Better day

[avevale_intelligencer]

On two out of three counts anyway. Uru Live is still cancelled. In sixty days, everything shuts down.

And part of me is screaming Why, Lord, Why? and part of me is saying Because you didn't deserve it enough, you weren't good enough, you weren't there enough, you weren't supportive enough, you didn't cheerlead for Cyan and drown out the naysayers who kept the numbers down. It's your fault, Charlie.

Which is both true and poppycock. I wasn't as supportive as I could have been, indeed I've been downright critical. But in the end, games like Uru and the Myst series, now that they're no longer startlingly new and the meanest FPS tripe can boast graphics that look as cool (thanks to Cyan leading the way, of course, but who remembers fifteen years ago?) games like Uru and the Myst series are always going to be a minority interest, and big business is not interested in minorities. Even if it can afford to finance them on the back of the popular stuff. If it's not bringing in the money, it's out.

People are talking about cancelling their subscriptions in a "That'll show 'em" sort of way, and it's kind of sweet, but in the end our numbers won't even cause a blip. If there was any chance that they might, Uru Live would be safe. And now I feel really stupid for daring to hope that this time it would work.

But, apart from all this thusness, I am hopefully no longer a card-carrying resident of Jackass County, and I remembered to do pancakes today. So, a better day.

Oh, and......

I made the flyby in Vue, jahura helped me with the Flash coding and the background image. It doesn't link anywhere, but hey, it's something.

Comments

[do0odlebug.livejournal.com]

Not size, perceived wealth (with the emphasis on the word perceived). Otherwise no-one would bother tailoring services to that very small minority of people who are multi-millionaires. ;-)

The perception is that gays are relatively wealthy - because we are all young spendthrifts, obviously (ironically, stable couples are wealthier, two male incomes DOES make for more money than a male and female pairing, and typically, both will work in a larger percentage of cases). The distaste many businessmen feel for being seen to "pander" to our tastes keeps them away, usually. Financial troubles overcome their aversion, but they revert away again when things get better - adverts specifically chasing the Pink Pound are far fewer than they once were.

The perception is that the sort of people who play computer games are not wealthy - they are seen as spotty fourteen year old boys with no social skills - so they are a low priority.

Please Yurin, let them not go for the Pink Pound again. The advertising is so insulting. Almost as bad as the straight adverts that assume that I will buy anything which is pictured with a (semi-)naked woman. Yeeeuk.

On a related point, I've heard of, but not look into, the existence of D'ni groups in 2nd Life (yes, I've joined that!). Do you want me to look into this?

[zanda-myrande.livejournal.com]

Well, coincidentally, I've just been visiting one. I don't think SL is for me though...it's just too...virtual.

Since the announcement, various glimmers have appeared on the horizon. Cyan are still in talks with Gametap about things, the Guild of Writers are actually doing a lot better at making their own Ages than they were last time I looked (though there are still a few where they forgot to Write in friction and other small details: skateboarding down a one in two slope without benefit of skateboard is quite an experience) and some sober-minded people have put forward what seem to be workable models for reviving Uru as a living thing again without having to seek funds from a corporate demon. (Someone said something about running it on steam...I'm not sure how ecologically sound that is, but hey, if necessary I'll get out and pedal.) So it all hinges on whether Cyan can get the rights back, and what they want to do with them once they do.

Five days later, and there are possibilities again.