This post has not been edited by the GamesBeat staff. Opinions by GamesBeat community writers do not necessarily reflect those of the staff.
I remember being blown away as a kid with the Nintendo Entertainment System. I use to game on the Atari 2600 and 7800 but when I got my hands on the NES, gaming for me had changed. Jump to now and gaming has enrich and connected with a lot of people. From Cosplay to Flash games to the Indie scene becoming more relevant, the gaming culture has expanded. Retro games play a part in this devotion to many franchises where new series like Angry birds have made a impact with a lot of casual players. There’s just one thing I have to ask?
Why does it feel meaningless?
I understand the cupcakes and the amazing music that fans and new gamers are recognizing and expressing and showing how much they love a series. That’s great but some of this is pointless.
You can dress as a character and mimic everything they do at conventions and take pictures but it doesn’t make sense to dress up as a character and have no knowledge or some creative alterations to a outfit. You can dress up as Ryu but just making a copy of him looks lame. A outfit doesn’t show your love for the character even though it might be fun. Yes, I understand pretending to be as a character from a game is fun and artful at times but it shouldn’t be a exact copy without having your spin and some originality.
Fan fiction stories need to be more creative.. Leave that up to Rockstar or Activision. Fan fiction should be taken to a place out side of its predictable content. I can understand a individual’s version of Mass Effect, but what would happen if you told Mass Effect in something that feels originally you.
Penny Arcade gets it right and some other comics like Hsu and Chan are wonderful examples. We can recognize the material and yet it feels fresh, funny, and something out the norm when done right. Comical crossovers or taking a familiar character and placing them in a genre that others say it wouldn’t fit yet you made it fit, are works that need to be shown more.
As gaming becomes more popular and people are becoming more creative, more talent can open up to where the culture itself has evolve. Of course we got art shows, concerts, food, and even merchandise that looks amazing. These things have to resonate with gamers who recognize the impact it has. Sliding your finger on a iOS game and buying a plushy of it doesn’t feel the same as experiencing Windwaker and wanting to learn that art style.
I don’t want to down anybody because a lot of gamers and new gamers have brought great material to the gaming culture. I love the hip hop, rock, jazz, and piano OST and you tube videos of people covers, samples, songs, and original pieces to their favorite games. I love the community pod cast who talk about issues of games or discuss their love for a franchise (heck, I do it from time to time). The beautiful original iterations of artwork of Zelda or Yoshi have blown me away. There some great fan fiction that’s written so well that they can become a great author in the future. Cosplayers have capture the essence of some characters and remix them in their own way that I smile. All of these things are great and with more exposure, it will become more acceptable. It just need to be more meaningful.