I remember when I heard buzz about Occulus VR a couple years ago - I wasn't impressed then. I mean, I grew up in the whole era of VR.... The Lawnmower Man blew my friends mind with promises of technology, but it ended up being a fart in the wind. However, the rise of that did give rise to 3D graphics gaining more prominence in computer and game culture, leading to the kind of games we see today - where everything is 3D modeled and made with rigs etc.
But Occulus seemed like just another gag to me at the time; I recognize we live in a time where people are obsessed with "gadgetry" more than ever. We like little baubles of coolness to distract us, and the Occulus was just that to me. I always played games as an alternative to reality, but I kept my feet firmly planted in the world. I never wanted to leave this place - I just enjoyed the distraction. Some people WANT to slip into that world fully. So I see why the Occulus was popular, and on a KS asking for just $250,000 to develop their technology, they got $2.5 million.
People lauded the rise of independent technology development - and there was hopes of some brave new world and awesome new game-changing landscape where developers would create and control the entertainment and content! Hand in hand with hardware developers, and free of the endless chain of barmery that corporations regurgitated, people would get new, fun, innovative and amazing games and entertainment! The future was in our grasp! All of us! We'd start the revolution!
And, of course, it was sold to facebook for $2 Billion the other day. That's $2,000,000,000 dollars.
Now, as a business decision, uh - yeah - that's a no-brainer. But it does put a damper on that whole "revolution" thing. Truth is, money will buy you out. It'll buy out the revolution, and I'm not surprised about it. Anything that truly aspires to be bigger will never just develop organically enough to take on those with the superfunds. It's sad that Occulus went this way, but for me - I never really cared for it, so it's no skin off my back. I do feel bad for people who believed in something, and had that smashed.
Anyway, I'm just musing outloud here. Perhaps we'll get some more opinions on the matter, eh?
Bt