Guides
NOTE: I transferred this from my GameSpot blog which is under the account Chikinware. I just want to be clear that I am not plagiarizing.
I've been listening to the album The Lonesome, Crowded West by Modest Mouse which is on whole based around the sonic and lyrical tendencies of the Pacific Northwest. It sounds like the Pacific Northwest and it talks about the Pacific Northwest. This property is known as regionalism. Regionalism in music comes from a lack of convenient communication between different music scenes. The isolation allows each region to develop its own sound. When the sound matures and is then exposed to the larger world, that sound becomes an identifier of that region and thus a cultural aspect of a distinct "tribe" of people. Regionalism is an amazing artistic technique because in addition to its primary themes, the songs allow a person to experience an alien way of life and thus connect people without compromising individuality. This leads us to my new realization that the "high tech" world of the Internet is destroying a potential artistic property of games.
The Internet is too convenient for its own good. An indie game developer, regardless of location, can be instantly exposed to games from around the world in an instant. Influence spreads quickly and suddenly a "Seattle" gameplay trend becomes an "Internet" game trend available to everyone. Gameplay that may draw from the reason is snatched up so fast it really doesn't even have time to be further developed by those of its original region. This means that we as gamers and we as developers are being cheated out of an important experience because of the "convenience" of the Internet.
Some of you might cite the difference between Western RPGs and Japanese RPGs as regionalism. This is utterly wrong however as WRPGs and JRPGs are actually designs derived from whether or not the narrative is going to be told in the third-person or first-person perspective (writing, not camera). The United States is large and undoubtedly certain gameplay types would represent the sensibility of one region better than those of another. The large, empty northwest for example could inspire gameplay of an adventurous or wandering quality. The hustle and bustle of the northeast could definitely inspire crowded games or frantic games. At one point Texas even had a first-person shooter "scene" which lost its regionalism with the Internet. These are just two examples of the possibilities. The locations can become more and more specific or perhaps states on the border of two regions would produce entirely new hybrid gameplay trends.
The games as art discussion seems to be really overdone at this point but regionalism is just another way that game developers could enhance this aspect of their passion. Think about where you live and encapsulate THAT experience in a game. Those close to you can identify with regionalism and those far away will find excitement in the alien feelings of another world. Perhaps gaming needs to be less about expanding technology and the Internet (MMORPGs=death of art) and more about expanding the cultural force of gameplay. Please, unplug the ethernet cables and just start making YOUR game.
