I’ve been thinking about IF and the new blogging site Medium.com. The interesting thing about Medium is that it’s so pretty and full screen. Vorple has some of the same flavor required. It may be possible to offer something like Medium for IF. A platform where authors could publish their works that has that same grandeur.
I think web and mobile are the keys to successful commercial IF, but along with that we need the power of great design.
David C.
www.textfyre.com
@DavidC, I don’t disagree with that, but it’s telling that one of the most successful commercial IF ventures (Choice of Games) doesn’t seem to focus on great design, at least the last time I checked (no disrespect intended!).
What they do focus on is producing commercial IF, which understandably this community does not. But at least I’m hoping that some people here see this and other similar threads as an incentive to give it a try, I think it would be a good thing in the long run for the community in general.
The existing commercial efforts are fantastic, but unless they or someone else reaches a much wider audience, those are home-based efforts with limited growth potential. It’s true…I could sit at home, buckle down, and create games and sell them. I could make some semblance of a living or supplemental income doing so. But that’s not my personal goal. My goal is to reach 50,000, 100,000 people, or more.
I believe the UI/UX “problem” is the only way to reach a wider audience. Inherently, quality games are also required. We know how to do that. What we have not figured out is the wider audience part.
David C.
www.textfyre.com