"Story-driven market has untapped potenital" - David Cage

[KungKras]

riderz13371 said:

 

There's more to games than "heroes with big muscles fighting hordes of monsters", says Quantic Dream's David Cage.

Say what you like about David Cage, there's no faulting his passion for pushing the games industry forward.

In an interview with gamesTM Magazine, David Cage chastised the games industry's reliance on violence and shooters.

"The games industry offers many games based on violence and adrenaline, which works for a certain audience but there is a huge untapped market of people who are not interested in shooting but would be willing to interact in a meaningful emotional experience.

"This medium is truly amazing because of how it can resonate emotionally with the audience. We are just discovering this potential and I am convinced that we will see more and more exciting titles based on totally new paradigms in the coming years."

Though Farenheit and The Nomad's Soul both set early design styles for David Cage, it wasn't until Heavy Rain that he really realised the potential of video games.

"Heavy Rain has been a major turning point for me," says Cage, "it was the game that made me realise that it was possible to use this medium to tell personal things rather than talking about heroes with big muscles fighting hordes of monsters.

"It sounds obvious to any novel or film writer, but for most videogame writers it is still a territory that we hardly explore."

Cage then goes on to explain that most gamers think of story-driven games as being "cerebral or boring" when compared to action games, and that it is his team's duty to "convince this audience that although story-driven games provide a different type of entertainment."

David Cage cited the popularity of Journey and The Walking Dead as proof that there's a "growing interest" in games that dare to be different.

"I believe that this is a very positive thing for the industry," adds Cage. And we do too.

To read the rest of the interview or gamesTM's coverage on Beyond: Two Souls, check out issue 135 out on 14 February.

Link

 

OK, CGI, now I'll try to list the things that disturbs me about this article.

"The games industry offers many games based on violence and adrenaline, which works for a certain audience but there is a huge untapped market of people who are not interested in shooting but would be willing to interact in a meaningful emotional experience."

Here it seems David Cage is equating all games that are not focused on a "meaningful emotional experience" to be about violence and adrenaline, and it is just not true. There are lots of games that aren't about action and aren't about story either. Just look at Brain Age or Animal Crossing or Tetris, or Sodouku.

"Heavy Rain has been a major turning point for me," says Cage, "it was the game that made me realise that it was possible to use this medium to tell personal things rather than talking about heroes with big muscles fighting hordes of monsters.

First off, games have been used to tell personal stories almost since the invention of Video games. David Cage seems to be implying that Heavy Rain brought this to gaming, and it's ignorant and condecending to the games that did it before HR. Also, again, he says that games that doesn't do storytelling are focused on heroes slaying monsters. I know he uses it as a rethorical example, but it still feels so condecending to evey game that doesn't do what he does.

Cage then goes on to explain that most gamers think of story-driven games as being "cerebral or boring" when compared to action games, and that it is his team's duty to "convince this audience that although story-driven games provide a different type of entertainment."

Again, he sounds so condecending, almost like he is implying that people who don't like storiy focused games are stupid. that his games are too "cerebral" for them. What about games like Civilization, Hearts of Iron or Sodouku, are these games "non-cerebral" and about "Heroes with big muscles slaying monsters"

I always get mad reading David Cage interviews because he seems so full of himslef, and ignores the history and diversity of gaming.