How does gaming culture affect the world? What's the future of interactive storytelling? Can indie developers really thrive in an industry dominated by powerhouse publishers?
In a series of episodic videos called Game Theory, analyst Scott Steinberg wrestles with these questions and more, talking to major industry figures like Peter Molyneux (Fable) and Lorne Lanning (Oddworld) in order to get unfiltered perspectives that Steinberg says are hard to find elsewhere.
"Game Theory started as a result of frank discussions with both many of today’s top CEOs and the field’s most renowned designers, who expressed concern over a growing disconnect with the coverage presented by today's industry watchers," Steinberg said in an e-mail to Wired.com. "You'd be shocked and amazed to learn just how many of today's most successful game executives ... don’t even glance at top trades or leading magazines and shows anymore."
With Game Theory, Steinberg says he wants to offer an "intelligent, unbiased forum" for developers and publishers to voice their thoughts. He's attracted quite a few big names: In Episode 3 (above), for example, Steinberg chats about the history of videogame narrative with Ultima creator Richard "Lord British" Garriott and legendary interactive fiction developer Steve Meretzky, among others.
The short documentary covers the plots behind a wide range of games, from Zork to BioShock, and also features interviews with writers behind titles like Assassin's Creed II and Mirror's Edge. The video explores topics like the conflict between character motives and player desires, the influence of cinema on gaming, and the obstacles that today's writers must leap while crafting game stories.
"I don't think we've yet mastered the techniques of true interactive storytelling," Garriott says in the video, pointing to his own Ultima IV as one of the first narrative-focused games. "I mean that not just in dialog [or] cut-scenes, but [really] in how you emotionally become engaged with what's going on."
Steinberg doesn't disagree, but is optimistic about the future of stories in gaming, saying "a new renaissance for interactive fiction" is on the horizon. That said, he thinks the industry might have need to grow up a little.
"With so many studios continuing to fail, have we really learned our lesson from 2010?" Steinberg asks. "If the industry has 'matured' so much, why do we still continue to perpetuate stereotypes (e.g. 'grrl' gamers, chest-thumping macho sci-fi shooters, etc.) that speak primarily to teenage boys?"
Next week's episode, Steinberg says, will focus on the conflict between developers and publishers, examining the "shifting balance of power in today's increasingly cutthroat industry." It will be available on the Game Theory site Feb. 15.
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