A Message to all doujin shmup producers......

E3 was very disappointing shmup-wise, and it looks like the direction that console gaming is heading will be right on course to what everyone was predicting and shmup fans were dreading: a rash of next-gen rehashed sequels, online MMORPG's, and Madden 0x's till the EA goose stops laying golden eggs. This isn't such a horrible trend, but lets face it, our beloved genre seems to have been left behind (at least in these, the early stages of the "next gen" consoles). The current state of the industry forces me to turn my eyes Eastward, towards the land of Japan (*and elsewhere, but mainly the Far East), to shout a message to all the designers, coders, programmers, art directors, and players of doujin shmups:

THANK YOU!!!!!!

Seriously, has anyone taken the time to share this simple sentiment with the hundreds of people who put work into the doujin scene, with little to no reward? Unless you are a big name, with a distribution system for your games (such as Zun), chances are you don't see much profit from your labor of love. And a good number of doujin shmups we've come across are even freeware (Kenta Cho), which means the only reward you get for your efforts is the satisfaction of hearing from fans who enjoy your dedication. The doujin gamemakers aren't worried about sales figures, market demograhics, or crafting a game around a target audience, they only want to express their love of the genre in their programming, and that purity of gaming REALLY SHOWS. Even though I doubt any of the big names of doujindom will read this, I just want you to know that people halfway across the globe still play and enjoy your games. Thank you for providing us with hours of entertainment, and for carrying the torch of the shmup genre through the next wave of gaming, wherever that may lead us.