Who’s Coming — and Why it Matters
by SealWyf, HSM Editor
On Monday, March 25, I had the privilege of viewing a preview of LOOT’s new personal space, the TARDIS, based on the iconic time-and-space machine from the BBC series, Doctor Who. Getting an exclusive look at upcoming Home content is always a thrill, and I’ll confess to being enough of a Home fan-girl to get a severe case of the warm-and-fuzzies when I get to see stuff before its official release. But this content made a deeper impression on me than the mere “OMG! I’m actually seeing this!” thrill of the moment.
Possibly because Passover also began on Monday, I found myself echoing the ceremonial question, “Why is this night different from all other nights?” Except my question was, “How is this content different, and more important, than all other Home content?” In seeking the answer to this question, we can begin to define why Doctor Who matters for Home.
The first, and most obvious reason this content matters is because of who owns it. Doctor Who is the intellectual property (IP) of the BBC, and as such one of their biggest, most recognizable possessions. It is also one of their most lucrative. They aren’t going to let just anyone handle it. But the BBC has trusted Home with this golden IP, and they are promoting the upcoming Home content with enthusiasm.
When it comes to external IP, we haven’t seen anything of this scope in Home before. Yes, LucasArts produced some Star Wars content for Home — some virtual goods, costumes for a few characters, and the Cantina public space — but it never went anywhere. Even in its initial offering, “Wave One”, the Doctor Who content is much, much bigger. We start out with costumes of two major characters — the Eleventh Doctor and mystery woman River Song. And we get the TARDIS, the heart and soul of the series, as both a personal space and a clubhouse skin. It’s as if Star Wars had entered Home with Darth Vader, Slave Leia and Yoda costumes and a personal space modeled on the Millennium Falcon. But LucasArts held back the good stuff for later — and “later” never came. The BBC has trusted us with the most important, iconic content up front. That is huge.
The second reason this content matters more than most is its sheer technical magnificence. It’s been a few years since we could be awed by a box and some virtual scenery. But we still expect a personal space to be, well, boxy. The ones that break the mold, the ones that combine vast size with features such as day/night controls, minigames and Entertainment On Demand, are still very special.
Well, from what I saw on the walkthrough, you had better put on your socks. Because this space is going to knock them off. It’s huge, and it’s detailed, and it is the closest thing we are going to get to being able to inhabit the actual TARDIS, with its infinite passages and serendipitous rooms. All of them centered on the deeply detailed bridge, with its texture and moving parts and dramatic lighting. And the LOOT team assured us they were not showing us everything in the space, because they wanted there to be some surprises left when we saw it on Wednesday. This is a technical breakthough space, a new standard-setter in Home architecture. And that makes it important.
The third reason this content matters is who it’s going to bring into Home. The BBC is making sure that the Whovian community knows that there’s significant Doctor Who content coming to PlayStation Home. They are publicizing this for all they’re worth. And on dozens of fan sites, people who have never heard of Home are now planning to pay us a visit.
Meanwhile, on the PlayStation Blog, gamers who have given up on Home are remarking (and even complaining) that they will have to give it another chance, just to get a look at this content. I think it’s safe to predict that there’s going to be a huge surge of Home visitors over the next few weeks. They’re going to see Home through fresh, or returning, eyes. They may come for Doctor Who. But some of them will find other things to like here, and they’ll stay.
At least I hope so. But we, as Home regulars, have just inherited a great responsibility. We need to make the newcomers — the visiting Whovians, and the wave of Harry Potter fans who will descend in April — feel at home in Home. My greatest dread is that they’ll arrive fresh and enthusiastic about the new epic IP content — and the first thing they’ll encounter is a crowd of trolls, fam recruiters and sexual propositions. We need to keep them around long enough to see that’s not all we are. Because they, and the reception they receive, may well be our future.
I’ll be blunt. Whether there’s a Home on the PS4 may well be decided over the next few months, by the success or failure of these risky, high-profile IP releases. Can Sony deliver a robust, profitable platform to the world’s best content providers? If so, we may well see more major franchises appear in Home. If not, they’ll drift away to greener pastures, and the content they have already released will stagnate and fossilize, like the LucasArts Cantina that seemed so promising when it appeared back in 2010.
And that’s the final reason this content matters. Having it here is an incredibly hopeful sign for our continued survival. But it’s not a guarantee of a bright future for Home.
It very well may be a test.
March 27th, 2013 by SealWyf_ | 4 comments
SealWyf is a museum database programmer, who has been active in online communities since before the Internet, and in console gaming since the PS1. In games, she prefers the beautiful and quirky, and anything with a strong storyline. She is obsessed with creating new aesthetic experiences in PlayStation Home.
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That’s just the question. Is this a large enough “get” for Home to bring new blood to the program or will it simply be another thing the existing community buys?
Agreed Seal. This and Harry Potter are going to be a huge testing ground for Home. We all need to support and help those new people we meet to acclimate when they arrive.
Nice read as always. And i agree.No only will new people come to home because of this.But Also ..ahum.. “old” users like myself. I have stayed away from home for quite a while now. But this new content plus the devotion Loot puts in.makes me wanna revisit Home oncemore. And yes lets protect those newbie`s. Home is a wonderfull place where u can meet incredible people and have your imagination take a run with you. It just takes a little time to fully grasp where u are and what u can do there. And if the 1st impression will be trolling…. AnywayZZzz i can`t wait to get my hands on some virtual Dr who items. And i am curious towards all the new vids created with this. Alons-y to Home
:^/ I hadn’t thought of it that way, but you may very well be right. The direction of Home’s future may be determined by how well this content works out.
That’s an enormous responsibility we have now. Dang.