CliffyB: visionaries like Kojima, Molyneux are undervalued |
I see CliffyB is making bold statements yet again. Bold as they come, it's always interesting to see how a game developer assesses the current playing field that he is working in.In an interview with Gamasutra, Gears of War creator Cliff Bleszinski remarked that some of the more influential game developers out there aren't always given the honor or appreciation that they so deserve.
I don't think the industry values visionaries as much as it could. I really don't.
As sad as it is, you're only as good as your last game, in many ways. In Hollywood, at least, you get movie jail for like a year, and you're out, and you get to try and make another good movie. In games, you screw up once, and no one ever wants to hear from you again. It's pretty sad.
Look at a guy like Ken Levine or [Peter] Molyneux or Chris Taylor or [Hideo] Kojima. I mean, we all need to celebrate these people.
Well I'm not sure about him naming Kojima. I mean, the guy's pretty celebrated - oh yeah definitely celebrated. But maybe he's talking about the entire gaming industry, and not just the bajillion and a half MGS fans who are doing most of the Kojima-celebrating for everyone else.
And then there's Fable producer Peter Molyneux. I hear him being criticized so many times now for being such an MS fanboy that I'm actually starting to doubt if he's just in it for the publicity.
So anyways, what prompted this statement from CliffyB? Well, since he's currently filling the role of exec producer for the GoW movie, it seems that he's starting to see the differences between the movie and video game industry. Apples and oranges as the two industries are, the similarities (and differences) he outlines are still quite valid:
It's a very structured, yet organic, process in Hollywood, where in games it's still the Wild Wild West in some ways right now.
It absolutely is very much a team effort, and I'm nothing without the 100-plus people who worked on Gears, but if I can go out there and evangelize the game and help sell the vision of it, that's a very useful thing, and we're all able to put gas in our gas tanks as a result of it, right?
Related articles:
- Molyneux: PS3 lacks games with 'oh my god' moments, FFVII defined RPG as genre
- CliffyB: MGS4's cutscenes are "phenomenal"
- Kojima: what went wrong with MGS4, why he won't tell his team his ideas for MGS5
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Comments [refresh]
Cliff you need to shut up ... Ted Price as more class then you jerk ... he doesn't need sony's money to say the truth when he see the competition does something great ... that's real class
I think Cliffy might be projecting a little. He needs to stay quiet for a few years so that we can decide if he's really good at what he's doing or just got lucky with one idea.
Molyneux wouldnt be "undervalued" if he had made Fable 1 with all the features he said it would have... He lost respect cause he couldnt live up to his word.. he hypes up his own games and doesn't deliver, sure fable 1 was a good game but he's promising so much more for Fable 2 when its using next gen graphics and the same DVD format..you cant help but be a bit skeptical about his work
why do we need to celebrate people for doing their job... buying their game should be enough to keep them happy
you should of just left it at the first post...
not everyone in the world is so consumed by greed that money and sales is all they care about.
i'd even venture to say you wouldn't be enjoying the games you do today if it wasn't for the people you don't seem to give a flying ***** about.
everyone needs to feel valued, and money doesn't do it for the best of us....
I value the development teams that make the games... Just because someone thinks of a good game idea doesnt make them any more important than the actual game designers who make the games
he is a lead game designer...
even if you just chose the wrong word, what do the armies of programmers and artists do with no singular idea driving them?
a whole lot of disconnected jumbled *****.
You do know he is one of the creators of the Unreal series and also released games such as Jazz Jackrabbit, dont you? He's already proven himself.
I'm sure they get recognized enough. So is he saying that the planner of a game should be more recognized than the ones who do the grueling programming? He just needs to calm down and go with the flow. I am sure he has no problem getting into all the hip nightclubs in the big cities if he shows who he is. I do grueling work for a living and make less money than him and don't get recognized but I don't ***** about it.
In a sense what he says is correct. we all know master chief, we know Snake, even Duke Nukem. But how many know the studio or the brains behind the character and the games.
When we think of Hollywood I can say JAMES BOND and I am sure that most people could name at least 3 actors that played 007.
Plus we have Directors that are respected and many film fans will see a movie because it is Spielberg, Riddley Scott or Oliver Stone.
His point is well made but I think he should remember that the gamers world is quite knew and hollywood has had a long time to grow.
Great non-fanboyish comment by shabghai360. See guys, it is possible to make an important comment without bashing a a specific console, or type of gamer.
Not to mention the obvious "360" in front of shabghai360's name, so we have reached a milestone today. Someone who is clearly a fan of one particular console, made a non-biased opinion.
Kudos to you sir.
If he's popular and proven great to you by naming games no one has heard or will ever remember............tough luck..........it's sad to be in your boat
was a classic example when Bush slip out the $H!T on public television............lmaf......motherFooder became the laughing stock of the U.S. and A.
I find that QJ tend to offer anything of interest that they can find with relation to games but sadly the info is too often misinterpreted by some who go to extreme lengths to defend their choice of platform. Its all about games and games are meant to be fun.
or at least the great ones that impacts you.......cliffy complains in games you screw up once and you are done for and you're only as good as your last game.........the attention you want and deserve for it only lasts a short amount
Yes, that's true......but for big shots like Myamoto, and Kojima........they've earn a special place in our life for super mario, and the Metal Gear Solid series that will never fade away.........
Movies get alot of publicity games don't, and recognition of folks who play certain parts.......but after a few months or three with 10 new movies coming out, who the heck cares about what you watch last months
Great Games on the other hand are something we can't or will never forget..
To this date I still have a special attachment to Super Mario Brothers, FFVll, FFVlll, MGS1, MGS2
and it doesn't help that Hollywood feels like Vid-games (the bastard child of the ent. industry) is taking a piece of their pie.
was a great game. One of the "diamonds in the rough" sort of thing. Initially released back in '94, it became an entire franchise, even. It's gotten quite a cult following. I'm not saying everyone knows it, I'm not saying everyone should know about it.
No offense, houaruto, but before you talk rashly, you should check up on what you're talking about.
You can't talk jack if you don't know jack...
I agree with your opinion but we must consider that in the mainstream we as gamers are still very much a minority when compared to the numbers of people that will sit and watch a movie.
In this sense games get very little media coverage unless of course it is to criticize or blame them for other peoples irresponsible actions. For gamers your comments ring true but for the rest of the world its of little importance and this is an area of what is relative. All gamers know of Halo whether they like it or not but most people who do not play games will think its something religious or to do with a shiny ring around a saints head. As games become more mainstream for a wider audience then recognition of the designers and developers will increase. Myself I am 51 but there are not so many people I know of my age that like gaming.
As much as I'll always hold an attachment for S.M.B.(1-World), FF(1, 2, + 7), Castlevanias... the classics and the new (Bioshock..um others) etc
- still I don't really agree here-
"but after a few months or three with 10 new movies coming out, who the heck cares about what you watch last months"
I see your point regarding the crapolla HollyW's been spewing most of the time; BUT, movies like Stand by Me, Schindler's List, Pan's Labrynth, The Dark Crystal, Trainspotting, and many others will be remembered to the ends of time .. .. . .. .
A good story is a good story as long as it's told well in any medium.
I see
So because you've never heard of a game, it means that nobody else has? Jazz Jackrabbit, and it's sequels, were great games and were some of the games that were installed on the computers at the school I was in along with Lemmings and Worms.
great comment shabghai360. i've always seen you as the sensible type.
it's actually sad how some people react to what cliffyb said. i know his words are harsh and sometimes he really does toe the line. but actually, when you think about it, his points are valid and they do make sense. the manner in which he says stuff may be a bit overbearing, BUT the actual content of what he says is true.
and looking at all the hater comments in this article... it just goes to show how undervalued the game devs are.