Rockstar creative VP and lead GTA IV writer Dan Houser would rather have the creative freedom of writing for video games remain intact than be treated with respect.
When an interviewer for the UK Telegraph asks Houser if it will be long before video game writers are afforded the same respect as TV and film writers enjoy, Dan neatly explains that he'd rather not have it.
“I hope it's long,” he says. “It's really fun at the moment because we're not in any Academy and the medium's not codified. There's no accepted way of doing anything so that give us enormous pleasure because we can make it up as we go along. Movies and TV and books have become so structured in the way they have to approach things. Not working in that environment gives us enormous freedom. I'd rather keep the freedom and not have the respect.”
The man makes a very good point. Though video games are gaining popularity every day, they still don't have to deal with the rigid standards enforced for films and television shows in most countries. The multiple layers of scrutiny that those mediums undergo are something that the game industry has thankfully avoided so far.
Note that I said so far. This would be a good place for a little dramatic incidental music.
Dan Houser interview: Rockstar Games's writer for GTA 4 and The Lost And Damned [Telegraph via Games Industry]