May
16
Written by:
admin
5/16/2010 10:24 AM
If you've read The Plan, you know that our first stage in Getting There From Here is GTFH Media. The initial offering from GTFH Media is this website, a resource for spurring discussions and helping us figure out the details of the long-term plan for Getting There From Here. But as merely a blog, some content pages, and our forums, the GTFH website will likely not bring in enough cash flow to expand into Step Two (GTFH Aerospace Services).
So what else can we do to grow GTFH Media to the point where we can begin offering professional services to the aerospace industry? We've wrestled with this question for a while, and the answer that we came up with is games.
We've thought about some of the kinds of games that are popular now: social web games and MMOs. Obviously we don't have the budget to build a great MMO at this time, but we can start planning. In the meantime, we can also start on some web games. The first game or two likely will not involve a social component, but eventually we'll go in that direction.
So what kind of games can we create? Well, our goal with these games will be to educate, inspire, and entertain. So one example would be strategy games—without the war-like elements of most modern strategy games—that focus on the other steps in the GTFH Plan.
One example would be a game where the objective is to colonize Mars. You begin with the basic resources: a lander, a habitat module, some basic excavation and manufacturing sites, and you have to build a world that people will want to live on: one where they can survive, have jobs, and thrive. In order to keep it in balance, you have to manage the balance of the life support systems (too many people too quickly and the systems will become overwhelmed), grow food to feed your growing population, extract raw materials to use in production, etc.
We believe that this game would be a good place to start, so we're working on a design document for it. If anyone would like to help, please contact us using the Feedback page.
One other idea for a later stage would be a social game that involves building space habitats and mining asteroids. No one person would be able to do it all, but by working together, players could virtually colonize the solar system. And, as mentioned, plans for an MMO are in the works, probably also involving exploring and colonizing the solar system.
Let us know in the comments what you think about our plans for GTFH Media.
Tags: