Forging An Identity

Lessons that are being learned are all well and good, but they don't get to the crux of the matter: identity. The largest difference between the two industries is the film and game industries is their relative maturity. Whereas film has been around for a good hundred years, games have rapidly evolved over a few decades. Films are clear about what it is that makes them valuable in the public square: story. Films provide narrative experiences of every shape and size.

Story is the centre around which that industry coalesces. When studios open up and provide greater access to their process, this determines what it is that they are communicating. The games industry doesn't yet have this clear view of itself. As Davison put it in a recent interview, "We're a scrappy collection of inter-dependent industries, and we've all come a very long way in a very short space of time, so it's inevitable that we all cling to what's worked for a long time. If we're going to get the message out to a wider audience, I think everyone needs to get comfortable letting go, and shaking things up a bit."

For the games industry, the opening up we are discussing is likely to be a painful process as it grapple with its identity. What is it that they do and who do they do it for? Davison, who is on the verge of launching What They Like, a site which will explain the appeal of popular games to parents, has a clear idea about the concepts which we should understand ourselves. "I think if we're going to successfully broaden the reach of all those interdependent industries, we need to go back to what the fundamental appeal of games is: play".

In Conclusion

As the games industry takes innovative steps to communicate with and involve the wider public in their process, there is a lot that can be learnt from the films industry. It is clear that, just as with films, it is essential that it enables its audiences to feel a sense of ownership of the media they purchase. We can achieve this with transparent and honest communication -- be it a blog, podcast or video.

Whilst this will be successful at involving and motivating their hard-core enthusiasts, it won't really touch a wider audience until that audience gains a clearer sense of what is unique about a product. Rather than trying to adopt the techniques of the film business, developers will be better served by coming to terms with their industry's unique identity. Only when the industry has clearly identified its unique offerings, will it be able to speak eloquently about it in the public sphere.