Creativity - Something To Be Feared

One thing mentioned in class was how people respond to creativity. The main differences in how people respond seems to be position, and involvement in what is being created. Innovation is the main creative point that I'll be addressing in this blog post.



In general, people fear innovation. They like to stick with what they're comfortable with and not deviate from that comfort unless they have to. There are exceptions to the rule of course, but not many. Speaking from experience, I'd call myself very technology proficient, but I can safely say that every time something new comes out, I'm always skeptical of it. I've never been ok with something innovative unless I've tried it myself and it's proven to me that it's something worth using.

Again, I'm going to take the gaming route for this one. Nintendo focuses on innovation more than any other game company, so I'll use them as a primary example, starting with the Virtual Boy.

The Virtual Boy was something Nintendo worked on to further it's line of portable systems (Gameboy) it was also a way to fill the gap between the Super Nintendo and the New Ultra 64 on the way (Later Dubbed the Nintendo 64)

This is innovation at it's finest, the game system itself is a pair of goggles that you look through, the game is projected onto 2 screens, one for each eye. It provides a stereoscopic view of the games, making all the games 3D and more 'Virtual'. People were extremely excited for this when it first showed up in Nintendo Power Magazine.

However this is one of Nintendo's biggest blunders. The Virtual Boy, while innovative, didn't appeal well to those who were looking to buy one due to price, games, and the fact that it wasn't something that they were used to. Years later, Nintendo adapted this design to the 3DS, and made it successful. Yet still with the 3DS, there was a lot of apprehension because it was 'New' technology that hadn't been done before to games. 

Circling back again, this will help in my line of creativity, because you have to realize that innovation and creativity will not sit right with people. Something that looks amazing and does amazing things will scare off a lot of people because it costs too much, or because people aren't ready for it. Sega's Dreamcast system is a 10 year old Wii U, the only difference is that the Wii U waited until the public was ready for that kind of technology.

All in all, It's important to know all aspects your innovations, and what can drive people away. Specifically timing, pricing, target audiences, etc. There are hundreds of variables, and determining the variables that work is the key to a successful innovation.