David Cage, the boss of Quantic Dream, has theorised that, without the drive for innovation in video game projects, the industry will more or less die in an interview with Gamesindustry International. He believes that more studios should invest in new and inventive projects where originality can be promoted. He expands upon this point:
“I mean this industry will die if it doesn’t try more to be innovative and to come up with new ideas and to talk a bit more–not necessarily serious, but deeper things at some point. It’s great that you can shoot at monsters, and that’s great and it will always be there and it will always be successful, but at the same time, what about giving the choice to people? Give them different options. So if they like that they find it, but if they want something deeper and interactive, they can find that too.”
In the interview, Cage praises Journey from thatgamecompany, which is currently the most successful game on the Playstation Network, calling it “a breath of fresh air.” He calls it as such because of the storytelling and emotion found in the game. He moves on to first person shooters, which represents the exact opposite of Cage’s ideal video game industry. He says:
“How many first person shooters can we create per year? How many can we play per year? How many of them will be successful? Even from a business point of view, does it make any sense? I’m not sure.”
Considering he is the boss of the studio that gave us Heavy Rain and will give us Beyond: Two Souls, it is reasonable for him to address these concerns. With that said, the video game industry is dictated by one group of people: the consumers (yes, you reading this article). It is they who vote with their money and it seems that the most popular genre at this time is first person shooters, more specifically Call of Duty.
I agree with Mr. Cage in that the industry needs to push more original ideas and experiment. I am someone who believes that the video game medium does have the potential to become as powerful as literature in terms of storytelling. In saying that, it seems game studios and publishers won’t push for innovation if the risk is too great. It is definitely a worthy point in the business vs creative debate in video games.
I’ll open the floor to you, readers. Do you believe in Mr. Cage’s push for innovation or is the safe option good enough to keep the industry afloat? Give us your thoughts below.
