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Are Next-Gen Graphics A Bad Thing?
- March 07, 2007 17:55 PM PST
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Deus Ex creator Warren Spector explains why next-gen console graphical expectations can hurt game design.
Warren Spector, Deus Ex creator and widely respected game designer spoke on the state of storytelling in games at a GDC session on Wednesday in San Francisco. Spector rated the current state of story and characters in games, which is somewhat mediocre overall, but most interesting were his thoughts regarding next-generation hardware and its negative effect on story design.
next-gen hardware is going to make it harder for us to work on story development and character interaction."
Graphics: a Curse?
"Is there anything specific that next-gen hardware can provide for us?" questions Spector, alluding to the obvious boost in technology. "We can clearly...create more believable characters," he continues. "These new consoles are roughly equivalent to high-end PCs. But next-gen hardware is not the solution to our story problems [in game development]. In fact, it may be that next-gen hardware is going to make it harder for us to work on story development and character interaction."
LittleBigPlanet relies on iconic characters and user-generated levels.
Continuing he states, "More advanced technology can help us create better characters, but the hitch is that with more graphics power there are all these expectations that go along with that graphics power, and you have to ask yourself if graphics are a bad thing. There are people that want to tell a story in an interactive manner, but their jobs are about to become a lot harder. People expect a certain level of graphical quality, and reaching that takes time away from story elements."
There are obviously players that prefer their games light on story and heavy on gameplay, but most would agree that, in general, games have pretty lousy stories and character development. The idea that cutting-edge graphics and the new generation of consoles are a burden to game developers is an interesting thought--one that is often overlooked. Perhaps Nintendo is on to something with the Wii and its relatively low graphical boost from the GameCube.
Sony On the Right Track
Spector also went on to praise Sony's most recently announced PS3 project called LittleBigPlanet, shown at the company's GDC keynote and introduced by Phil Harrison. The game is powered by user-generated content, and Spector called the game's cute, ragdoll characters, "the most simple, yet iconic characters in a photorealistic game."
