Comments on: More on a zine

By: Jeff

Jeff — Wed, 13 Apr 2005 19:35:02 +0000

Now you know why people on Livejournal hate me I post even less there.

Unfortunately, time constraints and things are causing me to not be able to post as much as I’d like. I do have things in the works though.

Also I hate the skin. It must change soon.

By: Darius Kazemi

Darius Kazemi — Wed, 13 Apr 2005 13:28:16 +0000

Post more, damn you! Be bloggy!

By: Jeff

Jeff — Tue, 12 Apr 2005 20:12:23 +0000

Emerging technologies, I’m not so sure, but certainly the Internet is a big part of the whole distribution and advertising scheme. I do think communities are the things that will help the most. GarageGames, the blog community, and various smaller studios (especially those specializing in flash games) are what will be the cornerstone of submissions to the zine.

I also think the ‘zine should form its own community, if we want to keep readers, though I haven’t actually thought about it in the official distribution plan.

By: Darren Torpey

Darren Torpey — Tue, 12 Apr 2005 20:04:19 +0000

I’ve been thinking about this and talking with Darius, among others, about it recently. Undoubtably, there is some solution that would be in the best interests of both the players and the developers. Of course, the task of getting people to recognize and invest in that benefit will still remain, even with the best of ideas.

One of the things that got me thinking about this was watching Wierd Al’s cult classic UHF. The main idea behind the plot is that a town of people decide to buy up all of the stock of a local non-network television station because its manager (Wierd Al’s character) gives them what they want (and The Networks do not).

Of course, in UHF, what the people want is apparently random, talentless, bizzare shows with little to zero coherence. It is, after all, a Wierd Al production.

Nonetheless, it seems that the idea is still true. If people can come to appreciate the benefits of independent production and distribution of media, then it would seem that if only by their sheer multiplicity there is a chance for something good to catch on.

No doubt, the web can help us make this happen. Do you think some of the emerging technologies (and communities) can help make this happen?

By: Jeff

Jeff — Thu, 24 Mar 2005 23:23:09 +0000

Working with mostly volunteers in the beginning, giving out free issues to gain publicity, you’re right. But if it remains mostly volunteer (for the most part) and subscription charges can cover distribution… hey… digital distribution is pretty cheap.

It’s always going to be a “labor of love” type thing, but I can see it being self sustaining after a few years.

By: Craig Perko

Craig Perko — Thu, 24 Mar 2005 22:27:26 +0000

I’d contribute, but I think it would be pretty hard to get in the black.