tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3321402.post24728666121549263..comments2023-09-18T01:46:27.105-07:00Comments on Speaking Natalie: Beyond GraceUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3321402.post-55104861434534756112009-02-10T23:00:00.000-08:002009-02-10T23:00:00.000-08:00In other news, why on earth can't I subscribe to y...In other news, why on earth can't I subscribe to your blog in RSS? You're the only blog I read regularly that I can't subscribe to.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3321402.post-64371370129914390322009-02-10T22:54:00.000-08:002009-02-10T22:54:00.000-08:00I've been following your blog for some time hoping...I've been following your blog for some time hoping for the next game post. Delighted to see one. :)<BR/><BR/>I'm sure this is Willie's influence speaking through me, but contact with him has gotten me thinking a lot about writing in video games. I read what you've written here and I think to myself that THIS is where the true ART of video game writing lies.<BR/><BR/>Whenever I consider the question, as my generation is wont to do, of how video games can better become genuine art—I have always thought that the question that must be answered is "What do video games have to offer in their experience that other forms of media do not?"<BR/><BR/>I don't know if there are any critics yet out there that are taking the time to do literary criticism on this level for video games, but appreciated or not, it's clear to me that the <I>reason</I> for Bioshock's success—or at the least the reason why it's writing has been so universally praised—is because the writers of Bioshock understood what makes video games different from other media. The writing of the game was carefully planned to create the sort of reaction you describe here, with an eye to the fact that the experience of killing Fontaine <I>had</I> to be different from the experience of killing (or not killing) Sander Cohen, because that's how the main character's emotional arc had to flow. But the "main character" is <I>you</I>. The writing has to be crafted so that <I>you</I> follow an emotional arc, you can't just leave it to Keanu Reeves or Harrison Ford or Vin Diesel to do it for you.<BR/><BR/>This is both easier and harder than writing for a movie. Easier because you have much more time than a movie does—most games have at least 10 hours of gameplay to do what a movie must do in 90 minutes. Easier because you don't have to construct a backstory for your character. You don't have to create mannerisms, and cool one-liners for your character—the player does that for you. And yet harder because you can't just <I>write</I> the character the way you want. You always have a co-writer—the player—and <I>nothing</I> gets into the script without his permission. And not even one co-writer, but thousands and thousands (at least hopefully, if your game enjoys any success). <BR/><BR/>Writing for a video game requires the skills not just of a storyteller, but of a psychologist as well. He needs to be have an understanding of the universal factors that motivate human beings to do what they do. <I>That</I> is the skill that makes a video game writer an <I>artist</I>.<BR/><BR/>As an aside, The DM writes about a very similar experience in World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King, which suggests to me that one of the basic tools in a video game writer's arsenal is a personal betrayal of the player—clearly if it can be effectively managed, it's a powerful motivator.<BR/><BR/>The blog post is <A HREF="http://www.wowhead.com/?blog=67449" REL="nofollow">here</A>.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com