Three Game-Design Evils

Bussiness Week disse:

Game gurus Peter Molyneux, Jonathan Smith and Simon Byron explain the game-design device they'd consign to the trash can of history


This article is an abridged transcript of a discussion group at Develop in Brighton, England.

Jonathan Smith
Traveller's Tales

“I would choose too much balance in games. Games are so often neither too easy or too hard but somewhere in the middle. As a player I can never quite fail, nor can I succeed too easily. It feels like I might as well not be there at all.

“Sometimes it's nice to find a game that is unbalanced so that when it is too easy you feel absolute power to dominate, and when it is too hard you feel a sense of achievement when you do succeed.

“I'm thinking especially of some linear shooting games when you know you will take just so many attempts to move forward, or RPGs where as you level up, so do all the enemies. What is the point of the player being there at all?

“This relentless reward structure takes away any sense of drama. I want to be surprised."People say Lego Star Wars was too easy, but we made it that way for anyone to play, but also for people to go on and really enjoy the power of dominating the game. There are parts of Lego Star Wars II that are very hard, but you don't have to play those, so we are not constrained by any obligation not to frustrate the player. It's non-linear.”


Simon Byron
Author on Games History

“For me it's stealth. I can't stand it. It's all about patiently lurking and avoiding detection. It's so sinister and creepy; like the sort of thing a pervert does. But ever since Metal Gear Solid it's everywhere. You can hardly find a game without some stealth level.”

“But when you think about games, do you remember the bit where you blew away a load of guys with a rocket launcher, or do you remember the bit where you sat quietly in a dark room? Games should be about fantasy and action - if I want to hide in a cupboard I can do that anytime.

"It seems to me that only a very peculiar individual would want to spend on-screen time sitting still or creeping around.

“Also, the way it's being shoe-horned in everywhere is absurd. Do real Hitmen need to steal soft shoes in order to do their work? Is it really possible that I can't see people standing two feet away? It's ridiculous.”


Peter Molyneux
Lionhead Studios

“The whole notion of cut-scenes smacks to me of commercial breaks on TV. They are pointless and usually done very badly.

“It all started when we began talking to Hollywood about interactive story-telling and multiple endings. You'd play a bit and then watch a lot. The trouble is the watching part was no fun. I'd spend my time with my finger hovering over the button desperate to skip forward.

“Quite often this is the work of frustrated movie directors who spend more time on the cut scenes than on the game mechanics.

“But we've seen with games like Half Life 2 that telling the story can be woven into the gameplay and there is no need to put the controller down. We are in the business of interactive entertainment so if there is no interaction, the designers aren't trying hard enough.

“What is the point of these scenes if players are using them to go make a cup of coffee or are just skipping forward?

“I agree that there have been some very beautiful cut scenes but even the best leave you frustrated. The worst is when you have just won a big battle and have been rewarded but you can't try out the reward until you've sat through three minutes of story. It's maddening.”

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