Passion and Optimism...
... can count for a lot, but business is business.
Since news of 38 Studios' collapse, I've been hoping to see a broader perspective of the situation. Too many articles have been quick 'he said, she said' affairs, often focusing either on Curt Shilling or Governor Lincoln Chafee. Well, last night I found my way to a Boston Magazine article based on a broader selection of sources. To me, 'tis a very interesting read. Of course, it's hard to know what was really going through anyone's head along the way, but it paints a pretty sound picture of a company built up to make the next big MMO in the best way possible, yet lacking any idea how to actually pull that off.
The goals and vision were admirable. The execution not so much. It's wonderful to treat employees as well as they did for a few years, but the attitudes behind that seem to have guaranteed that behavior would be unsustainable - and that doesn't serve anyone well, especially the newer hires. Basically... high ideals mean little if you can't support them.
And it doesn't surprise me this came about from a baseball player. Society seems to have raised big-time entertainers (whether in sports, TV, music, movies, or whatever) to a caste where there's so much money and lavish treatment floating around that it's incredibly easy to lose touch with realities of business and life in general for more "normal" folk.
Honestly, I don't feel that speaks well of our civilization as a whole.
Since news of 38 Studios' collapse, I've been hoping to see a broader perspective of the situation. Too many articles have been quick 'he said, she said' affairs, often focusing either on Curt Shilling or Governor Lincoln Chafee. Well, last night I found my way to a Boston Magazine article based on a broader selection of sources. To me, 'tis a very interesting read. Of course, it's hard to know what was really going through anyone's head along the way, but it paints a pretty sound picture of a company built up to make the next big MMO in the best way possible, yet lacking any idea how to actually pull that off.
The goals and vision were admirable. The execution not so much. It's wonderful to treat employees as well as they did for a few years, but the attitudes behind that seem to have guaranteed that behavior would be unsustainable - and that doesn't serve anyone well, especially the newer hires. Basically... high ideals mean little if you can't support them.
And it doesn't surprise me this came about from a baseball player. Society seems to have raised big-time entertainers (whether in sports, TV, music, movies, or whatever) to a caste where there's so much money and lavish treatment floating around that it's incredibly easy to lose touch with realities of business and life in general for more "normal" folk.
Honestly, I don't feel that speaks well of our civilization as a whole.
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