Making Creativity Easier Breeds Creativity
Recently, Nintendo released a game called Super Mario Maker. If you haven't played a Mario Bros game before then there's something wrong with you. Mario is an iconic hero in video games, and even people who aren't familiar with video games are able to recognize him. He's basically the Mickey of Video Games.
With Super Mario Maker, you can create your own mario levels using objects and enemies across a multitude of games in the series, as well as choosing the look of the level itself. You can make it look like the classic original Mario Bros, Mario 3, Super Mario World, or even New Super Mario Bros (the latest and most graphical game, for a 2d side scroller).
The best part has to be how you can actually upload the stages you create for others to play and enjoy, and of course you can also play levels other people have created.
It's only been out for a week, and already over a million levels have been uploaded. It's easy to create and upload a level you've made, so of course people who love mario would flock to the game.
There are levels that range from really easy, to really hard, and even funny and clever ones like these: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B35YzIVo6Oo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSm1Rn7Prcs
I started thinking about how I've often heard people say that they couldn't write a book, of talking about artistic friends and how they could never draw that well, or other similar statements.
If you make something more accessible to the general masses, you're opening things up to people who would have previously made the statements above. Super Mario Maker is fun and easy to work with, and people who've never thought about game design, or designing a mario level are playing it.
It feels the same to me as Kindle and Amazon's self-publishing as well as other things that opened up options for creative people. It's so easy to get your book out there on Amazon or other digital marketplaces and have your voice be heard. iTunes (I believe) makes it easy to upload an app or a mobile game or even a song for people to enjoy. There are tons of sites for blogging and uploading images of photography or art. And of course there's sites like Kickstarter and Patreon where people can get funding to create what they want.
Because of the ease of all these sites we're seeing a lot more of everything. More books, more apps, more mobile games, more music, again: more everything.
Of course not everything is world class, just as with the mario maker levels, some are better than others, but the fact that so many are coming out of the woodwork to use these programs means that they've wanted to do this all along, but never had the outlet. Maybe their book was rejected by publishers, maybe they couldn't find a record label for their music, maybe no one would buy their art because it was a niche style or subject.
If you make creating and sharing something easy, more people will want to try it, and I feel right now is the best time to be a creative person. You don't have an excuse anymore, it simply comes down to drive.
With Super Mario Maker, you can create your own mario levels using objects and enemies across a multitude of games in the series, as well as choosing the look of the level itself. You can make it look like the classic original Mario Bros, Mario 3, Super Mario World, or even New Super Mario Bros (the latest and most graphical game, for a 2d side scroller).
The best part has to be how you can actually upload the stages you create for others to play and enjoy, and of course you can also play levels other people have created.
It's only been out for a week, and already over a million levels have been uploaded. It's easy to create and upload a level you've made, so of course people who love mario would flock to the game.
There are levels that range from really easy, to really hard, and even funny and clever ones like these: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B35YzIVo6Oo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSm1Rn7Prcs
I started thinking about how I've often heard people say that they couldn't write a book, of talking about artistic friends and how they could never draw that well, or other similar statements.
If you make something more accessible to the general masses, you're opening things up to people who would have previously made the statements above. Super Mario Maker is fun and easy to work with, and people who've never thought about game design, or designing a mario level are playing it.
It feels the same to me as Kindle and Amazon's self-publishing as well as other things that opened up options for creative people. It's so easy to get your book out there on Amazon or other digital marketplaces and have your voice be heard. iTunes (I believe) makes it easy to upload an app or a mobile game or even a song for people to enjoy. There are tons of sites for blogging and uploading images of photography or art. And of course there's sites like Kickstarter and Patreon where people can get funding to create what they want.
Because of the ease of all these sites we're seeing a lot more of everything. More books, more apps, more mobile games, more music, again: more everything.
Of course not everything is world class, just as with the mario maker levels, some are better than others, but the fact that so many are coming out of the woodwork to use these programs means that they've wanted to do this all along, but never had the outlet. Maybe their book was rejected by publishers, maybe they couldn't find a record label for their music, maybe no one would buy their art because it was a niche style or subject.
If you make creating and sharing something easy, more people will want to try it, and I feel right now is the best time to be a creative person. You don't have an excuse anymore, it simply comes down to drive.
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