I Want to Be a Producer~

I'm sitting in a Books-A-Million right now, mostly because I needed some free Wi-Fi while waiting for some things to print at a nearby Office Depot. BAM only has free Wi-Fi if you're a member of their club, which I'm not. However, the Lowe's hardware store across the street does have free Wi-Fi and, apparently, the most powerful signal in the world. Thanks, Lowe's!

Anyway, apparently Doctor Who has taken over this book store. I don't think Doctor Who even has many books (I'm sure it has at least one...), but that's not what they're selling. Nope, we've got posters, plush dolls, replica sonic screwdrivers, and a TARDIS cookie jar, among other things.

This sort of blatant monetization of other people's ideas makes me cringe and reflect upon what it means to be a content creator.

Obviously, being involved with Fangamer, I can't ignore my own part in this system. I have a series of defenses to make me feel better about what I do (we aren't as blatant, we do it with elegance/style/etc, we're raising the bar for what this stuff should be), but sometimes they just all seem like excuses, denying the facts of the matter: we're making a living because someone else made something popular.

Sometimes I wish that we could focus on something original, something inarguably ours, that would elevate us from being mere moons, reflecting the light of suns.

I believe that metaphor, equating content creators with the sun, is apt. So many things take their energy from the sun that it boggles the mind. It's practically an infinite source of energy, giving steadily with no signs of slowing down. It's the same with a strong original concept: a video game, a super hero, a fantasy setting. They compel people, inspire them, create jobs, and more.

I hope to be a sun some day.