Post by leunas on Aug 15, 2006 16:24:01 GMT -5
So this year's big, important book is Chris Anderson's The Long Tail. For those unfamiliar with Chris Anderson, he's Wired mag's editor-in-chief. And for those unfamiliar with The Long Tail, it's a concept that says that minority tastes can cumulatively outnumber the majority's. For example, online retailers like Amazon and Netflix can profit by carrying a multitude of obscure products. So what does that mean for game nerds like us? Anderson explains:
It's worth noting that Microsoft's Xbox Live Arcade platform, which is an on-demand marketplace for small and inexpensive casual games, many of them created by small teams on even smaller budgets, is a great example of the Long Tail of games.
Xbox leader Peter Moore's seven rules "to confront elitism and open the doors of our industry" are dubbed Seven Rules Of Long Tail Game Development by Anderson. Fascinating stuff, but be warned: Once you start looking for Long Tails, you won't be able to stop.
www.longtail.com/the_long_tail/2006/08/peter_moore_on_.html