push the boundaries in order to be successful. And while people may say they don't like it (as they do with Ken Done's paintings) doesn't mean it won't sell and be successful. Art sometimes has to fit a specific need and provide some form of tactile pleasure as well as being stimulating to the mind and the senses. Games too fulfill this need. Some are going to be purely entertainment while others will attempt to push the boundaries of the genre in order to challenge its audience.

As with everything commercialism driving the video game industry has its good points and its bad points. The modding community, I hope, will be the driving force behind pushing this industry back from being a purely capitalistic venture to refinding its creative roots.