Water Cooler Games, a standard-bearer for intelligent discussion of video games over the past six years, has been shuttered, according to co-founder Ian Bogost in a final post made today.
Bogost, who started the blog with Georgia Tech colleague Gonzalo Frasca, attributes the closure to two things. One is the mainstreaming of the discussions Water Cooler Games sought to start back in 2003, when games' relevance to politics, advertising, education and the news were not common topics in the overall conversation.
"The very idea of our project was novel then, in a way that it is not now. Isn't that what we wanted all along?" Bogost wrote.
And two, it sounds like the man's made his arguments, and is resting his case. And himself. He says that closing WCG will open up new opportunities for his writing.
"While I'm sure I'll continue to write occasionally, on Bogost.com, in my Gamasutra columns, or in other articles about political games, advertising and games, and other topics covered on WCG, the truth is that I've said most of what I want to say about them, generally speaking," Bogost says.
The blog will remain online and archived, but no new contributions will be made to it.
"From my perspective, the Water Cooler Games project was very much a success. The fact that so many venues now exist for discussing of what we coyly called 'video games with an agenda' speaks at least in part to the influence we exerted," he says.
Well put. Water Cooler Games had a long and rich life and contributed tremendously to video gaming's many communities. And this isn't the last anyone will hear from Bogost, for certain.
When Blogs Close [Ian Bogost, via GamePolitics]