thread: 2006-08-27 : Kerflufflizing
On 2006-08-29, Vincent wrote:
I don't think anyone doubts it. I don't even think that Jasper, say, is overstating it.
What I want to get through to whoever doesn't get it already is that name recognition doesn't come first. "How do you make a game sell well?" "Well first you get some name recognition, either your own or you borrow Vincent's..." No. First you publish a game that's well-designed to deliver on its social agenda, its creative agenda, and its technical agenda. THEN it gives you name recognition, plus it attracts me and MY name recognition, plus Ron's, plus Judd's, plus Anna's, plus Paul Tevis', plus Kenneth Hite's, plus a zillion other excellent people's.
You bring your strengths to bear on your threefold well-designed game, is what you do. Maybe your strengths include name recognition, maybe they don't. Whatever your strengths are, they're wasted without that game.
RIGHT NOW, Anna is building name recognition for herself. Eventually she'll bring that strength to bear on whatever it is she decides to do (probably, negotiate for me and others like me to pay her well for her work). Am I helping her? Sure. But will I be responsible for her success? I can help her all I want, but if her work isn't self-sustaining, I can help her INSANE but I can't help her enough. Her work will have to live and die on its own. If it lives, I can help it thrive and prosper; if it dies, my name recognition does it no good whatsoever.
Same with games.
