[MUD-Dev] DGN: Reasons for play [was: Emergent Behaviors spawned from...]

[Sean Howard]

"Michael Hartman" <michael at thresholdrpg.com> wrote:
> Damien Neil wrote:

>> I think that attempts to "address an audience" are doomed to
>> failure. The true successes are driven by the passion of the
>> designer, not a cold, calculating manipulation of the player.

> I agree with this completely. A developer has to have a vision to
> design a game that he/she would enjoy. Then he/she has to work
> his/her butt off to make it happen.

> So the way to address this Sims-like audience is for someone who
> really loves that kind of game, and also loves MMOs, to decide to
> make an MMO that includes aspects of both types of games they
> enjoy. If enough people agree, and if the developer does a good
> enough job.... success!

I really hate that sort of attitude towards designers. Yes, some
people can design like that, but it has more to do with luck than
any sort of talent or passion. It is the very recipe for one-hit
wonders, or people who merely recreate their old successes (you know
who you are).

Frank Lloyd Wright once created a gas station. I doubt very much
that he'd ever thought about the problem before being presented with
it, and yet, somehow, he managed to create a magnificent gas
station. Likewise, when contracted to build a low cost housing
complex, he managed to make something that was greater than the sum
of its parts. Each building he designed was unique to the needs of
the problem.

A real designer doesn't need passion or experience. Design doesn't
have to be an MadLibs like exercise in snatch and
grab. Unfortunately, there isn't a lot of room in the game industry
for someone like Frank Lloyd Wright.  The sheer arrogance of being
able to make a better gas station does NOT go over well. We praise
the wrong kind of designers, simply because relying on luck makes us
feel more potentially successful than skill which we will never
possess.

Just once, I'd like to see this industry recognize a Frank Lloyd
Wright before they become frustrated and leave.

- Sean Howard
www.squidi.net
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