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Remember when games programmers used to be holed up in thier bedrooms for weeks and months at a time creating a classic game? They were likeable, cheeky chappies, they did it all, they pushed the envelope of creativity, in just 64k of RAM, they built timeless classics. Many times, you would get a seperate artist, or musician to build in an opening tune. But that was it.
Fast Forward.
Today, multi-national conglomerate companies are lineing up to throw money at the games industry, sure, it has been Segas downfall (though I suggest a Pheonix will rise from the ashes of Sega), but Sony, Nintendo, and now Microsoft(!) have all joined battle for the major slice of the games industry pie.
This in itself may not be a bad thing.
But.
How are the next generation of games coders going to get in on the action? Sure, there are now course in computer games, and if you are very good, and you demonstrate lots of ability, you might get a job in the industry.
Lets face it. The games industry has been taken over by the suits with cash-flow projections, sales targets to meet, and late brunches with ad execs. Great.
Many of those bedroom coders of yesteryear have gone from the bedroom, to the boardroom, but I don't see any initiatives coming from the industry to support and promote the next generation of DIY game coders. The best I have seen was the Sony Yaroze project, which was a great idea, but only if you had enough cash to fork out for a black PS.
What has happened to the "public domain" scene that used to thrive in the days of the Amiga and the ST? Where people wrote games for the hell of it, to show off their skills, and maybe get a job in the process. I'll tell you what... PCs are too expensive and complicated for your average 16 year old today to even think about starting to learn how to code on one. There is an undergraound console "hack" scene, where crazy kids get their consoles to run programs they have coded, but it remains underground, and probably slightly illegal.
Yep. Those corporate guys came in to the industry and gobbled it up whole. Real Slick.
Fast Forward.
Today, multi-national conglomerate companies are lineing up to throw money at the games industry, sure, it has been Segas downfall (though I suggest a Pheonix will rise from the ashes of Sega), but Sony, Nintendo, and now Microsoft(!) have all joined battle for the major slice of the games industry pie.
This in itself may not be a bad thing.
But.
How are the next generation of games coders going to get in on the action? Sure, there are now course in computer games, and if you are very good, and you demonstrate lots of ability, you might get a job in the industry.
Lets face it. The games industry has been taken over by the suits with cash-flow projections, sales targets to meet, and late brunches with ad execs. Great.
Many of those bedroom coders of yesteryear have gone from the bedroom, to the boardroom, but I don't see any initiatives coming from the industry to support and promote the next generation of DIY game coders. The best I have seen was the Sony Yaroze project, which was a great idea, but only if you had enough cash to fork out for a black PS.
What has happened to the "public domain" scene that used to thrive in the days of the Amiga and the ST? Where people wrote games for the hell of it, to show off their skills, and maybe get a job in the process. I'll tell you what... PCs are too expensive and complicated for your average 16 year old today to even think about starting to learn how to code on one. There is an undergraound console "hack" scene, where crazy kids get their consoles to run programs they have coded, but it remains underground, and probably slightly illegal.
Yep. Those corporate guys came in to the industry and gobbled it up whole. Real Slick.
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Remember when games programmers used to be holed up in thier bedrooms for weeks and months at a time creating a classic game? They were likeable, cheeky chappies, they did it all, they pushed the envelope of creativity, in just 64k of RAM, they built timeless classics. Many times, you would get a seperate artist, or musician to build in an opening tune. But that was it.
Fast Forward.
Today, multi-national conglomerate companies are lineing up to throw money at the games industry, sure, it has been Segas downfall (though I suggest a Pheonix will rise from the ashes of Sega), but Sony, Nintendo, and now Microsoft(!) have all joined battle for the major slice of the games industry pie.
This in itself may not be a bad thing.
But.
How are the next generation of games coders going to get in on the action? Sure, there are now course in computer games, and if you are very good, and you demonstrate lots of ability, you might get a job in the industry.
Lets face it. The games industry has been taken over by the suits with cash-flow projections, sales targets to meet, and late brunches with ad execs. Great.
Many of those bedroom coders of yesteryear have gone from the bedroom, to the boardroom, but I don't see any initiatives coming from the industry to support and promote the next generation of DIY game coders. The best I have seen was the Sony Yaroze project, which was a great idea, but only if you had enough cash to fork out for a black PS.
What has happened to the "public domain" scene that used to thrive in the days of the Amiga and the ST? Where people wrote games for the hell of it, to show off their skills, and maybe get a job in the process. I'll tell you what... PCs are too expensive and complicated for your average 16 year old today to even think about starting to learn how to code on one. There is an undergraound console "hack" scene, where crazy kids get their consoles to run programs they have coded, but it remains underground, and probably slightly illegal.
Yep. Those corporate guys came in to the industry and gobbled it up whole. Real Slick.
Fast Forward.
Today, multi-national conglomerate companies are lineing up to throw money at the games industry, sure, it has been Segas downfall (though I suggest a Pheonix will rise from the ashes of Sega), but Sony, Nintendo, and now Microsoft(!) have all joined battle for the major slice of the games industry pie.
This in itself may not be a bad thing.
But.
How are the next generation of games coders going to get in on the action? Sure, there are now course in computer games, and if you are very good, and you demonstrate lots of ability, you might get a job in the industry.
Lets face it. The games industry has been taken over by the suits with cash-flow projections, sales targets to meet, and late brunches with ad execs. Great.
Many of those bedroom coders of yesteryear have gone from the bedroom, to the boardroom, but I don't see any initiatives coming from the industry to support and promote the next generation of DIY game coders. The best I have seen was the Sony Yaroze project, which was a great idea, but only if you had enough cash to fork out for a black PS.
What has happened to the "public domain" scene that used to thrive in the days of the Amiga and the ST? Where people wrote games for the hell of it, to show off their skills, and maybe get a job in the process. I'll tell you what... PCs are too expensive and complicated for your average 16 year old today to even think about starting to learn how to code on one. There is an undergraound console "hack" scene, where crazy kids get their consoles to run programs they have coded, but it remains underground, and probably slightly illegal.
Yep. Those corporate guys came in to the industry and gobbled it up whole. Real Slick.