Last week we asked "Are modern games too short?", in light of Homefront's controversial campaign clocking in at around five hours.
This week, Quantic Dream's David Cage stuck his neck out and claimed that developers are sick of making shallow shooters about space marines.
Cage says there are more developers like him who, as they get older, have a desire to put a little bit more substance in their games. But as long as the likes of Halo and Call of Duty dominate the market, Cage reckons these devs are somewhat compelled to craft carnivals of chaos and destruction.
"I hear many developers... saying the same thing," Cage told The Guardian. "'Look, I'm 40, I'm fed up of writing games where you shoot at everyone. It was fun when I was 20 but now I want to do something else. I don't watch the same movies as I did when I was 20, I don't listen to the same music, but I'm still making the same games."
"Games always explore the same things," he added. "They're about being powerful, being the good guys against the bad guys - that's a very tiny part of what can be done.
But do more 'grown-up' games have to shy away from shooting in favour of sharing emotions and centring around politics? Do emotion integrity and fast-paced destruction have to be mutually exclusive?
Is it time that we started to move from heavy artillery to Heavy Rain?
Comments
18 comments so far...
humanhand on 23 Mar '11 said:
I think the point is there isn't enough of the (what's considered right now) out of ordinary game. Not that Duke is out of the ordinary. I think there is a place for everything, I think Cage is just taking this hard stance to make a point, and maybe get people to change a bit for the good of something new and refreshing.
mw13 on 23 Mar '11 said:
this coming from a guy who had the best titty/ shower scene in gaming.
MrPirtniw on 23 Mar '11 said:
He doesn't want to make games where you shoot at everything. Fine. Don't. But shooters sell- they're great fun to play with your friends and are very much capable of telling great stories as much as they are being daft. I'll admit, I'm a little bored of them so now I only play the few I know I'll enjoy but I play games to have fun, not depress myself through badly written, overly emotional QTE's. Heavy Rain sold well, so there's obviously a market for those kinds of games but to dismiss all shooters and label them immature is rubbish.
Shoe horning unnecessary shower/sex scenes to get a glimpse of virtual boob isn't that mature either, Mr Cage.
Soulman101 on 23 Mar '11 said:
I dont think that is the point. He's not crusading against all FPS games he is just like a lot of gamers sick of the entire market being full of FPS games, I'm happy myself with a few FPS games there but you dont see a broad range of styles of games anymore so rather the industry clogged full of FPS games why not just have a few of them out there.
It seems like every game publisher and note I say publisher not developers just seem to feel the need to compete with the big boys (EA, Activision) with trying to one up each other with another modern day middle east shooter and thats my biggest annoyance, they all seem to be centered on middle eastern conflicts lately which is very lazy from a creative standpoint.
richard99 on 23 Mar '11 said:
Shooters are just one genre. Some are immature, some are well aware that they're being immature and some are pretty serious (think Bioshock and Half Life 2).
As for gaming on the whole, I think some games could do with being darker or more mature but I'd hate it if the entire industry opted for that approach. That would just make things bland.
JOHNKARA on 23 Mar '11 said:
David Cage is a true visionary - Heavy Rain was testament to his creative leadership and I believe that more developers and producers need to pay heed to his message that the word "games" is in itself a limitation. Heavy Rain was more like a "slice of life" as opposed to a game, and we need more developers to embrace this notion too. Sadly, FPS can be very immature and tend to accept the fact that they are ultimately "just games" and not "expressions of life" or "investment in human emotion".
Sleepaphobic on 23 Mar '11 said:
Ya plz make a friggin Shindler's List game, I'm sure it will sell like hot cakes.
MrPirtniw on 23 Mar '11 said:
I'm all for playing games with darker, more mature themes just not at the expense of gameplay... which I thought was the sole reason to play games. Omikron/Nomad Soul, Fahrenheit and Heavy Rain were interesting in their storylines but sucked buttock cleavage as actual games, but that's just my opinion.
On the whole, yes- I'd like to see new genres and innovation- if only so there is more choice available. Cage is a bit of a pretentious pillock, though.
The Bossman on 23 Mar '11 said:
CVG, don't you like proof readers? EH? Got something against them have we?
There's a mix of mature and not so mature games, there's no issues here. Games like Last Guardian, Heavy Rain etc, and then the CODs and their plots, most of which suck ass.
chronicwombat on 23 Mar '11 said:
ill chip in with another:
"Of course, Cage has been pushing the cause for the more emotional game ever" - EH?
Also one of the paragraphs is written like a GCSE essay. Work experience kids getting bored of making coffee or something?
As for the point hes making, its not just about shooters per se, and I wholeheartedly agree with the crux of what hes getting at.
Imaduck on 24 Mar '11 said:
I think anyone going along with the title theme is an arse. I don't think he's saying that though, but he is a bit of an arse
Gaming is getting more and more mature. There's bastions of immaturity, but I think this guy is trying to glorify himself a little maybe. It's not like Heavy Rain is actually super mature, it's pretty PC and "informed", but it's not like a massive leap forwards or something.
What I love most is the people who integrate depth and story into an amazing game, not one extreme or the other. I liked what they did with DS2, great mature characters, deep issues, but a hell of a ride gameplay-wise. Same goes for Mass Effect and many of the big RPG's with not only an INCREDIBLE story but amazing gameplay with a million layers, Bioshock and Half-Life are in there too.
Really, he's not as ahead as some make out. He's part of something good yup, but he's not the cutting edge or anything to my mind. He's like that guy who decides to announce that he's finally arrived to the party and wants everyone to know it. There's much older games with much more maturity on display to my mind.
The_Jaster on 24 Mar '11 said:
Two articles out of one guys statements..........stretching issue a bit CVG?
Anyway, I don't think that the games are immature, maybe just some gamers are but that's because the majority are pre teen kids hell just jump on call of duty & you will see/hear what I mean.
monty_79 on 24 Mar '11 said:
Actually. the majority of gamers are men in their mid 30's.
Anyway, I think this guy is correct to a point, but his games are pretentious and bland. Heavy Rain really isn't that good a game. IT does surprise me thought that the majority of games are quite immature and have a bit of a childish air to them. Would be great if more publishers went for the older crowd.
rbt2 on 24 Mar '11 said:
Of course modern games aren't too immature.
To David Cage I say....ner ner na ner ner.
StonecoldMC on 24 Mar '11 said:
A good Game is a good Game, doesnt matter what the genre or topic its covering.
Its really that simple.
WHERESMYMONKEY on 24 Mar '11 said:
Too immature? Probably. But it's like gran used to say, "Son the moneys in dick and fart jokes"
Balladeer on 24 Mar '11 said:
There's room for moving mature games and Duke Nukem. We could do with some more of the former, though.
Yellow6 on 25 Mar '11 said:
Simple answer.
If you are bored of making shooters then stop making them
Heavy Rain made money so it's not a crazy idea.
Either stop moaning and do something "worthwhile" or stop monaing and keep making shooters and taking the "easy" money.
I think the point I'm trying to make is, stop moaning.