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Post by thegenii on Jun 21, 2018 13:32:46 GMT -5
I can't imagine MPC doing any more "experiences" as we think of them.
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Post by thegenii on Jun 22, 2018 15:36:14 GMT -5
This sentence in today's email is really too much. Here's a rule for everyone: do not use a semi-colon unless you are certain of its proper use.
"At the Mysterious Package Company, we specialise in offbeat; some might say niche, Experiences."
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Post by Todd on Jun 22, 2018 16:11:06 GMT -5
This sentence in today's email is really too much. Here's a rule for everyone: do not use a semi-colon unless you are certain of its proper use. "At the Mysterious Package Company, we specialise in offbeat; some might say niche, Experiences." Are they saying they specialize in "niche experiences" right after they discontinued the old school Curios & Conundrums because the market is too niche?
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Post by dmikester on Jun 22, 2018 21:24:20 GMT -5
Maybe it's just me, but I am no longer finding it amusing to ridicule their current marketing emails. They are so terribly bad that it's too easy. But I do wonder how much of that is the fault of the writer. Certainly Canada has a preference to British spellings over American. Having lived in Canada for many years, and thankfully having escaped with my psyche intact, I do find that the British spellings occasionally colour my written word. Language evolves over time, and the atrocities being performed on it by the youth today will be the conventions rebelled against by the next generation. The Curator's voice is very much Millennial in both tone and structure. The lack of commas where commas would improve readability, the run-on sentences, the comma splices... These are all things I see regularly perpetuated by the youth on my Facebook wall. And with MPC courting the Podcast audience with their latest experience, it's probably nigh time to acknowledge that this current phase of MPC is not for us. The Curator of old relished the old ways, and the more relaxed times. I could see that Curator having, in his study, several chess boards with games in progress, all being played by mail with challengers across the globe. I can't even imagine the current Curator knows how to play chess. Whether courting the Millennial custom will pay off remains to be seen. Millennials don't have the attachment to "things" that the older people have. They have streaming movies, and iPods, and Kindles or Nooks instead of libraries of Betamax tapes, vinyl records, and shelves full of books. Will they embrace the $300 tactile experience? Millennials are also accustomed to immediate digital transfers of purchases. Will they be able to tolerate MPC's extended lead times, or will they eschew MPC for a company that provides immediate PDFs that they can read on their smartphones? Only time will tell. And we Gen Xers... We know a thing or two about patience. I've reflected on this post for a couple of days, and I'm not quite sure I totally buy this, or at least fully agree with it. As someone who is I guess Gen-XY (born in 1984), I find myself able to quite easily and deeply enjoy both "old fashioned" experiences and newer media i.e. podcasts and streaming media. While I occasionally date myself by remembering what it was like to use floppy disks or remember a time pre-internet, I also find myself very able to navigate new technology and media, and I absolutely love streaming in general. Indeed, something like Spotify or Netflix was what I dreamed of as a kid when I was first discovering my love of pop culture and wished I could have access to so much more than I did (I also grew up lower-middle class and almost never had the budget to experience all of the newest things; my biggest luxury was my dad buying computer games for him and I to share, which was rare but provided many hours of great entertainment and is why I was so good at the Strawberry Adventure). For me, owning something tangible is great, but I don't have any kind of hang-up over not owning the music I listen to or only having digital copies of most books that I buy nowadays. In fact, nowadays I prefer having most things that I experience not be physical, as I feel like it saves resources and is easier for me to organize. However, I also love collectible items such as DVD box sets with artifacts included or beautiful hardcover books/large graphic novels that wouldn't work digitally. What I loved about the MPC of old was the creativity of the stories, the remarkable puzzle design of C&C, and the specialness of having something beautifully handcrafted delivered to your door. I was absolutely willing to pay premium prices as I was getting a premium experience. And yes, I'm as sad as everyone here that the MPC has decided to move away from that. But to be perfectly frank, I take offense at being lumped into "the Podcast audience" in what I interpret here to be a dismissive tone, as I think there are many wonderful podcasts that show remarkable creativity like Welcome to Nightvale, This American Life, WTF with Marc Maron, and yes, The Adventure Zone, which had an early arc, Murder on the Rockport Limited, that has legitimately some of the best storytelling and most memorable characters that I've experienced in years. Just because you don't own a physical copy of the podcast and because it's free to download and listen to doesn't make it any less of a valuable experience than say C&C or King in Yellow, just very different. It's one thing to lament the days of old being gone but it's quite another thing to simply dismiss anything new and different, and it's possible to enjoy both types of experiences. Indeed, I've had rich and fun discussions with the same group of friends over both MPC artifacts and about podcasts or streaming media that we all enjoy. Now I want to be clear that I'm not defending the MPC's recent business practices or the atrocious writing that has taken over their marketing emails (and also, bad writing like what's being produced by the MPC is not limited to millennials or to the youth of today in general, so I don't think it's correct to assume that they've hired a fresh out of college intern or something; in fact, I suspect that Jason Kapalka may be writing some of it based on his Facebook comments and general sense of "humor"). I'm just saying that I think it would be unwise to immediately dismiss something that the MPC puts out because it's different than what came before.
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Post by Todd on Jun 23, 2018 11:39:17 GMT -5
But to be perfectly frank, I take offense at being lumped into "the Podcast audience" in what I interpret here to be a dismissive tone, as I think there are many wonderful podcasts that show remarkable creativity like Welcome to Nightvale, This American Life, WTF with Marc Maron, and yes, The Adventure Zone, which had an early arc, Murder on the Rockport Limited, that has legitimately some of the best storytelling and most memorable characters that I've experienced in years. Just because you don't own a physical copy of the podcast and because it's free to download and listen to doesn't make it any less of a valuable experience than say C&C or King in Yellow, just very different. It's one thing to lament the days of old being gone but it's quite another thing to simply dismiss anything new and different, and it's possible to enjoy both types of experiences. I'm sorry that my opinion offended you. If it helps, think of me as being too archaic to embrace the latest fads. The intent of my post was to divert conversation from MPC bashing. But naturally, since this is the internet, I offended someone. Justifying my opinion would only further offend, and I value friendship far more than being right. Thank you for your thoughtful reply.
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Post by thegenii on Jun 23, 2018 13:21:06 GMT -5
We are used to having concrete things for our money from the MPC. Paper ephemera and 3D artifacts. Considering the price of the new experience, we are unlikely to see much of that. Instead we are paying for what is likely a few doodads and access to electronic entertainment. Indeed, there are great podcasts. But they have little in common with what we have enjoyed about the MPC in the past. While it is certainly possible to create electronic entertainment that would integrate well with MPC experiences, that doesn't seem to be what we are going to get. If whatever it is ever comes out at all.
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Post by dmikester on Jun 23, 2018 17:16:00 GMT -5
Todd, my issue with your post, and indeed with your response to my response and with some other posts that you’ve made regarding the same topic, isn’t with the clear intent of trying to deflect criticism with the MPC, but with the air of superiority and condescension around “younger” people and “newer” forms of media that seems to exist, which I take personally due to both my age and because I work with younger students. This isn’t a “because it’s the internet” thing, which by the way as a statement is condescending and dismissive. You’re effectively saying that “old” is better and that millennials couldn’t possibly appreciate Old media (not to mention your implication that young people don’t know how to write well, which is generalizing at best given an array of wonderful new young authors and artists who are working in various mediums). Streaming is not a fad, but absolutely the new and in my opinion an improved and evolved form of media consumption that allows for greater access (and at a price point that is often quite affordable). I think we should agree to disagree here and move on, but I would also say that keeping an open mind often leads to better interactions and richer experiences. I value our friendship and this site too much to dwell on this further.
And genii, I mostly agree. The Adventure Zone product is likely going to have very little if any creative input from the MPC outside of perhaps some of the design elements, as the people behind the podcast are all published writers/producers/editors. I’m very disappointed in what’s been shown for Post Mortem, as it just seems like it could not be more generic, but there’s a part of me that wonders if it in fact won’t be dramatically different in structure from an MPC Experience; multiple mailings, a story told in parts, etc. it will just be packaged differently. Time will tell.
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Post by Todd on Jun 23, 2018 18:09:14 GMT -5
Todd, my issue with your post, and indeed with your response to my response and with some other posts that you’ve made regarding the same topic, isn’t with the clear intent of trying to deflect criticism with the MPC, but with the air of superiority and condescension around “younger” people and “newer” forms of media that seems to exist, which I take personally due to both my age and because I work with younger students. This isn’t a “because it’s the internet” thing, which by the way as a statement is condescending and dismissive. You’re effectively saying that “old” is better and that millennials couldn’t possibly appreciate Old media (not to mention your implication that young people don’t know how to write well, which is generalizing at best given an array of wonderful new young authors and artists who are working in various mediums). Streaming is not a fad, but absolutely the new and in my opinion an improved and evolved form of media consumption that allows for greater access (and at a price point that is often quite affordable). I think we should agree to disagree here and move on, but I would also say that keeping an open mind often leads to better interactions and richer experiences. I value our friendship and this site too much to dwell on this further. And genii, I mostly agree. The Adventure Zone product is likely going to have very little if any creative input from the MPC outside of perhaps some of the design elements, as the people behind the podcast are all published writers/producers/editors. I’m very disappointed in what’s been shown for Post Mortem, as it just seems like it could not be more generic, but there’s a part of me that wonders if it in fact won’t be dramatically different in structure from an MPC Experience; multiple mailings, a story told in parts, etc. it will just be packaged differently. Time will tell. I am simply echoing the sentiments of the Curator of old. Sentiments with which I happen to agree. Indeed the very hook by which MPC reeled me in in the first place. Nostalgia... It ain't what it used to be.
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Post by karangela on Jun 24, 2018 14:22:02 GMT -5
I saw asais’s post. It is to your credit that she feels safe enough to share her feelings. 😊
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Post by karangela on Jun 24, 2018 15:37:14 GMT -5
Asais, thank you for setting me dtraight. I have much to learn from you and other mellinials. I want you to feel appreciated and valued for the unique members that you are.
I’m a Baby Boomer and sometimes I am overwhelmed by things that many of you seem to find as natural as breathing. Please, be patient with me. I find that personal growth is often painful but you are worth it.
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Post by Todd on Jun 24, 2018 16:38:16 GMT -5
In a world where common courtesy has become an oxymoron, it amuses me to find that you take the ramblings of this old curmudgeon seriously. I thank you for calling me out.
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Post by karangela on Jun 26, 2018 14:44:34 GMT -5
I would like to apologize for misspelling Millennials. Please, forgive me.
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Post by thegenii on Jun 28, 2018 0:12:40 GMT -5
Hahaha ... no plobrem.
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