As long as we’re finding fun metaphors for video games, here’s another one close to our hearts: the pickling industry.
Video games are just a few decades old, but the desire for entertainment goes back centuries. People have been playing games for nearly as long as they’ve been eating. As recently as the 70s, home pickling was huge – every household had 5 gallon ceramic jars to create their own. At the same time, many kids were holed up in their rooms and basements learning computer languages, trying their hand at making computer games. But by the turn of the century, both industries had consolidated distributors: Vlasic and Claussen, Activision and EA.
In recent years, we’ve seen the barrier to entry drastically lowered. Upstart artisan pickle companies are popping up all over the country, and these indies can offer up their wares at easily accessible farmers markets. You could easily substitute “video games” for “pickle” here, and “iOS or “Android” for “farmers” here: there’s a reason both industries use the term “homebrew”! If you’re a lover of pickles or games, it’s an exciting time, and we can’t wait to see what’s next.
And we promise we’re done with metaphors (for now).
Note: Just as gaming has the ESA trade association, the pickling industry has Pickle Packers International. They are a great resource for anything pickle related.
