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In case I don't remember to ask this later - Podcast question. Fantasy Fiction... What's the point? It's just a load of things that aren't real right?

ChocolateRob

I think there are certainly many paths to success. There are so many people in the world who have such wildly different interests, and tapping into one of the thousands of niches out there is ultimately what it takes. To me, it makes sense that due to just how diverse people really are, that there are divers ways of reaching and connecting with them. The AAA industry tends to try its best to cast a super wide net, implementing every conceivable 'trendy' new gimmick into their games--which is why we have so many open world action games with rpg mechanics, climbing, ATEs, etc. It's a copycat business, anytime something seems to become popular you'll find that thing in every big release for the next several years. Ultimately though, the actual timeless masterpieces are the ones who understand their unique identity, and care most about connecting with the players in whatever way makes the most sense, and that can look like many, many different things.

Resonant Arc

I recently had cause to look at the Wikipedia entry "2018 in video gaming," and saw something interesting: the list of 10 highest grossing, 10 best selling, and 10 best critically received games have very little overlap. What do you guys think of the idea that the amount of effort spent on a games visual fidelity rarely has much to do with that games critical success? What do you think of the further idea that the way a game makes the most money (which is itself separate from selling the most units) is not by receiving critical success? Is the entire AAA video game industry wasting their money chasing critical and/or monetary success by trying to leverage visual fidelity to increase sales figures? -TLDR is sorta that TIL the best games, the best selling games, and the games that make the most money are all for the most part entirely different.

Hi all, my game was mentioned a little while back, Tactics V: "Obsidian Brigade". Well, we announced our platforms in this trailer: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaHieV6nrWc" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaHieV6nrWc</a> and we have yet to put this up somewhere, but here's a form we'll be using to gather testers for a closed steam beta: <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeBKKxXSOPcRIg1gaTajVC6JbHDHKiAQk0wyJaqawgVccHADA/viewform" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeBKKxXSOPcRIg1gaTajVC6JbHDHKiAQk0wyJaqawgVccHADA/viewform</a> We're super excited to get some hands on feedback and get this out there :) (if you include this in your community shout out, feel free to add the form link)

Paul Metcalf

Mike, you've mentioned that you like to play FFVII on an annual basis. It's also one of my favorite games and I've played it perhaps 5-6 times myself. However, as I get older, I find myself less interested in replaying games (or even revisiting books and movies), even ones that I greatly enjoyed the first time around. Have your habits shifted as well over the years? Do you think it's important to routinely revisit our favorite media if it comes at the expense of trying something new?

I was wondering if you guys could talk about how character design can be an effective storytelling device for visual mediums in conveying personalities, tropes, etc. Who are some of your favorite artists and character designers? How do some character designs fit better than others into the overall narrative of a story? What are some of your favorite character designs? Least favorite?

So I've been reading a book called "The WoW Diary" by John Staats - a big recently released Kickstarter book going over the development history of World of Warcraft. In the chapter labeled "Lore," Staats has this to say: "At this point, I want to take a moment to define the role of storytelling in computer game development. Many people have the wrong idea of how lore is created, so I want to clarify a couple of things. First of all, each company handles lore in a different way. But it’s often someone high in the organization who is in charge of lore since it’s the easiest creative position. The audience is usually forgiving if the storytelling is bad." "Now, before the torches and pitchforks appear outside my window, let me explain myself. When I say, “Storytelling is easy,” I’m speaking only about computer games. Writing fiction for books, short stories, and screenplays relies on an entirely different skillset, which is why game studios who sign authors onto their projects are usually asking for trouble. A novelist isn’t accustomed to the limitations of game development, and writers rarely make a successful crossover. This is because game fiction has a very narrow range of themes that provide fertile ground for content creation: tropes such as journeys, improvement, betrayals, ancient secrets, power struggles, exploration, and power vacuums. Subtlety is lost on the gaming audience. Things like socialization, user interface, twitch skills, and character advancement are what players focus on. Games require obvious plotlines and archetypal characters because the audience is doing several things at once. There is a cacophony of preoccupying issues, so it’s unreasonable to expect players to follow a detailed storyline or subtle hints. Storytellers in this environment must wield blunt instruments." "When players say they love a game’s story, what they usually mean is they enjoy the immersion. An immersive environment allows for easy escapism and there are many contributing factors, the least important of which is the story. Games like Half-Life are famous for their “stories,” yet the narratives aren’t particularly unique. What people liked in Half-Life was the believability of the game’s creature behavior, nonlinear problem solving, open level design, and reactive environment." "Stories are the most flexible part of the equation, and matching them to fit the constraints of game development is what makes for a great computer game creative lead, not simply coming up with ideas in a vacuum. Bad storytellers ignore these limitations." Reading this led me to a whirlwind of emotions - I want to disagree with him on some of this, but I also think some of this is right. This may be too long a "chunk" to be podcast-appropriate, but I'm curious how you would respond to Staat's characterization of game storytelling.