I don't like M.I.A. Her music is okay; certainly not as exciting as she's given credit for, although I like some of it. However, I couldn't pin down why I didn't like her until I read this Times profile of her by Lynn Hirschberg. This is the best piece of writing I've read in some time, and this because of the way it impresses on me an opinion of an individual and suggests I should share it. It's opinion writing of the best kind, and I'll admit I don't know whether the article has crystallized for me why I don't like M.I.A, or has persuaded me of reasons not to like M.I.A. Doesn't matter.
At times like this, I deeply resent the game industry (and also at times like this).
Let's pretend I was skilled enough a writer to do a piece like Hirschberg's. I couldn't in this business. Because game developers aren't vocal enough about who they are. If they have creative identities (many don't), they don't express them. But even if I could grasp at a couple people who would be nuanced enough "personalities" worth covering -- the Housers, Infinity Ward, Bobby Kotick -- there's no way in hell I could get close enough to them to do a piece like this. The PR machine wouldn't let me.
Because video games still refuse to be part of the entertainment industry in any way besides the dull commercial. Because the video game industry is still culturally irrelevant.
I feel like I've been banging on about impediments to gaming's cultural relevance my entire career. I need to take periodic breaks so that I don't become fatigued and cynical (too late, maybe). However, this article does a lovable job of summing up why it's still embarrassing to be a gamer, or to put it more kindly (since none of you are actually embarrassed), issues that are still holding the industry back.
