Media

The Production Revolution Isn’t For All: Time

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Self-publishing.  Webcomics.  Game design tools.  Art programs.

Give yourself an hour and you can find the tools to let most anyone with some skill be a media creator.  You can make books, games, etc. that you could never dream of years ago, and get them to a waiting audience.

Now of course you know I've been a bit cynical that this explosion of tools will also mean a creative renaissance, a kind of "Production Revolution" of media.  My own research, my own experience, has been very informative, so let me put it straight:

All these tools may mean that there's a chance for more people to get out their dream comic/video/game/book/movie and so on.  But there are still many barriers to their chances to do this.  These are not barriers of distribution or technology (which are changing).  These are personal barriers.

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Further Freemium Thoughts

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Freemium is a term I see thrown around a lot this day.  It's sunk into the vocabulary of media producers, programmers, and marketers quickly – so quickly I don't think we've really analyzed the repercussions of it.  As I've seen the term used more and more, as I've played Freemium games, I think we've gotten so used to it we don't think about it.

This of course gets me thinking.  Not that it's not hard to do that . . .

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The Potential Of Monetizing Practice

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You've got practice software, unfinished (or not that great) stories, unused art.  Even if you're a progeek career-wise, you've probably got a lot of assets that  . . . well aren't that professional.  You're not sure you'd want to release that first Flash game, that fantasy story isn't that hot . . . let's face it some of your practice work may be decent or even good, but it's not your best.

Or maybe you're in practice phase right now, creating new stories or games or what have you.  You'd like to make money at it, but at the same time, well . . .

The thing is, in an age of print on demand, downloadable games, and eBooks you can easily monetize your practice efforts.  IN fact, I'm wondering if it's a good idea or an idea that may be normal in the future.

Consider the fact that, with little effort, you can get out an eBook, release an ad-supported smartphone game, and so on.  You certainly have the tools to get almost any media form you create out in some form of distribution, from a Print-On-Demand book to a full game download.  The fact that it might not be your best work doesn't stop you from getting it out there.

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