The Long Road

01/30/2005 Archived Entry: "Going Mainstream"

I’m attempting to write this while slightly (and I use that term VERY loosely) intoxicated. Hopefully, this will be coherent regardless…at least MS Word will help me from being TOO bad.

When one is involved in a niche market, there is a natural desire to see that market grow and reach the largest audience it possibly can. Witness all the ravings that comic blogs expunge when some graphic novel is praised by Entertainment Weekly, or the New York Times. Obviously, there’s a desire to share whatever it is you’re enjoying; I’d love it if I could discuss the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen graphic novel with actual people instead of some randoms on the net – but going mainstream, trying to appeal to the broadest audience possible, is not the answer.

Some examples then.

First, video games. Back in the day of Nintendo VS Sega, the industry was “pure” and it was niche; it was about trying to make the best, and most fun game possible but all that change when Sony came in with the Playstation and proved that there were billions to be made. Suddenly games all became derivative of the last major hits, all the game designers and programmers work on major titles while the true pioneers of the field toil away at products that only capture such a small share of the market that they can no longer sustain themselves in the face of multi-million dollar productions.

Star Trek. The original series and TNG were both series whose major focus were the philosophical questions that arose from scenarios possible only in science fiction. They treated the subject matter seriously and intellectually. However, when TNG went to the movies, they completely tried to go mainstream. In an effort to make money and appeal to the American public, the movies tried to incorporate action, and humour to a level the series never intended to sustain. Some characters became two-dimensional jokes and the whole thing became a joke onto itself.

Somehow I’m supposed to tie this all back to comic books, a currently very niche market, before going to bed. I used to think it would be cool if everyone read comics. It’d no longer be this strange medium that’s looked down upon by the general American populace, but the price of acceptance is whoring out. Originality is no longer the driving force, it is instead replaced by homogenization towards appeal for the lowest common denominator.

Okay, no more sweeping generalizations, bedtime!

Replies: 11 comments

This was an awesome entry, write more when you're intoxicated :P

Posted by Dave @ 01/30/2005 04:30 PM EST

It's funny. I'm going through my ST:TNG second season box right now, and in every episode there has been some talks of philosophy. I have always absorbed it without giving it much thought...

Posted by Will @ 01/30/2005 09:28 PM EST

I don't think the gaming industry is any worse off now that it's mainstream and no longer "pure".. though one could easily argue that in the 80s-90s, gaming was not niche at all. After all, we had cereal boxes, movies, and tv shows based on games back then, too..

but my point is that going mainstream isn't necessarily bad. We get games with huge budgets, awesome presentation, and unbelievable immersion.. sure, it means those small, creative, games get overshadowed.. but if you look hard enough, you can still find those types of games.

Heh, normally i would agree with you, but now i'm on a RE4 and MGS3 high =)

Posted by Zamir @ 01/30/2005 09:36 PM EST

seriously ... who writes about this kind of stuff while intoxicated?

*just shakes head*

my conclusion, you really think too much, rayne

Posted by melpie @ 01/31/2005 05:42 PM EST

Have to agree with Mel...I write about stuff on a completely different wavefront when drunk.

Posted by dAN @ 02/01/2005 12:07 AM EST

well, I constantly have a bunch of different topics I want to write about at any given time...just thought this would be fun to try while drunk =P

I do agree that I think too much though. More doing, less thinking?

Posted by Rayne @ 02/01/2005 12:35 AM EST

that's right, more doing, less thinking.

remember, knowing's only HALF the battle.

Posted by melpie @ 02/01/2005 11:29 AM EST

Don't listen to any of them...this is EXACTLY what I think about when I'm drunk. That and the universal question about how to get dirt out from under your fingernails.

Posted by Doug @ 02/02/2005 12:25 PM EST

Doug, you talk about school when you're drunk...no good!

Posted by dAN @ 02/02/2005 01:43 PM EST

you can't figure out how to get the dirt out from under your fingernails, doug? and there's many others like you?

that's just scary!

Posted by melpie @ 02/02/2005 03:00 PM EST

Who said there were many others like doug?

Posted by Rayne @ 02/12/2005 04:11 PM EST