- Vagabond is one of my favorite new voices to come out of the NBI (Go check him out.) So when he recently asked the question "Why should I care about Copernicus?" I had to take notice. I'm not aware of anyone else who writes about the game with any frequency, I figure I should actually answer.
- You probably shouldn't. There is no game coming at the end of this hype cycle. Vagabond points out that with new games coming out (like City of Steam), there is no reason to follow a game that won't ever exist. And he is right. But I'm not in this for entirely rational reasons.
- I've identified three reasons why I continue to blog about Copernicus:
- Archeology - Because the game is destined to never come out, I enjoy digging up whatever data I can. Like an archeologist piecing together the shards of a shattered urn, I am gathering the pieces of a shattered game. What I end up with will only be a pale reflection of the original, but I enjoy learning as much as I can.
- Contrariness - There is another part of me that is holding onto it out of dogged stubborness. This subject fascinates me and I'll be damned if I'm not going to write about just because I happen to be the only one who cares. I blogged about Champions Online long after is was no longer fashionable to do so. As was said many times during NBI, I am blogging for myself. If just one other person is interested in the subject, if somewhere down the line they can use this blog as a resource to find out about the game, that would be cool. But mostly I'm leaving these notes because I want to record it for myself.
- Mourning - Finally, there is a part of me that is profoundly sad that the game imploded so spectacularly. People poured their energy, their dreams, and their lives into the project and there is nothing to show for it. I'm not sad because I won't be able to play the game, I'm sad because they won't get to see their game played. So these posts become an extended vigil for an idea that died.
- There you go. I promise to always include the name Copernicus in any posts about the game. So feel free to skip them when they come across your RSS reader. Or maybe, if you are curious, peek inside because maybe I'll have found something pretty cool.
© 2012 Marty Runyon. All rights reserved.
Honestly, one of my favorite things about your blog is that you post about whatever the hell you feel like. I might not have a lot to say when you post PnP encounter designs or make a series of posts about a doomed MMO that never came out, but I read everything you post with pleasure :-)
ReplyDeleteIn any case, your recent Copernicus binge makes a lot more sense to me now. The more you dig up on it the more of a shame it seems that the game imploded.
Anjin, thanks for the detailed and kind answer.
ReplyDeleteAt least now I understand your motivation - and probably that of other bloggers/journalists/reddit posters. Not that I have the same sentiment, but I like to understand why people think in a way.
Also, thanks for the kind words. You are probably the only constant reader of my blog :D