Over a year ago I wrote a letter one Larry Hryb (or as the cool kids may know him Mr. Major Nelson). Mr. Nelson heads up the community aspects of what has now become the world's leading online gaming platform called Xbox Live. Why did I write him? What the hell does this have to with comics and Scott McCloud? The hot geek on corporate exec loving can be seen below. My lame email to start:

Hi Major Nelson,

I just wanted to pass along what a joy your podcasts are. When I'm sitting at work listening to the latest word about the 360 it keeps me going. I hope Microsoft acknowledges how your effort taps directly into their core audience and keeps the excitement going. Great stuff - please keep it up!

You're always encouraging comments/questions, so I thought I might pass one along. I know that Sony is going for an all in one portable media center for the PSP. One of the surprise demands was for digital comics on the go. I know that the 360 looks to be doing this for the home.

Do you know of any plans to allow publishers to offer comic books and graphic novels for download over live? I think it would be a huge hit considering the type of folks currently on Xbox live.

If so I'd love to add my company's work to the mix!  We offered up free comics for the PSP and it has been a big success.

And as long as I'm fishing, any rumor on having a place to upload stored image files to create custom faceplates? I know my wife would pay for the 360 herself if I could plaster a photo our dog on the front...

Thanks!
Josh


Wow. I've been called a media whore before but yikes...anywho, here was Major's kind response:



Thanks for your email.
We’ll be sticking to game content for now, but you never know


There you go folks - undeniable proof that the Xbox 360 will be comics free...until it won't be. Good times.



This hope for comics in our living rooms came from a little book by Scott McCloud called Reinventing Comics. This bland titled novel was the first follow-up to Understanding Comics, which is largely known as the best damn book ever on the art of sequential art. But Reinventing Comics was much less about the potential of a medium (though Mr. McCloud implied the changes would be diverse). Instead it was a book about micro-transactions and comic books. Compelling, eh? Accounting is quite big with the ladies...

But seriously, Reinventing Comics was written back in the day where the internet was a lumbering beast that was finding its' legs. It was cute to watch the thing tumble around, but guessing about where it might go was fairly useless. Today, comic artists are actually able to make a living by distributing comics only on the web. But the big difference from reality and the hopes of Mr. McCloud are that micro transactions never came to be. Ad revenue is the way almost all sites have fought their way into profitability.

Micro-transactions simply didn't work for comics before because they had always been perceived as free. Add in a library of mediocre content and even when they are readily available the interest is at a flatline.

Finally the moral of the story: People do still hate Micro-transactions in any form. Right now they are invading Xbox Live to a point where its' most ardent supporters are upset. While gamers have every choice under the sun not to buy what they don't want, this fact seems to elude them. It reminds of the old credit card bait and switch, pay a lower interest rate with no "gifts" or pay a higher interest rate and earn points you can buy shiny things with. Which would you choose? The truth is while they both work depending on the situation. The points make people feel love towards their card while the other creates indifference.

I'd like to believe the flaw is with this old idea instead of comics perceived value.

-Josh