What makes Mass Effect the most accessible sci fi universe of this generation?

[CmdrShepN7]

It seems like most of the people I know who enjoy something in space other than Star Wars and Guardians of the Galaxy only have experienced Mass Effect. They have never heard of masterpieces like BSG and B5. Star Trek never interested them.

What makes Mass Effect the most accessible sci fi universe? Babylon 5 is better written and the Mass Effect devs took much inspiration from Babylon 5.

Even Rampage Jackson enjoyed Mass Effect!

 

[CupofJoe]

Ask how many of them are Gamers?
The ecosystems of ST, SW, B5 and BSG are all derived from other media. ME was designed from the ground up as a gaming platform.
Don't get me wrong, I love B5 and a lot of my Sci-Fi writing is far too influence by it for my own good. But from a visual position its groundbreaking CGI now look laughable if you are used to game console quality rendering.

 

[Brian G Turner]

I'm not sure Mass Effect is the most accessible sci fi universe. Certainly the franchise has a following with gamers, but so does Halo.

Online references suggest Mass Effect enjoyed lifetime sales of just over 10 million, which is much smaller than the global audiences for many TV shows, and especially cinema audiences.

I suspect a lot of it, though, has a lot to do with what you grew up with, so different people will probably answer according to which media they were most exposed to when younger.

 

[Wyrmlord]

One of the most underrated sci-fi RPGs out there. Yes, BioWare had a hand in it, before they went to sh*t, but it's still a great series for everyone.

 

[.matthew.]

Mass Effect became less accessible on the 3rd one when EA made it exclusive to their digital store. I know many people who simply refused to be forced into yet another marketplace.

The thing that made it accessible was the freedom of choice built into the game. Now admittedly it all led to roughly the same place, but having the option to choose your path in a storybook way appealed to people. It's something that has been copied a lot since and while I'd still say games like Divinity Original Sin do a far better job of it, the fact that Mass Effect was essentially a shooter with smooth gameplay helps it appeal to a wider audience.

 

[tinkerdan]

I don't know mass effect at all; so it really doesn't factor in my universe.
I think you are looking at the sales hype to this media and not at the real numbers.