COLUMN: Game development an art all its own
Everybody knows “Halo,” “Call of Duty” and “Rock Band.”
But how many know, or care, about the people behind the games they have poured so many hours into?
The hardcore gamers out there could quickly protest: “Bungie, Infinity Ward and Harmonix, respectively!” But it doesn’t change the fact that there is just not enough recognition of the faces behind these hits.
Especially since, in the case of the first two, the people who made those titles such great successes made their final contributions to the series within the past year.
Infinity Ward all but dissolved after disputes with publisher Activision drove out its lead designers and Bungie’s contract to produce “Halo” games for Microsoft ended with “Reach.”
Harmonix is being sold by parent company and publisher Viacom, though the developers say they will continue to produce “Rock Band.”
It has never been more true that players should know more about their games’ pedigrees than the numbers after their titles.
It may seem silly to care so much about the creators of what ultimately becomes a corporate product.
Just because developing big-budget games is always a collaborative process, individual talents can contribute heavily to the final product.
In BCA 288: History and Appreciation of Cinema, I learned about the auteur theory: a single creative force is often the best way to produce a truly meaningful and creative product.
While my professor was referring to directors like Woody Allen and Stanley Kubrick, it can be just as easily applied to game developers like Shigeru Miyamoto, Tim Schafer and Hideo Kojima.
If you can’t tell the difference between a Schafer title (“Grim Fandango,” “Brütal Legend”) and a Kojima production (“Metal Gear Solid,” “Zone of the Enders”), you’re not paying enough attention.
Schafer’s signature humor and penchant for creating bizarre but believable characters and worlds is evident in every title he touches and Kojima’s love for overwrought dialogue and strong anti-war messages make his games unique.
And who else but Shigeru Miyamoto could have pulled off the perfectly intuitive world of overgrown mushrooms and tyrannical lizards that is “Mario”?
The men and women behind these games dedicate not only thousands of hours (and millions of dollars) into these games, but also their love and inspiration — just as much as any other artist.
So next time, don’t pound the “Start” button as soon as the credits begin to roll.
It’s about time they got their due appreciation.
