I want to make games…
I want to make games that don’t impress through their next-gen graphics, their sophisticated AI, or their innovative mechanics, but through, as a wise old man once said, the content of their character.
I want to make games that incorporate rather than reject the cultural traditions of other media, while at the same time adding something new and unique to said traditions.
I want to make games where the characters you play feel like old friends, not like puppets to be manipulated.
I want to make games that mirror the world we live in, but don’t painstakingly copy it.
I want to make games that are funny but not frivolous, and serious but not melodramatic.
I want to make games that are compelling, not addictive. I don’t want people to play my games every waking hour of every day. I want my games to inspire people to go out in the world and change their lives for the better.
I want to make games that people come back to after a few years, or even decades, and see them in ways even more profound than they did when they were younger.
I want to make games that speak of the injustices we face in our world, while at the same time inspiring us to make a difference.
I want to make games that I can discuss and demonstrate to my family and friends with pride, not shame and embarrassment.
I want to make games that inspire a little girl somewhere in the world to grow up and make games of her very own, just as the games my mentors created did for me.
I want my friends and other like-minded people to join me in this endeavour to make games that are more than just games. We’re not doing it to be famous. We’re not doing it because we want to elevate the medium to some abstract ideal of “art”. We’re doing it because we want — no, need — to express ourselves. Make our voices heard. Maybe even change the world while we’re at it.
Who’s with me?
23 comments.23 Comments So Far...
Say Something!
Life Flashes By
Pigeons in the Park
I have nothing to add but my support.
Oh and to say that he wasn’t really that old…
*rapturous applause* LET’S ALL STORM THE CITADEL… uh… the… EA offices? The… I’LL JUST FOLLOW YOU, OK? *flails flag*
/signed
As above…
/signed
I am with you ! Thanks goodness there is still some humanity left in our craft.
/signed
*standing ovation*
Beautifully expressed ideals. You have describe, precisely, the kind of games I’d most like to play.
My ambitions are lower (I’m just a simple hobbyist trying to have fun while creating something that I’d enjoy playing), but I agree with what you’re saying. (Who doesn’t?)
All I can say is “w00t!”
@Rikard That’s perfectly understandable, and interestingly enough, it’s how I approach my musical endeavours these days.
@Everyone Thanks for the support. It means a lot to me.
I would like to say one thing. Do not worry about wanting to, just do it. People want to win the lottery, want to be taller, etc.. etc… Doing is the true expression of creativity.
Not trying to cut you Kiddo, just expressing. And I will bang, hammer, and beat everything you throw at me but I am about as creative as a tree stump.
My name is Seg and I approve of this message.
Shows you how shallow I am. I really just want to write for a big budget triple-A FPS that doesn’t take it self too seriously. One day…
So very signed!
I am not in the art myself. I’ve played through my share of games, though. There were only a few, which match your description (more or less).
I share the same feeling that there is much uncovered potential in the medium. I am not sure I am up to making games. So, I’d rather assume the role of excited spectator.
Keep trying.
P.S. Thanks for “Pigeons”. I enjoyed that one a lot.
I’m with you. That’s the way to make games.
But can’t we make games that do all that and still impress through their next-gen graphics, their sophisticated AI, and their innovative mechanics?
Sure… but bear in mind that those things will only be impressive for about three months.
You know I’m with you on all this.
..except one thing. If some fanatic wants to play a game I make for every waking minute, I think I’m okay with that.
I may not be able to help make them, but I promise to write about them and teach them to my students. If we all do what we can, it will happen.
Lovely post and lovely ideas. Thank you.
/signed here too.
I couldn’t agree more. I think we need to make a sign out of that first paragraph and then set up shop directly across from EA’s headquarters. So let’s do it (the making good games thing, not the EA thumb-biting), how can I help?
[...] this of people, but at the same time, I know I have many readers who care about the same kind of grandiose ideals for the future of video games as I do, so I figured that maybe in some small way, we could all take [...]