The first thing that popped into my head when I read this was, "How in the world did this guy get as far as he did in the gaming industry?" The second thing was to wish him luck in his latest endeavor because he’ll probably never get a job with an IP as big or as popular as Lego again thanks to what he stated in this article. It’s one thing to be dissatisfied and disgruntled but it’s quite another to splash it all over a gaming industry news site.
His attempts to cover his derision with humor fall short. It’s obvious he’s dissatisfied but it’s a bit confusing exactly what he’s dissatisfied with. At first, I thought he was dissatisfied with the work-load and ethic required to make an MMO. Then, I thought he was disillusioned with the MMO genre in general. Lastly, I thought he was dissatisfied with the lack of creative license in his past projects. As I reach the end of the article, I realize that none of those were what he’s really dissatisfied with.
He’s dissatisfied that he’s making MMOs and being paid a pittance while social gaming companies like Zynga are raking in the big bucks. He wants a cut of social gaming’s filthy lucre. So, he’s burned his MMO bridge and started a new company with his old business partners to have a run at the social gaming genre. I wish him luck.
Then I read the comments. Those are rather interesting. Some say “So long! Farewell! Don’t let the door hit ya…” Others carry a decidedly different tune, commiserating with him and expressing similar opinions. It’s made me reevaluate my outlook on the game industry. I know there is worker dissatisfaction in the industry, just as there is in any industry. I just never realized how wide-spread it was. It just highlights the fact that the cream of the industry rises to the top and gets the attention. They love it at the top and let everyone know it. Those of us who are outside looking in see this and myopically apply that satisfaction to everyone in the industry.
That being said I believe the author was throwing a huge tantrum in the article to get attention. It turns out I’m not the only one who thought so. When I was searching for information about the Kotaku article I ran across a blog called “Broken Toys”. Wow. This isn’t the first time Ryan Seabury has acted up to get attention. It seems to be his shtick and he did it to call attention to his new company. Classy!
I commiserate with those who are struggling in the industry. Hard work, long hours, and looming deadlines can be very stressful and difficult to deal with. I don’t commiserate with a person who is only out to make a buck, complains about the industry, and then throws a tantrum to get attention for their new game company.
I wonder if LEGO knew about his past antics when they hired NetDevil to develop Lego Universe? I certainly hope they didn’t.
Credit where credit is due:
Seabury, Ryan. (2011, May 24). Lego universe developer: i will never make an mmo again. Retrieved from http://kotaku.com/5803598/
Olivetti, Justin. (2011, May 24). Former lego universe dev: 'i have decided to get out of the mmo game'. Retrieved from http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/05/24/former-lego-universe-dev-i-have-decided-to-get-out-of-the-mmo-game/ (Link broken as ofFebruary 2023.)
Jennings, Scott. (2011, May 24). Broken toys: writing words, like a boss. Retrieved from http://www.brokentoys.org/2011/05/24/writing-words-like-a-boss/
No comments:
Post a Comment