3%

To understand the situation in which we are in the video game industry, I propose to make a parallel with the downfall of rock music.

• In the late 90s, in the USA, a legislative change allowed large corporations to decide on radio programming.
• After years of glory and the climax of Nirvana’s “Nevermind”, music production became homogeneous because a few influential producers controlled the sound.
• Managers began to exploit budgets to their advantage, driving costs skyrocketing and leaving very little to the artists.
• Napster arrived and music consumption changed radically. The greatest impact was on record sales.
• The collective experience of enjoying music diminished, given the little appeal of the bands in circulation. Everyone wanted to produce predictable and already-heard sounds, like those of Nickelback.

Consolidation led to a loss of diversity and originality in rock music. Barriers were created for capable artists by producers interested in the short term. The arrival of Napster led to fewer record sales and also to more isolation in listening to music. Before you went to the store to chat, now you were alone casually looking for something to listen. The experience of listening to rock became fleeting and fragmented.

Today new platforms allow rock artists to find and cultivate their audience. This suggests the potential for a new era of creativity, which will probably not reach the ancient glories.

I want to leave every parallelism open to your interpretation today.

Mine is certainly too biased.

Have a great weekend!