David Braben: a Steve Jobs of video gaming industry?

[tnxgalaxy]

In a way that they are both visionaries, in their ability to foresee what is going to be great by essence, what we deeply want to use/play to.

To stay a bit on this comparison, the first elite games were a bit like the first graphical interface of the Macintosh in 1984, very few people understood at the beginning how a proper graphical interface (so much better than Xerox one) would literally change the industry for decades. Procedurally generated universe will make sense progressively as the game comes together, but it is too early for players and the other actors of the industry to really see the potential. Minecraft underused it, they generate landscapes while they could have generated so much more such as characters, whole world stories, town, cities ... and Mojang already got so much success from that ...

David hasn't been able to accomplish his vision until Elite Dangerous, because he didn't have the necessary resources for it. The kickstarter success was a magic moment because that meant he had finally the resources to do so.
I am convinced it is going to work, because not only David has the vision, but he has passion, a sharp technical and scientific background as well as very good managerial skills (as FD success so far proves).

Guys, I really believe this is still the dawn of a very very ambitious project. I think what we have seen so far is just the tip of the iceberg, this first iteration of Elite Dangerous game is a magic bean seed with all the elements (strong history background with novels, scientific accuracy, technical expertise) to become a new StarWars franchise, and maybe so much more than that (a whole and rich universe where anyone plays a role and that is not bound to just a few hours of screenplay, yikes! I already have a life, I will need two!).

I would not be surprised if ED becomes the core of the activities of FD in the coming years.

Don't be disappointed by the lack of love at E3, this is something to expect. As Mahatma Gandhi said: First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.

We are still at the first steps. Be patient, there is a lot of hard work for FD on the way.

If I'm so enthusiastic, it's because I believe that I get it and that I see were all this is going. Or am I just an other fanatic jerk without knowing about it?

Commander TNXGalaxy

 

[Winterwalker]

I couldn't agree with you more Sir.

Or should I say .. "RIGHT ON COMMANDER"

 

[Oss133]

DB is like SJ? I hope not.

MUG!

 

[Patrick_68000]

David is effectively a visionary. It also has experience. These two characteristics make it a redoubtable person

 

[Cmdr Eagleboy]

I don't think David is SJ for one reason - I really want to meet David as a human being AND fellow sci fi/gaming geek, not so much with Steve with his obsessions and dark stuff that happened around Apple. David just comes out as down to earth likable. This is rare gift for game dev. Some people have claimed that CR has this "your buddy" drift going on and that's why SC is so successful. Really? For me those guys are just goofing around. David means business, but David also means very very passionate.

 

[Oculus]

John Carmack and David together would be an interesting combo!

 

[jabokai]

Let's not get carried away! For sure DB is an important name in games history AND a current "known" name in games development but there are dozens and dozens of bigger names. To compare him to Jobs he'd have to be running a billion+ studio which released a constant string of multi-million selling games. There are studios that do that, FD isn't one of them. That's not an insult - I can't stand Apple and the overpriced trinkets they sell to the gullible. And I can't stand EA and the trash they push out - long may the indie nature of FD continue!

 

[tnxgalaxy]

I don't think David is SJ for one reason - I really want to meet David as a human being AND fellow sci fi/gaming geek

Completely agree with you, I loved what did SJ as a visionary and this is really what I was talking about.

 

[tnxgalaxy]

Let's not get carried away! For sure DB is an important name in games history AND a current "known" name in games development but there are dozens and dozens of bigger names. To compare him to Jobs he'd have to be running a billion+ studio which released a constant string of multi-million selling games.

Remember were SJ was in 2007 when he got back to Apple, he was preparing the iMac, the iPod, etc. but Michael Dell thought the company was dead at the time.

 

[jabokai]

Remember were SJ was in 2007 when he got back to Apple, he was preparing the iMac, the iPod, etc. but Michael Dell thought the company was dead at the time.

I loved Elite and I like an awful lot about this game. It won't be in the league of the WoWs, GTAs, CoDs, Marios, Zeldas, Battlefields, nor even Far Cry or Crysis. It will hopefully be an amazing game for those of us into it this sort of thing, but I don't believe it will hit some kind of revelation for the public at large.

 

[Skizomeuh]

This comparison doesn't sound like a compliment to DB, for me. I don't know personnally those men, but I feel DB like an envisionned yet humble person while SJ felt like a quite misanthropic (could I say sociopathic) person.

 

[W4rSkuLL]

The Elite Universe has the same potential as Star Wars and Star Trek have. And if the marketing is done right no one knows how big it can become. We might even see a movie in the future. Toys, clothes and stuff. This is just the humble beginning.
The most important aspect is of course the game E.D

Seeing what E.D already has become in the beta version, its not hard to see it will become a huge milestone in the Sci Fi genre now and in the future.

And that E.D is the first space game to really have implemented support for VR and Ocolus Rift is a huge step in the right direction. To be the first space sim to fully immerse you into a cockpit of a spacecraft is mind blowing. Im almost drooling to get a Crystal Cove version of the VR set. Its like the holy grail of sci fi immersion finally come true. And Frontier has done it already. Thats a huge advantage for David Braben and Frontier. We are living in exiting times fellow commanders.

 

[stephen_usher]

In a word, "No".

David seems like a thoroughly nice person. Geeky in a good way.

Steve Jobs was ruthless, but an excellent showman and with a gift for a vision.

 

[Wolf]

Steve Jobs? Not at all! I would take that as an insult if I were David.

Almost no new technologies came from him, if at all. Just better looks and marketing.

David Braben for me is much more like Jay Miner.
A visionary, foreseeing things to come through thought, knowledge of history and instinct.
He also invented new technologies which were ripped off by countless copy cats and didn't get the credit he deserved for it.
Luckily David still has the chance to impress yet again by showing the world where the genre really came from!
Much unlike poor Jay.

 

[INaeem]

David Braben is David Braben much like Elite is Elite and both (David Braben and Elite) will continue to revolutionise many generations and many industries. The fact is without yesterday there is no today or tomorrow!

 

[n0ahg]

I disagree, I've always seen David Braben as a nice guy. You wouldn't get Apple working on something like the Raspberry Pi unless there was a huge profit in it!

 

[Juppstein]

David Braben a Steven Jobs?

With all due respect to Mr. Braben but the man has released 3 (4?) notable games some 20+ years ago and some not so brilliant ones in the recent past.

There are others in the gaming industry that did more to bring it forward. John Carmack comes to mind, Gabe Newell ,Shigeru Miyamoto, Will Wright, Tim Sweeney. It's a steep road up to the Olymp.

 

[noodle]

Let's not get carried away!

Yeah, really! SJ was significant because he tapped into the pulse of what most people wanted - fashionable, simplified, functional things. One might even say dumbed down. Elite will be many things, but dumbed down for mass appeal? I really don't think so.

 

[n0ahg]

Yeah, really! SJ was significant because he tapped into the pulse of what most people wanted - fashionable, simplified, functional things. One might even say dumbed down. Elite will be many things, but dumbed down for mass appeal? I really don't think so.

We don't want dumbed down iDocking!

 

[Stachel]

Dave did bear a striking resemblance to Steve Jobs back in the 80's for sure. His dreamy bouffant has hardly changed. Some might say it is suspiciously well preserved. I think the British Steve Jobs was Sinclair though in all fairness.