Stan Lee Thinks Game Development is "A Miracle"

[John Funk]

Stan Lee Thinks Game Development is "A Miracle"

Stan Lee may be a comic book legend and the creator of several mainstay Marvel superheroes, but game development eludes him - in fact, he thinks it's "like a miracle."

Speaking with the Guardian [http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/gamesblog/2009/sep/25/stan-lee-interview-marvel-alliance] about his involvement in the development of Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, the 86-year-old Lee - who oversaw the creation of comic icons like the Hulk, the X-Men and Spider-Man - said that if he had been born sixty years later, he would probably be trying to tell his stories through videogames instead of through comics.

[blockquote]If I were young now and I wanted to do stories, I would very much want to get into the videogame business because it's the most exciting. Videogames and movies are the most exciting forms of entertainment. But a videogame in a way is more imaginative, it has more variety.[/blockquote]

But "would very much want to get into" and "could get into" are two very different things. As far as Ultimate Alliance 2 was concerned, Lee signed off on the project and let the developers at Activision do their thing. Remember, Stan Lee grew up in an era where his tools of creation were ink and graphite, not 3D shaders and particle physics - so he looks at game development with more than a bit of wonder and awe.

"In a movie you stick to the plotline, in a videogame you go in a million different directions. I have no idea how they're able to do that. It's like a miracle."

Consider that two decades ago, in 1989, rendering 16-bit colors was mind-blowing. And then go watch the Final Fantasy XIII trailer from early this morning, and marvel - pardon the pun - at how far we really have come. So you know what, Stan? Maybe you're on to something.

(Via Joystiq [http://www.joystiq.com/2009/09/28/stan-lee-game-development-is-a-miracle/])

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[WhiteTiger225]

Well really, computers themselves unless you 100% know the science of them are still psuedo magical when you think of it. Passing electricity through a series of copper and glass bits and processing single programs faster then a human in many cases.

 

[The Great JT]

You wanna argue with the guy behind the X-Men, Hulk and Spider-Man? He'll sic Wolverine on your ass faster than you can say "excelsior!"

 

[Kingsman]

Well really, computers themselves unless you 100% know the science of them are still psuedo magical when you think of it. Passing electricity through a series of copper and glass bits and processing single programs faster then a human in many cases.

Indeed, and the speculation to how intelligent they are and can come to be allows for amusing ventures into science fiction.

 

[Flying-Emu]

For the love of God, Stan Lee, revive the gaming industry with your Vodun magicks.

 

[cleverlymadeup]

that's pretty cool and i can see how Stan Lee would see computer games that way, tho i think he'd do well as a game developer. i could see him doing well as a screen writer too

 

[QuirkyTambourine]

Well then hop on board! I like to think that if anyone could come up with a creative character, Stan Lee could

 

[paragon1]

God bless that old man.

 

[Zeetchmen]

Hes so awesome!

Bless his cotten socks,

 

[MR T3D]

i think we should kidnap a 20-year-old version of him from the past.
and replace him with a clone that does everything he has done to ensure continuity.

 

[The Austin]

Dude, I cant beleive I met this guy!

I was only, like, 7, so I had no idea who he was, but whatever.

 

[ActualOvaltine]

That is a cool man. The guy has creativity out the ass but is amazed by video games.

 

[ShadowKirby]

It is Stan, it is. *looks to the horizon with a tear in the eye*

 

[quiet_samurai]

Wow, 86 huh? I did not know he was that old.

 

[KeyMaster45]

He gives the field of comic far to little credit, comics tell amazing stories and those stories are only enhanced further(sometimes degraded) when they make the leap to movies and video games. At the present time I would have to say that Batman has seen the best luck when it comes to transference to the two mediums of entertainment.

Then again, I'm also a huge Batman fanboy so take my word with a rather large grain of salt.

 

[Nouw]

He speaks awesome. The creator of Iron-Man speaks the truth.

 

[HyenaThePirate]

Unfortunately the majority of games based on his creations have been "cursed"

 

[TheTygerfire]

Weird, because I would love to get into comic books rather than game creation.

 

[samsonguy920]

The one thing that makes Stan Lee Stan Lee is he thinks everything creative is awesome. And he is right. Being able to bring someone he didn't even know existed five minutes before to life is the best part of the creative process. And comics was his venue for creation. And I do agree, if he was 20 years old today, his venue would be in videogames. But I am glad that he came to us when he did. All his creations are 5 kinds of awesome, with uniqueness all their own. I mean, anybody could make a guy into a spider-attributed superhero, but Stan took it that extra distance and gave him the powers when he was a teenage nerd in high school(a freshman in HS if memory serves...) Excelsior Stan, Excelsior!
Now I'm all amisty for the good old Spiderman, Iceman, and Firestorm cartoon, when Stan gave his epilogue at the end of every episode. *adds that to his to-find list*

 

[theultimateend]

Wow, 86 huh? I did not know he was that old.

That's because an imagination keeps you young for a long time.