Open Console Sesame!
Posted at February 7, 2006 02:17 PM - Category: Ideas
The XBox 360 has made some pretty major changes to how I view a console system. The biggest reason is the persistent online component in the Dashboard. In there, you have persistent scoring, downloadable demos, add-ons to your games, even full games in the Live Arcade. This new distribution model for content has encouraged me to play the console more and feel more involved with the overall gamer community. I'm no longer disconnected from others who are enjoying the same game.
What I think this leads into is what J Allard said recently: "We're going to take on the Wikipedia model." That means that they're going to allow gamers to create content in addition to just providing new content over the Dashboard. So, not only is there a connected-ness from the persistent and multiplayer elements of XBox Live, there will now the a connected-ness from the content that is played as well. I think this is potentially huge.
Back up a few years and try to remember the PS2 Linux kit. It was a great idea that really never got off the ground, IMHO. For something that was openly provided, it seems like people were concentrating more on getting it running on the XBox, but that's more of a familiarity of hardware thing. In any case, the big thing was the ability to make your own games. It's what people have been fighting to do on their XBox's, PSPs, DS's, and other consoles for a while now. Most are pretty successful in terms of getting the job done, but the community behind most of them is "underground".
What I would like to see happen is console makers opening up the hardware a bit. Provide a limited development environment to allow people to make their own games. They can mandate the licensing so that content produced under this "SDK" would have to be free. If they want to change, they'll have to get licensed, simple as that. But it could be a huge gateway for smaller developers to get their products into the Live Arcade. Games that would never have been heard of could get the revenue and recognition that they deserve. Perhaps a part of this could be a very dumbed-down, simplistic game maker. Sort of like the RPG makers you can buy, but with much more freedom in terms of content. I could see some really fun games coming out of that. Imagine an XBox User-Made Games section to your console with a top 10 list of games. I think it would be pretty sweet and yet another reason to keep playing.
