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Occupy, Banks, and the Spotlight

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It's looking like the Occupy Movement has gotten the attention of Bank of America with their new Occupy Your Homes anti-foreclosure protests. What's remarkable is that BofA seems concerned enough to send out a memo – and realizes they're being targeted.

I think they're a bit nervous, and they should be:

  • This rebrands the OWS movement in a way that provides easy messaging and positive image.
  • It calls attention to foreclosure and home issues – and can keep the issues in the news.
  • Anything the bank does backfires.
  • The backfires will call attention to bad banking practices, MERS, etc.
  • Most people aren't too happy with banks.

If this continues (and my guess is it will), then it's going to keep the public eye on banks and their activities past and present. This could lead to deeper investigations (if not just more awareness) of serious problems in the system.

As we all know the banks have a lot of problems still – and frankly I don't think they can stand the scruity and the lawsuits that would follow.  So this shift in tactics could have a lot of effects on the banks and how they're treated.

– Steven Savage

Goodbye Game Systems

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At some point we're going to stop using the word "Game System."

It's barely relevant now.  The XBox in my household has long stints as a video player, and before it that was my major use for the Wii.  Social media is integrating into everything.  Even "games" are changing into other things.

On top of that, games are going everywhere, from websites to phones.  A phone is a "gaming" device now.

So at some point, I think we're going to have to ditch the term "Game System" because Game Systems won't be about games alone.

At some point they'll be "media devices" or "entertainment systems" (much as some computers are pitched).  Oh sure it may be a tablet, or a phone, or something, but it won't be thought of as primarily a "gaming" system.

Now think of what that means geekonomically:

  • When the language changes, you have to change marketing tactics.  Smart marketers that can see this shift can market the devices that replace mere "gaming systems."
  • Technologists have to figure out just what these expanded systems do and don't do – and should and shouldn't do.  The range of what a product does gets fuzzier.
  • Developers . . . well you know what you're going through.  Get ready to find decisions about graphics, SDKs, and platforms getting a might more confusing.
  • Game developers will have to further think over demographics more carefully when pitching things on a device, distributing, etc.
  • What will happen to "game" websites in their coverage?  When games are everywhere and there's no true gaming device, there's a shift in reviews, classifications, and what is appropriate coverage.
  • The social and cultural impact of games will be further caught up in other media, and thus analyzing it or reporting on it is more complex.  Maybe on the plus side it'll minimize the various outbursts of "games are evil."

Someday, probably in the next decade, there will be no more "game machines."

Are you ready?

– Steven Savage

The Power of Customization In The Geekonomy

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It all comes down to a knitted burger at Hyper-Con.

No, really, someone had a new side business called "Jennifer's Creation" and she had a cute set of knitted ingredients that let you build your own burger out of parts.  It was neat and funny and amusing, and one of those odd things that made me think about the future of businesses, especially geeky ones.

Customization is something we expect.

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