The first four months of 2014 have been a greater year for blog posts for me than the last four years combined. I have been grateful for a spark of interest in my blog,which I believe most writers/bloggers today don't actually thank their readers enough, because saying thank you is never enough, it's required to be said more than once. So, again, and I type here with great enthusiasm: thank you.
To everyone around the world that has taken the time to read my blog, I am extremely thankful. I always wanted to to be read globally, and blogging has made that dream come true. Just by writing my thoughts,mor reviewing a video game, and doing it in such a way that I find is unique to the style, I have been able to gain support in ways I never thought before. Ism extremely humbled by everyone who takes the time to read my blog, because I know the market is extreme right now for gaining a readership. I also try not to update every day, because I do not want to wear myself out too fast. However, I hate when I am forced to go weeks, if not months without posting a single blog item.
Blogging for me has been a growing experience. I have come so far, and gone the distance time and again, that I fail to realize, I'm still not a legitimate published author. But I'm fine with that! Because I'm happy that people have read my blog. I don't care if I don't see a dime from a blog post, because I am so pleased that people are taking the time to just sit there and read something that I wrote,,it makes me feel special, even if my readers think little of it because just to see a blog I wrote is read by such a diverse group of people, is enough to make me smile.
The purpose of this blog has become so different over the years. I rarely did an editorial for years, and now they are equal to preview/reviews. I have so many blog posts that are now ancient that if I put them up, they would be almost considered retro. I still care greatly about the video game medium as a form of digital entertainment,,because this generation has now more access to video games, than even when I was a kid. Just like television, and the writing that comes with greater technology, video games are now outselling the best that Hollywood has to offer. Don't believe me? Wait until the units of Destiny are tallied. Or even Titanfall for that matter, I guarantee those numbers will be astronomically higher than most people would first imagine.
Even when Metal Gear Solid V is released, or when the official numbers for Infamous: Second Son (although I still believe that game will sell in lesser numbers than expected) I ken that games were the future! Even as far back as the Playstation 1 and the Nintendo 64, I knew that the future of gaming would become simpler in coding (encoding and animating a game like Fat Princess is now simpler than coding Donkey Kong) and I knew that the video game revolution would keep older generations attached to the influx of newer technology, while dragging in the younger crowds. Generational gaps,of nearly filthy years, if not greater, know who Mario is, or even play one-another on Call of Duty. This seems ludicrous! Yet the older generation, and the newest, are not really that far apart in terms of entertainment. Politically, they are about the same, and amazingly enough, they have more in common than they differ.
I've always said that the video game industry, even if it is video game journalism, is worth breaking into, so long as you know the industry is going to change every six years. I know many parents don't want their kids wasting time on games, and I am not arrogant: simply playing video games is not a sole assign to have if you are going to excel in this market. You need to understand geometry, algebra, know about computers enough so that when you work with programs like Autodesk, or even Massive if you're lucky, you can understand the rudimentary tasks involved with building video games. You should also know how to write, because games require Serb storytelling these days, or interpretive storytelling to gain a strong audience.
Building an animated movie, or game is just like building a studio film: it normally requires a script, story boarding, actors, editing, and thousands of man hours to get the job completed. If one tiny flaw is found in the preproduction, it can ruin the finished product, and time is not always there to fix it in post production. If you're lucky, you might be able to create a patch later on, but that's not always the case.
I know most readers will say: "Just because games sell like crazy now, doesn't mean it's not a bubble, and it won't burst" and this is very true, because video games have been hurt by everything from the 80s recession. To the arcades taking a beating into extinction. However; with every beating games take, they bounce back to outsell every kind of media that exists today. To be quite honest, I would be more worried (in the current market) if my kid wanted to become a musician, than if they wanted to become a video game designer. I'd even be more supportive if they wanted to be a video game tester! At least I know that video games con only gain potential, while the growing acceptance of pirated downloading, and the death of the signature band is demolishing the music industry. I'm sorry, but the likes of Adele or even the great Lady Gags will never be enough to salvage the industry. Granted, I would support my child in whatever strikes their interest even if they wanted to play football, or hockey, but I would feel more secure if they ace the decision to use their brains, as well as their brawn.
Now. I don't actually have children, but hypothetically, I would assume I might be like most parents, and hope they follow in my dreams. Granted, I don't know if that is the mind of parent I'd be, I'm extremely open-minded, and too much like a kid myself to tell them how to be, because I know how I am. Yet, I don't think k it's my place to stifle their dreams, even if they aren't the ones I'd like for them. Sometimes you have to stand back, and other times you intervene: knowing when to do which is what makes for great parenting.
This blog has always been at the forefront of movements in technology, taking a pseudo bias perspective, but I knew that books would have to change in order to survive, even if I hated, and still despise the e-book industry, I knew it would soon kill print. I'm old-fashioned, I love a book, especially the smell of old books, but I know that reading books on computers was already the future,when I started reading text back from the Internet, and seeing that blogs, newspapers, and the access to a world-wide encyclopedia was going to change everything with the release of the Kindle.
I know potentially, having your entire library in your pocket, right next to all your films, and all your music was always going to be a plus. I mean, I'm typing this up on an iPad right now, so I don't want to sound like a hypocrite. Yet, I still love an old book that's gathered that special sort of dust on the shelf that gives you a slight sneeze, as if you're inhaling the age and wisdom. I know I'm speaking allegorically here, but the look of a old book, and the ink, the pages, even the foil art on the inside of the book,that bumpy texture that allures you with such mystery, it will be lost in several generation's time.
I also knew that our generation would create such great writers, although, none would stand out as much as the other. Very few writers of our generation will ever be the Stephen King, or even the J.K. Rowling of our time. To be a great writer, it takes use of all of ones's learned history, and then relearning it again, and again, with every new page. Hell, every new sentence! I believe that we all have the potential for greatness, even in mediocrity, but how we squander our lives forces us to reevaluate our dreams, and live up to our imminent bourgeoise lives. Yet,,there's nothing wrong with being bourgeoise, it's fulfilling, and it pays the bills, but right now, everyone has the right to dream, especially if you want to be that great writer. Just don't forget, writing is a business first, and a dream come second, and you need to hone your mastery through trial, error, and take rejection like a badge of honor.
Rejection is the best thing that can happen to a would-be writer, and the best rejection comes from the comments of your readers, because it feels, constructive when it comes from an audience, and not some mindless drone bot that spits out rejection letters. So don't feel bad upon rejection: today your blog post could be terrible, the worst kind of thing you could ever think of writing, but next week, or even the next day, could be your grandest one yet! Remember, a compliment floods the ego, whereas criticism requires you to question, and hone your skills. Ego can get you far, no doubt, but it's skill that keeps you around well after the mightiest have fallen to their unworthy pride. Just like this blog, which has matured even if I haven't as much, it has become like an extension of my craft, and it still influences my writing today, a circular flow of input and design that makes me want to always learn, and teach what I have learned, so other writers may take a quicker, easier road than I have traveled.
Thank you again for supporting the Malacast Editorial. You can follow me on twitter: twitter.com/mcasteditorial, or send me a message: @mcasteditorial. If there are any issues with my blog, I dully apologize, I have just changed the layout, so it may look a bit different, and I have not yet received any serious complaints about the new look, some have said the color scheme is a bit bothersome. I may just change it back to the old black and white that it used to be, if it becomes a serious issue.
Follow my twitter feed for updates on the blog, and my new Monday Blogs posts. You can also email me: mcasteditorial@yahoo.com
Again, thank you all for the support.
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