Things to Consider as a Digital Designer

This excerpt from Crossing the Chasm really made me examine the effort it takes to be successful in digital design. The message really hit home for me once I glanced at the charts and took note of where I fall on the “digital age” spectrum. 

The first chart was the “Game & Console Chart” (pg 15) and it displays a history of games from 1972 to 2006. I was familiar with the middle of the spectrum (early 1990s to early 2000s), but I was surprised to see that I had never heard of some gaming systems and games produced in recent years. The chart on the next page, “Levels of Gamers”, places me in the Gamer 3.0 category. I glanced at the “thought processes” of Gamer 4.0s and I am not sure that I want to game at that level. I like simple, puzzle-like gaming, and I really don't like engaging in social gaming. When I played SecondLife last week, I hated how everyone kept talking to me. I wanted to wander the island and listen to the concert in peace. While gaming, I don't want to depend on people. I don't want to know people. I just want to have fun, solve a little puzzle, and then move on.  If I'm playing a social game where I am depending on people, I would feel like the game is too much like ‘real life'. I want to escape all of that while gaming!

Then I thought about my role as a digital designer. Should I keep up with all of this stuff, even though I think it is irritating (social gaming)? And if I choose to keep up with the latest way to game and the gaming systems, to what depth should I keep myself in the loop? Do I purchase every system as soon as it hits the market? Or should I wait until it has proven its viability? Or will technology accelerate so fast that systems will become obsolete within a year?

Digital designers need to be familiar with what the masses are doing because as the article says, these games are changing how people consume knowledge. As digital designer students, we spend a lot of time focusing on the technology and the code, but we have to remember that we are only manipulating the machines to better serve people. In conclusion, if the kids are creating new ways to be effective via digital devices, I guess I better find out what they're doing so I can do a better job communicating to them. And perhaps we can use the new school technology to instill the old school values that are leaving with the baby boomers.