Cultural Influence (reply)
More than how to do another Fortnite or CoD, what some businessmen probably ask themselves is how to get such coverage and marketing. Because they already know very well how to do such games. Like music companies know very well how to do another Ariana or boy band.
Besides some minor new mechanics and differences, such games tend to be relatively simple and without anything unique or extraordinary. And what businessmen want isn't really something that will change the culture, but rather something that will generate more $ (had to say the obvious here, but it's not condescending).
I am not mocking shooters. They are probably very complex played at high level. But on low level they are like the easiest type of game to get into, and currently video games are a much more popular hobby. People want to play... something.
Besides some minor new mechanics and differences, such games tend to be relatively simple and without anything unique or extraordinary. And what businessmen want isn't really something that will change the culture, but rather something that will generate more $ (had to say the obvious here, but it's not condescending).
I am not mocking shooters. They are probably very complex played at high level. But on low level they are like the easiest type of game to get into, and currently video games are a much more popular hobby. People want to play... something.
When I say that Ariana Grande or Fortnite are not as culturally impacting as SNK (in their respective areas), what I mean is that the first 2 could be easily replaced. The psychobiological tendency to prefer by default a quick reward will still be there (unless there are big educational changes, which is another topic) to make people inclined to listen to the most easy to internalize music or easy to get into video game. If the artists are attractive to make the objective-audience look at them as some icon and reference, trying to look/act/be like them because of its symbolic reward, and/or simply wet, even better.
The quick rewards are the core of this system, but if it wasn't Ariana or Fortnite, it would be another Miley Cirus or CoD. Again, what has Ariana brought up to the table in music? That wasn't there before? Not done by Britney Spears, Whitney Huston, MJ and so many artists? (once more, I don't even like the most of them).
Would you say... Too Fast, Too Furious (or whatever it's called) is culturally more impacting than... Apocalypse Now or... the Godfather?
It's easy to make the first ones... And they have a lot of success... That's why they did... 20 or I don't know how many.
Exactly the same goes for Fortnite. If it wasn't Fortnite, it would be another game that doesn't have a unique identity like the DMC series or KoF. What has Fortnite brought up to the shooter genre or whatever hybrid it's called? That wasn't done before.
SNK has done mainly great fighting games. Comparing its financial impact or audience directly to shooters is like comparing it to mobile games. SNK has been the Ryu of Capcom during all these years. And by the time KoF was more popular, there was nothing else like it.
Definitely not as successful or well known as Capcom/SF, but one could identify unique elements. Hell, even now the new Samurai Shodown is still a really unique FG (no, I don't like it either, unlike KoF).
The quick rewards are the core of this system, but if it wasn't Ariana or Fortnite, it would be another Miley Cirus or CoD. Again, what has Ariana brought up to the table in music? That wasn't there before? Not done by Britney Spears, Whitney Huston, MJ and so many artists? (once more, I don't even like the most of them).
Would you say... Too Fast, Too Furious (or whatever it's called) is culturally more impacting than... Apocalypse Now or... the Godfather?
It's easy to make the first ones... And they have a lot of success... That's why they did... 20 or I don't know how many.
Exactly the same goes for Fortnite. If it wasn't Fortnite, it would be another game that doesn't have a unique identity like the DMC series or KoF. What has Fortnite brought up to the shooter genre or whatever hybrid it's called? That wasn't done before.
SNK has done mainly great fighting games. Comparing its financial impact or audience directly to shooters is like comparing it to mobile games. SNK has been the Ryu of Capcom during all these years. And by the time KoF was more popular, there was nothing else like it.
Definitely not as successful or well known as Capcom/SF, but one could identify unique elements. Hell, even now the new Samurai Shodown is still a really unique FG (no, I don't like it either, unlike KoF).
Your dad didn't hear about SNK, DMC, etc.? How many k-pop fans would really know about N-Sync? Some probably don't even know about Beethoven. This criterion doesn't prove cultural impact (or lack of), but simply ignorance (and it's nothing to be ashamed of, as we all are ignorant in specific areas). Many k-pop fans simply don't know that their favorite bands are based on previous artists. This type of lack of knowledge doesn't refute the cultural impact of boy bands in the 90s.
There is another point in all this discussion, which is the fact that you implied Fortnite is already more important than anything SNK has done (first). But you said later I was pulling out of my ass predictions. There is a double standard here, because you first talked like if there was no discussion (fortnite IS already more important because of sales), but later you implied that we should wait and see. Admitting it's not just sales.
But let's ignore the this and take the second stance to focus on the future... There is a concept called habituation in psychology defined as the minimization of the response under exposure of the same stimuli. This is a very basic definition of the learning/adaptive process, also present in non-human animals. However, interacting with the rest of our design it's a much more relevant tendency in our lives than this oversimplification.
I am pretty sure there is a more extensive comment about habituation in the first entry of this blog. The thing is that the probability that fortnite doesn't last as long as... KoF, or DMC4, is very high because of the nature of the stimuli/challenges people are exposed to.
The simpler and more unoriginal are the stimuli and challenges, the sooner habituation will influence the players. Which is why there is a fast-food cycle in music, movies, games... Quick reward, but quick habituation -> I need a new game/song/movie. The new ones will be similar and mediocre, but at least new.
This is not even some mystery of the mainstream in a capitalistic context. And it's not even planned per se, it's an indirect consequence of the system and our design (which obviously evolved in a much different context and circumstances to adapt to).
Twitter, FB, etc. work like this too. Pretty much nobody will/would read this, but they will read in 1 day so many memes and short/simple stimuli, that if you put them all together they would probably be more extensive than this entry.
Why some games like KoF or DMC get even attention then and have a cultural impact? This is also explained (a bit) in the first entry of this blog. Again, it's about tendencies. I can't guarantee a concrete individual will quit fortnite soon, but I am pretty sure the vast majority would jump to the next mainstream MP-shooter hybrid as soon as it shows up and the most famous streamers play it.
There is another point in all this discussion, which is the fact that you implied Fortnite is already more important than anything SNK has done (first). But you said later I was pulling out of my ass predictions. There is a double standard here, because you first talked like if there was no discussion (fortnite IS already more important because of sales), but later you implied that we should wait and see. Admitting it's not just sales.
But let's ignore the this and take the second stance to focus on the future... There is a concept called habituation in psychology defined as the minimization of the response under exposure of the same stimuli. This is a very basic definition of the learning/adaptive process, also present in non-human animals. However, interacting with the rest of our design it's a much more relevant tendency in our lives than this oversimplification.
I am pretty sure there is a more extensive comment about habituation in the first entry of this blog. The thing is that the probability that fortnite doesn't last as long as... KoF, or DMC4, is very high because of the nature of the stimuli/challenges people are exposed to.
The simpler and more unoriginal are the stimuli and challenges, the sooner habituation will influence the players. Which is why there is a fast-food cycle in music, movies, games... Quick reward, but quick habituation -> I need a new game/song/movie. The new ones will be similar and mediocre, but at least new.
This is not even some mystery of the mainstream in a capitalistic context. And it's not even planned per se, it's an indirect consequence of the system and our design (which obviously evolved in a much different context and circumstances to adapt to).
Twitter, FB, etc. work like this too. Pretty much nobody will/would read this, but they will read in 1 day so many memes and short/simple stimuli, that if you put them all together they would probably be more extensive than this entry.
Why some games like KoF or DMC get even attention then and have a cultural impact? This is also explained (a bit) in the first entry of this blog. Again, it's about tendencies. I can't guarantee a concrete individual will quit fortnite soon, but I am pretty sure the vast majority would jump to the next mainstream MP-shooter hybrid as soon as it shows up and the most famous streamers play it.
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