What’s interesting is that no single country has risen to dominate. Modern mainstream games are frequently compared to Hollywood, but Hollywood is distinctly American, whilst modern games contain quite a blend.She's right that no city has become as synonymous with games as Hollywood is with movies... yet. But I wonder if such an association still might emerge.
New York used to be more important to films. Perhaps Hollywood gained its reputation only after duking it out with that city. Or perhaps Hollywood got where it is because it lies outside a major city, rather than in one. That allowed the whole area to become devoted to films in a way that couldn't have happened in the midst of other industries. We might see someone start a suburb or town devoted to games one day.
In any case, I don't think we've seen the industry consolidate fully yet. Until that time, I'd say the industry's still in its early years and the possibility remains for a Mecca of game design to emerge. What do you think?
It's an interesting idea, the Mecca of game developers! However, I think the internet and the way long-distance collaboration and outsouring is going, we'll never see it -- The fact that half of Blizzard is in France, Rockstar is all over the place, Japan has the history it does, and that indie games are now so viable, suggest that location isn't as important as it used to be.
ReplyDeleteA huge part of the centralisation of creative industries was because you had to make contacts... actors had to be discovered by directors, script writers by producers. So they all ended up in the same place. With the internet now, we don't need to do that (as much).
Great point.
ReplyDeleteActors are often hired through casting calls. The producer or director must be in the same room as the actors to judge one against another. That's not the case for gaming talent.