Silicon Knights President: "Gameplay Isn't Everything"
- Thread starter Andy Chalk
- Start date
I sappose it depend on the whole concept of the game but of course there is other aspects of a game which makes it great like the story and characters but gameplay is a large part of a game.
Too Human was one of the most frustrating games I have every played.
He does have a point. Story and narrative are equally as important, and to have awesome game play but no context does not always make a "great game" in the sense that it will stand up to a movie in terms of how it touches the audience.
But I think he also forgets that games are inherently different from movies, and while many developers are experimenting with games in delivering narratives in new ways, some of the best, most entertaining games did not have a story at all, such as classic arcade games and more recent FPSs such as Doom and CounterStrike.
I will point out that at no time did he actually say gameplay was unimportant. But it's hard not to try and see something in between his lines and conclude that in his quest to add games to other art forms, he's overlooking what makes games different to begin with, and that missing factor was all too apparent in Too Human.
He does have a point. Story and narrative are equally as important, and to have awesome game play but no context does not always make a "great game" in the sense that it will stand up to a movie in terms of how it touches the audience.
But I think he also forgets that games are inherently different from movies, and while many developers are experimenting with games in delivering narratives in new ways, some of the best, most entertaining games did not have a story at all, such as classic arcade games and more recent FPSs such as Doom and CounterStrike.
I will point out that at no time did he actually say gameplay was unimportant. But it's hard not to try and see something in between his lines and conclude that in his quest to add games to other art forms, he's overlooking what makes games different to begin with, and that missing factor was all too apparent in Too Human.
He's not entirely wrong you know. Of course gameplay is the most important thing but sometimes other stuff the game brings to the table helps you overlook a games gameplay flaws...Look at Mass Effect we all know the combat in there wasn't really the best thing ever but everything else surrounding it balanced that out.
Don't be too quick to jump all over him.
Don't be too quick to jump all over him.
I agree that gameplay isn't everything. But it's a big part, just like graphics, story, characters, voice acting, etc. Best games have a good measure of most of those things. Dyack shouldn't try to diminish gameplay, he should try to make all other aspects of a game of equal quality.
I disagree with anyone who says: "X isn't important! All a game needs is great Y". Wrong. Maybe that's all you want, but people enjoy different things.
Game developers should aspire to make their games stand out in every aspect. I think that's how we get quality games.
I disagree with anyone who says: "X isn't important! All a game needs is great Y". Wrong. Maybe that's all you want, but people enjoy different things.
Game developers should aspire to make their games stand out in every aspect. I think that's how we get quality games.
I don't know what the fuck this guy is talking about.
COD/Halo/Gears are not narrative driven pieces. They are multiplayer/gameplay driven pieces. It's why they sell millions of copies at launch.
This guy took ten years to make a steaming turd, so I care little for his viewpoint.
COD/Halo/Gears are not narrative driven pieces. They are multiplayer/gameplay driven pieces. It's why they sell millions of copies at launch.
This guy took ten years to make a steaming turd, so I care little for his viewpoint.
"Denis Dyack, founder and president of Too Human developer Silicon Knights"
Need I say more?
Idiot.
Need I say more?
Idiot.
what?!? you know why i still own all my old games? because despite having bad graphics by todays standard, they are fun to play...in my opinion, games are no where near as fun as they used to be and maybe this guy has something to do with it -_-
EDIT: this might get me some hate, but i really don't care how pretty a game is, after the first look at it i get the "oooo pretty" out of my system...but i have to actually play thru the rest of the game and i'd prefer it to be a blast instead of just trying to get points with a pretty picture.
EDIT: this might get me some hate, but i really don't care how pretty a game is, after the first look at it i get the "oooo pretty" out of my system...but i have to actually play thru the rest of the game and i'd prefer it to be a blast instead of just trying to get points with a pretty picture.
Exactly what I was thinking.BudZer said:
I think it's pretty safe to say I'll be skipping the next Silicon Knights made "game" if it does indeed end up being a game... in the technical sense.
The slightly longer piece at gamasutra is stranger than this element suggests; Dyack apparently "admitted that in part his argument is fueled by a desire for validation from the academic and wider critical community." Wha?? How many VG design majors do universities have to offer, how many peer-reviewed articles/books have to be published about games and gaming, etc. to appease this guy? Sheesh.
My guess (only a guess) is that, like David Cage, he doesn't want video games as a form to be recognized, but instead hopes that some sort of "auteur" model is consistently applied to the industry by the general public. Which is to say, he wants people to declaim from the hilltops what a great artist he is. The way to do that, he says: downplay the new element games introduce into popular culture (interactivity) and ape other forms of culture (films) in which the "auteur" model dominates. Huh? I'm also very excited by David Cage's latest QTE-fest. Now, with more pretty!
My guess (only a guess) is that, like David Cage, he doesn't want video games as a form to be recognized, but instead hopes that some sort of "auteur" model is consistently applied to the industry by the general public. Which is to say, he wants people to declaim from the hilltops what a great artist he is. The way to do that, he says: downplay the new element games introduce into popular culture (interactivity) and ape other forms of culture (films) in which the "auteur" model dominates. Huh? I'm also very excited by David Cage's latest QTE-fest. Now, with more pretty!
Basically you could make a game with the best storyline ever putting event the great works of literature to shame but if the game play is so bad that people want throw there controller/keyboard at the screen you failed to make a good a game.
Basically a game lives on gameplay first all other things merely add to the experience.
Basically a game lives on gameplay first all other things merely add to the experience.