Kotaku
In a fantastic interview with Eurogamer, game designer Warren Spector talks about working with game studio Valve, the importance of creative freedom and what in-game choices really mean. Spector says:
I don't believe it's ever a waste of time to give players real choices, rather than fake ones. If all you're doing is putting players on rails and rocketing them through your story, why not just build a roller coaster or make a movie? If the only choice a player gets to make is which weapon to use to kill a bad guy, you've completely wasted that player's time. Roller coaster rides are immense amounts of fun, but really, all they do is provide an adrenalin rush and a moment's distraction from the workaday world. Games can be more. Movies are terrific storytelling devices - I love movies - but movies already exist. I don't need to make them. (Well, I kinda want to produce a movie someday, but that's another matter entirely...) If all you're doing is telling your story to players (with the added attraction of getting to pick a gun once in a while), why bother?
Spector is one of those designers that I actually like more than the games he creates. He's fostering an insightful dialogue here, packed full of wisdom. Great stuff.
More Here [Eurogamer]
