The Future of a Cult
We've already established that the online Earthbound community is a cult. We have a lot of questions and we've done our best to get some answers. On our way through this journey, we have walked, thought, and fought, and we've accomplished a great deal. We are, in the eyes of most, the true embodiment of the generation of Earthbound. I wonder though, what's going to happen when that generation grows up?
The obvious answer, of course, is that it will depend on what happens to the series. We have a very limited scope, but I'm going to do what I can with what we know.
Let's suppose for a moment that Mother 3 is released this coming summer, and is true to the mood of the Mother 2 we all know and love. I've talked to enough people about the issue to doubt that any game with an atmosphere like that of Mother 2 willever be very popular. I mean, I love Mother 2. I love it to death, but the fact remains that it's only a result of my personal opinions, and that not a large percentage of the fan base shares these opinions. If Mother 3 is released in the tradition of its predecessors, I believe it'll be popular until another N64 RPG comes along, and then become more of a cult game, much like Mother 2. Earthbound.net will thrive for years on it, and this time around, more people will have been exposed to the game, likely making Earthbound.net very popular. The mother series will be well-known for a long time, but as we know, like all good things, it'll come to an end.
Now let's suppose that Nintendo decides to take the Mother series mainstream, and make it nothing at all like the other Mothers. To be honest, to me this is just as devastating as the game never being released in America. It's likely that the game will be covered and all by Earthbound.net, but the heart and soul will still lie with Mother 2. I have faith that the site will resist popular demand and stick with Mother 2, but this means that things will remain largely the same for us. I'd be disappointed, and I suspect so would nearly all of you reading this. After the initial surge of exciement after the release of Mother 3, it's my opinion that we'll be faced with a horrible problem: nothing new to talk about. In this event, it'll be all up to the fans to find ways to keep things moving.
In either case, as it all happens, we're going to get older. The people who loved Earthbound as a kid will grow up and go out into the world. Some of us may actually become video game designers because of Earthbound. I hope that happens. Then there'll be somebody to carry the torch of Earthbound-like insanity in a world that fears anything that doesn't carry a sword and slay dragons.
This cult has proven time and again to be resiliant to the bone. No matter what happens, we'll always carry inside us the heart of an Earthbound fan.
We've already established that the online Earthbound community is a cult. We have a lot of questions and we've done our best to get some answers. On our way through this journey, we have walked, thought, and fought, and we've accomplished a great deal. We are, in the eyes of most, the true embodiment of the generation of Earthbound. I wonder though, what's going to happen when that generation grows up?
The obvious answer, of course, is that it will depend on what happens to the series. We have a very limited scope, but I'm going to do what I can with what we know.
Let's suppose for a moment that Mother 3 is released this coming summer, and is true to the mood of the Mother 2 we all know and love. I've talked to enough people about the issue to doubt that any game with an atmosphere like that of Mother 2 willever be very popular. I mean, I love Mother 2. I love it to death, but the fact remains that it's only a result of my personal opinions, and that not a large percentage of the fan base shares these opinions. If Mother 3 is released in the tradition of its predecessors, I believe it'll be popular until another N64 RPG comes along, and then become more of a cult game, much like Mother 2. Earthbound.net will thrive for years on it, and this time around, more people will have been exposed to the game, likely making Earthbound.net very popular. The mother series will be well-known for a long time, but as we know, like all good things, it'll come to an end.
Now let's suppose that Nintendo decides to take the Mother series mainstream, and make it nothing at all like the other Mothers. To be honest, to me this is just as devastating as the game never being released in America. It's likely that the game will be covered and all by Earthbound.net, but the heart and soul will still lie with Mother 2. I have faith that the site will resist popular demand and stick with Mother 2, but this means that things will remain largely the same for us. I'd be disappointed, and I suspect so would nearly all of you reading this. After the initial surge of exciement after the release of Mother 3, it's my opinion that we'll be faced with a horrible problem: nothing new to talk about. In this event, it'll be all up to the fans to find ways to keep things moving.
In either case, as it all happens, we're going to get older. The people who loved Earthbound as a kid will grow up and go out into the world. Some of us may actually become video game designers because of Earthbound. I hope that happens. Then there'll be somebody to carry the torch of Earthbound-like insanity in a world that fears anything that doesn't carry a sword and slay dragons.
This cult has proven time and again to be resiliant to the bone. No matter what happens, we'll always carry inside us the heart of an Earthbound fan.
