Tim Schafer e l'importanza dei dati di vendita

[Turrican3]

Not that I would ever be narcissistic enough to sit around and read my own press, BUT last night while I was reading up on my favorite brewchef, I accidentally stumbled upon a headline that said, roughly, "Tim Schafer Says you Shouldn't Worry Your Pretty Little Head About Sales."

And I was like, man, that brewchef sounds a little patronizing. But I also realized that some people might think that post was about me! So just to be safe I thought I would clarify my position on the matter.

I think games sales matter a lot. I just think that the people who should worry about sales are the people who have vested financial interest in a game.  If your money or livelihood is dependent on a game, then you should concern yourself with its sales. But if it isn't, then you should try to relax and just enjoy playing them.

"But," you say, "If people don't buy the game I love, then there won't be any more games like it!"

I'm saying that's just not true. You're not hoping for some game that's superficially like the one you just played, right? What you want is another great game. If a game is a huge hit, yes, there will be a lot of imitators. And those imitators will get green-lit quickly. But those kinds of games are rarely great. So who cares? Who wants that? Great games don't come from that sort of imitation. They come from people working on an idea they care about.

Another thing that brewchef must have said was that all you have to do is make a cool game. What I hope I would have said is that as long as you make a GREAT game, people will want to talk to you. That doesn't mean people will automatically want to publish you. Just that they'll talk to you.

Story time!

Around 1992, I felt like SCUMM games were getting the short end of the stick at LucasArts in many ways. Management didn't seem to like them, and in fact seemed to want to sweep them out the door. So I went into the General Manager's office in my flannel shirt and Eddie Vedder hair and I asked him, "Are you trying to shut down SCUMM games?"

He was surprised enough to put down the tiny kitten he was strangling and look me in the eyes. "Listen," he said, "As long as there are people at this company who want to make SCUMM games, we'll make them."

I was totally surprised, and a little suspicious. Could it really be up to the developers to pick what games get made? Do they really have that much power? I think the Sam and Max 2 team might take issue with what he was saying. But then again, getting cancelled didn't stop that team. They left to start their own company and made their game in the end. So I think a more true version of that statement would be, "As long as there are people who want to make that kind of game, that kind of game will be made."

And that's why, unless it's your money on the line, game sales don't need to keep you up at night. The market and game executives do not dictate what games get made--They just dictate what gets made easily. They affect what can be made without a fight. As long as there are creative people out there willing to fight for ideas they care about, then there is nothing that the market or anyone else can do to stop them.

Now please enjoy my recipe for North Carolina Style Pulled Pork.

Questo il pensiero di Tim Schafer (Psychonauts, e svariate avventure Lucas) riguardo i dati di vendita, postato nel suo blog:

http://www.doublefine.com/news.php/site/actually_i_think_it_might_have_been_a_furby_not_a_kitten/

Sintesi estrema (con traduzione/adattamento italiano) della parte più importante:

i dati di vendita sono importanti se avete qualche interesse/legame di tipo finanziario. In caso contrario dovreste solo rilassarvi e giocarli.

"Ma se la gente non compra il gioco che adoro, non ci saranno più giochi come quello!"

Vi dico che non è vero. Voi non volete giochi che somiglino vagamente a quello che avete appena giocato, giusto? Quello che volete è un altro gioco con la G maiuscola. Se un gioco è un grandissimo successo certo, ci saranno un sacco di imitazioni. E queste imitazioni verranno approvate (dai publisher presumo ndDitto) molto velocemente. Ma raramente questi tipi di giochi risultano validi. Quindi, chissenefrega? Chi vuole questa roba? I grandi giochi non vengono fuori da questo tipo di imitazioni. I grandi giochi nascono dalla gente che lavora su un'idea a cui tiene veramente.

[...]

Ecco perchè, a meno che non ci siano i vostri soldi di mezzo, i dati di vendita non devono impedirvi di dormire sonni tranquilli. Il mercato e i produttori non determinano quali giochi vengono prodotti... essi determinano quali giochi vengono prodotti facilmente. Influiscono su cosa può essere realizzato senza dover lottare. Finchè ci saranno creativi là fuori con la voglia di lottare per le idee a cui tengono, non ci sarà niente e nessuno nel mercato che potrà fermarli.


EDIT: apportato qualche ritocchino alla traduzione

[Blasor]

The market and game executives do not dictate what games get made--They just dictate what gets made easily.

Ergo o mi arriva Brutal Legend su PC, anche "hardly" se necessario, oppure predica bene e razzola male ::)

[Turrican3]

Eh ma non ha parlato di piattaforme...

[Blasor]

Ma di mercato sì!

Quanto non lo sopporto più :mad: