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Wait, she's the daughter of Terry Pratchett? Awesome, I wonder if she'd ever consider making games based on her dad's stuff? That'd be great, especially after seeing the earlier Discworld based games, such as the first one on the PS1 a while back. Anyway, onto the main topic. I have to say I agree, there is a severe lack of creativity in a lot of games today. Halo, Resident Evil and the like are the rare exception, games that have relatively original and interesting stories, even if these are backed up by books and other media. However, most other games are simply followers of various tropes and unoriginal, overused stories. Don't get me wrong, sometimes this doesn't matter, Gears of War is brilliant despite being another generic 'Space Marine' shooter, and although I love Final Fantasy XII it did lean heavily on a story taken from Star Wars. Plus, there are plenty of long running franchises such as Star Wars, and Warhammer 40k, although admittedly these are filled with new and original material anyway so they can be considered original in their own right, I suppose. My point is simply that although some games still have originality, this is being overlooked in increasing quantities now. It needs to stop soon, and we need to return to originality and interesting stories in gaming. Otherwise we'll just end up with a market full of cheap rip-offs from much better games released a decade ago. Oh, wait, we already do... | |
Eh...while I appreciate the sentiment, I can't say I was overly impressed with the plot in any of those three games. (Although Mirror's Edge was an interesting concept nonetheless). Actually, the real bugger for me was Overlord. I was expecting to take on the role of..well...an evil Overlord, all I got was a tall guy in armor who does slightly nasty things and controls an army of wacky goblins, and ostensibly is the 'hero' of the piece considering what he's fighting against. A shame really. Variation is always nice of course, if done well. | |
Aww damn it, am i the only one who thought this would be about Terry Pratchett? Got my hopes up for nothing. | |
We do need more writers involved in games. Not 'game writers' but actual writers. They know how to craft a story and make things special, and nowadays that's all being forgone for the latest graphics and 'gritty realism' (total bullshit). | |
No, hence the line "That's right, Rhianna Pratchett. Sorry if you got your hopes up there". | |
Oh well thanks for pointing that out now...ass. :) I kid because i love. | |
Hmmm, I suddenly had the idea to turn one of my short stories (see The Short Story Thread) into a game. Then decided that the resulting game, given the story it would be based on, would be more disturbing than the short film Gothmogll's avatar pic is from. Ah well, I guess Game Maker will be waiting a little while longer on my PC before it actually gets some decent use... | |
I beleive shes talking more about the role narrative designers play in a game. As a narrative designer myself (on an ambitious indie project) I have to say I agree with what she is saying. Its no use getting the script together later on in the development process - the game should be shaped around the script; rather than the other way around. I also agree with regards to her views on "Hollywood-esque" game stories, sure they can be epic and fast-paced, but the sheer number of them soon becomes monotonous. However, I believe its those type of stories that the majority want, those not so interested in games want some form of familiarity within the game - hence the large number of Hollywood games.
They are completely different skills, and many "game writers" ARE "actual writers". How else would they get the job? | |
Things I already know. But in answer to why she is finding writers to make games like movies or related to "movie" roots is because that is where the writers are coming from. If you don't make it by having a good movie idea why not make it into a video game or be employed by a video game company? The size of development teams and more importantly the divide of departments is causing this problem. Remember that the indie developers of today are the writers, and programmers and that is how video games started. One person or small group of people who are on the same page. Now compared to teams from studios like Bioware and Bungie that have their writers create a script and the programmers just program. There is little cohesion and also writers wanting to add their own piece into the video game. The best solution to this is to have a game genre decided and create a world for that story to take place. This allows free reign to make compelling stories but they must also remember that there is going to be parts of the story that the main character should not know about. Video games and writing can be great but books and stories can move past the "protagonist" that the player controls and that is the hurdle the writers must get over. | |
I've always thought that games should take place in the movie's setting but have their storyline. LOTR online does this rather well. | |
This is pretty funny coming from the writer of Mirror's Edge... | |
Has she actually had any work published though? Unless she's been hired on the assumption that genius is hereditary, and even then, her dad is hardly a literary innovator. | |
*Revs up chainsaw* My eyesight is a little poor, what was that you just wrote? -_^ | |
Fun as his stuff is, he hasn't redefined fiction for a new generation or invented any techniques. He's admitted as much himself. No shame in him not being a Virginia Woolf, Tolstoy or Shakespeare though. If that hasn't placated you then I better book my plane ticket. | |
You make me sad with your misleading title. | |
I expected Terry, too. It was a pleasant surprise to learn they're related. I loved Mirror's Edge, and I guess the plot suited the game concept, even if it wasn't particularly involving. | |
I agree with her entirely; although I like games for their fun factor and hold their stories with less priority, a little originality once in a while (and not every blue moon) would be nice. | |
Pardon me sir, I'm currently reading Discworld up to No.8 'Guards! Guards!'(supposedly it's not even at it's best yet) and while it's true that he doesn't innovate anything 'per se', the way he twists and subverts just about any fantasy cliche deserves it's own extraordinary merit. | |
Shame on you, for leading me on. I thought this would be a new idea for a Discworld game.
None of those were regarded as generation altering writers until well after the majority of their career, and nominally after their death. Terry Pratchett might not redefine the comedic fantasy genre, but his unparelleled use of satire agaisnt trend, politics, and literature is what has earned him his name so far. He's definitely had a fair impact on the genre, though, and future works in the genre are already compared against his books, so it's not like he's uninfluential. Back on topic, though, this could be interesting. Should be fun to watch her progress in the future. Maybe we'll see some more fun innovations, accompanied by decent games. | |
(Wasn't all that serious about the chainsaw btw.) Actually...I've often wondered about that, who exactly can he be likened to if he's one of such a very few people to do fantasy/comedy and do it well? I mean, off the top of my head, the only person I can really think of is Piers Anthony, and even then, a lot of his work is punny to the extreme. Even Gaiman, whom Pratchett has collaborated with a number of times tends towards dryer humour, if there is humor used at all. I guess the question is, why can't a book be considered 'groundbreaking' or a 'classic' if it relies on parody or humour? If the only alternative is that it has to be a dry, in-depth examination of it's subject. Then I'd agree, I'd rather the Discworld stay right where it is. | |
I think she'd prefer to be known as Rhianna Pratchett, instead of The-Daughter-Of-Terry Pratchett. | |
Nooo...I thought it was going to be terry pratchett! I loved the point 'n' click discworld noir detective game. That was awesome... Stay away from the mundy case! | |
bait and switch | |
I was never disputing his huge place in the fantasy genre, although that's a rather limited sphere of influence. Humour and satire are nothing new in fiction, although Pratchett does it brilliant, he doesn't add anything new to it. Anyway, back on topic,His daughter doesn't seem to be saying anything too revolutionary either. it's good that it's being acknowledged publicly but the common Hollywood tropes in gaming have been obvious since the mid to late 90's. Everything else was discussed by Daniel Floyd in this . | |
Rhianna has been writing reviews for PC Zone & the Guardian for a number of years. Edge even counted her amongst the top 100 women in the Games Industry, an elite cadre to be sure. That's apart from her work on Overlord, Dungeon Hero, Mirror's Edge and a little known game called the Prince of Persia. | |
It's so bad ass that Terry Pratchett's daughter writes for videogames. I think her writing is great. I loved Overlord. Frankly, this isn't exactly a new statement, though. People have been trashing videogame writing for ages. But I don't recall very many people talking about why it's bad, other than "well, it's more about shooting things than story." People have used writers as integral parts of their development process. Valve's guy is a published Sci-Fi author. | |
That, and how he's already expressed himself as a gamer. (see "yetis") | |
Mirrors Edge had a story? | |
Which one? I almost hope it was Warrior Within, just for the hypocrisy. I haven't played it, but from what I've heard the design shift was in the direction she complains about here. Thanks for the information, but while game journalism is regarded as a possible entry into the industry "proper", wouldn't you need some kind of background in fiction as well to get the positions she's had. That's what I'm puzzled about, unless one of the developers just took a chance with her based on unpublished work or her vision. I have played none of the games she's been involved in though so I can't really comment too much on them I suppose. | |
You aren't alone. Oh well, I dunno if they could make a proper game for the Discworld universe. I could perhaps see a KOTOR-like game for The Color of Magic. You'd play as Rincewind and have Twoflower and the Luggage to be your starting party. | |
A quick IMDB search... | |
Now that is bullshit. Game storys are getting better. Not amazingly so, but a lot of them can match up to hollywood action fliks. The games of the generation before last couldn't even do that. | |
It must be much harder to write an interesting story for a game if you're not someone like Kojima who oversees the entire production process and is free to make the whole thing into a terrible anime rather than a game. A game writer have to make lots of game dialog be about game elements and mechanics. Say the player needs instructing on how yellow goblins can tear down purple obelisks (or whatever). The writer is tasked with making the info getting to the player as smooth as possible, only that's close to impossible. The best you can really hope for in regards to those sequences is a pun or two. She seems cool, and I've heard good things about Heavenly Sword's story, but then again I've heard horrible things about Mirror's Edge's so...
I'd say the overall quality is getting better, but there are still a few games in the past that overshadow most of today's productions, like Star Control 2 or Torment. | |
Explosions first, talk later, the usual. Saves money, makes sales, but makes your customer base a bunch of one night stands. Its a reality that games are made with effects and play mechanics in mind first, then a loose story to hold the seams together. YAY it looks good on my 1080p tv, and the KaBooms! The Earth Shattering KaBooms! wait, hold on, the instant gratification is wearing off, wheres the booze? The story line, the story line should help me hold on to the excitement... HIRE A WRITER QUICK! does the audience care? ...you decide. | |
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Pratchett Talks Games
Mirror's Edge writer Rhianna Pratchett believes that game plots need to evolve past their movie roots.
That's right, Rhianna Pratchett. Sorry if you got your hopes up there, but she probably has a little more insight than her dad anyway, having written the story for Mirror's Edge, Heavenly Sword and Overlord. In an interview with That Video Game Blog, she voiced her frustration at the state of writing in the industry.
"Writers and narrative designers are still relatively new positions on development teams," she said, "this means there's still a level of uncertainty about how best to use and integrate them. I know from talking to lots of fine people in my field that the writing process can often be done too late, without proper access to the team and under extreme pressure."
"Thankfully, things are starting to get a little better and more writers are being contacted in the first few months of a project's lifespan, rather than the last few months. Personally, I consider I've been very lucky with some of my projects." She continued.
She also expressed some concern with the writers themselves, feeling that they were too enamored with gritty anti-heroes. "A little more variation in concept and content would be nice, as well ... I could do with a little less 'Gruff guy with super powers/large weapon kicks assss!' tales. The medium has huge potential, so I'm not sure why there's this constant desire to keep rooting around in Hollywood's action-movie scrapheap."
All I have to say is that she is a woman very much after my own heart.
Source: via VG247
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