217
rate

Why do good people make bad games?

April 14, 2008 in News comments 8

Brandon Sheffield, Game Developer editor, discusses why he thinks creative and enthusiastic developers end up making games that fail miserably ...

(go to source for full article)

There are a lot of things that frustrate me about the game industry, and to read my monthly editorials you might think I dislike it. But I don't, of course. The frustration comes from love and an awareness of unrealized potential that I think almost everyone in the industry also feels.

Specifically I've been thinking recently about why good people make bad games. It's amazing to me that I can go and speak with someone working on a movie licensed title, and they'll be full of legitimate enthusiasm, real ideas, and almost convince me - OK, this time they're going to get it right.

Then the game comes out, releasing day and date with the movie, with under a year of development time, and totally flops critically.

What's depressing about this scenario is that nobody wonders why. Everybody on the team already knows! The schedule was too short, the demands from the licensor were unreasonable, and the project wasn't well managed.

I see conferences and talks on the future of games and design, and the true integration and collaboration of games with other media, and many of these ideas are sound, genuinely intriguing, and some of them are even possible to implement. Yet, where are they?

There are so many fantastic ideas out there not getting realized.
Miss Razz via gamasutra.com »
Favourite this article Add source
| More
Report!
Additional sources:

Comments

Register as a member to subscribe comments.
  • 0
    StarJet Apr 15, 08
    This guy talks as if every game ever released is crap. :S WTF?
    • -1
      Existenz Apr 15, 08
      They pretty much are, in the sea of mediocre shit there are only like 10 games a year worth our money and will make our purchase worthwhile, the rest are the fish in this proverbial sea of shit they get praised for something or another but when the game gets going its nothing special, though we buy those games not for the features but because it is like food, it keeps us going til the next big worthwhile purchase.
  • 2
    DragoniteBallZ Apr 15, 08
    well consider that few games even ones that are "good" now a days don't live to become classics later on and either become forgotten or just considered another game.

    And another point is developers are more about demonstrating and integrating than the effect of the output. It's not like before where games were so simple that the focus is near entirely on gameplay.
  • 0
    theundertakergonzo Apr 15, 08
    Well this guy gives everyone a good wrap. Way to bag just about everyone out >.<. I guess i see where he's comign from though, interesting he went out and said it.
  • 0
    Storm Apr 15, 08
    I don't think it's all necessarily bad. They try to be creative and such, but it backfires...then again, there are those who make a half-assed game because they know it'll make money, such as those that make movie-based games.

    The article points out the time-frame that developers have to make these games, too. They'd have to rush within a few months to get it out on the market due to close deadlines. Games seem better off being worked on for at least a year, imo.
  • 0
    Kokoro Apr 16, 08
    Because no one's perfect. I mean, making a video game takes a lot of work. Besides, whether a game is good or not is based on opinion (Well, for the most part, I guess). But one thing that annoys me is how people overreact to bad games!
  • 1
    Supernouva Apr 16, 08
    I think Star Wars is one of the only movie-based game franchise that's actually good, and popular.
    • 0
      Storm Apr 16, 08
      I agree, but let's face it, the developing company is LucasArts, man behind the company did the films. But that certainly is better, would feel more 'movie-related' if the movie team gets more involved with the games.

This news story is archived and is closed to comments now.