Earlier today Eurogamer published a story in which Dead Space story producer Chuck Beaver had an interesting comment concerning Gears of Wars, stating it has “literally the worst writing in games.”
Huh.*
*was literally my first reaction, spoken out loud, to no one.
Now I could be completely wrong but, isn’t there some unspoken code which emphasizes not disparaging those within your own field?
I mean, I’m sure Jonathan Franzen isn’t a fervent reader of the Twilight series, although in all honesty he could be, because I don’t even know his opinion on sparkly vampires and supernatural love triangles.
Please don’t misunderstand (and know that I have a point here)- accomplished novelist Jonathan Franzen has no issue commentating on things he feels passionately about. For example just this year he publicly denounced eBooks as corrosive to enduring principles and values, and yet you won’t find his opinion on the works of any of his colleagues readily available online.
This is probably because those in any given industry don’t encourage the rude, antagonistic treatment of their colleagues by others- so why should they allow it amongst themselves?
Aside from Salman Rushdie and the occasional indie director, the number of adult artists in respectable fields (such as literature, film, music, journalism, etc.) who publicly denounce another’s work is fairly small. (Excluding, of course, famous pop artists and actors).
Which is perhaps the main reason why this game producers comments really rubbed me the wrong way.
To begin, dramatic much? Literally the worst writing in games? First of all, I highly doubt that, and secondly, this is impossible to prove as the level of writing within a game is open to interpretation, personal taste, and overall dedication to said game.
Unlike a book, which one simply reads cover to cover, a game is an intricate and complex web of codexs, character backgrounds, conversations, histories, plot lines and characters. The more a person gives of themselves to a game, the more they tend to get out of it. If someone were to give the Gears of Wars franchise a spin, decide they don’t like it after a quick run through, and then put the game away forever they’d ultimately have a completely different interpretation and understanding of the story, and subsequently, the writing.
This is why when you get three gamers in a room there will be six opinions (to slightly quote a favorite Mass Effect character of mine); each gamers gives a different level of time and passion, and therefore each will have a different perspective on the story and game overall.
Chuck Beavers interview isn’t all bad. He makes a lot of comments that are much more understandable and agreeable, stating that for a game like Gears of War, in which the story is less of a main attraction compared to the action, story doesn’t really matter; that games need to be fun, and that great stories make the game more interesting, but don’t necessarily make the game. Chuck Beavers also admits that the story in Dead Space was simply a haunted house story with a twist in the end, nothing really spectacular or groundbreaking.
I agree that there are those who aren’t interested in a game’s story, and there are times when even I (perhaps the most story obsessed gamer ever) wish to simply sit back and focus on the next wave of Reapers (I’ve been playing a lot of Mass Effect 3 Multiplayer lately).
I also admit that while I loved Dead Space and Dead Space 2 I was much more impressed by the originality of the monsters, action, and atmosphere than the main storyline; and I do appreciate the candor with which Chuck Beavers can objectively view a product of his own work (although I’m not sure the rest of the staff who worked on Dead Space and Dead Space 2would share my appreciation).
However I am still baffled at Chuck Beaver’s belief that his critical comments about any game he wasn’t involved with were necessary, warranted, or even appropriate. At a time when the majority of the gaming industry seems desperate to prove itself as a respectable and admirable field of entertainment and story telling, for one game writer to call out almost an entire genre in a negative light is hardly good form.
His comments throw himself and those in his field into an unappealing realm, one with a level of cattiness and inconsideration for others that I personally find unfortunate; one that shifts video game creators, writers and producers away from the sphere of great storytellers and towards the maturity level of rival pop stars.
Perhaps before more video game industry representatives decide to make derogatory comments about those in their fields they should ask themselves what Chuck Beavers clearly didn’t.
Do video game personnel want to start this never-ending back stabbing game of smack talking about each other’s works (thereby tainting their own images), or would they all like to rise to a level where they gain everyone’s respect by displaying such for one another?
I’m hoping the later.
