Podcast #39 - Bioware's David Gaider

[dsheinem]

http://www.racketboy.com/?p=5525

I think this is one of the more interesting interviews we've done on the show, and one that I think even people who don't play Bioware games will really enjoy. Let us know what you think!

[Stark]

This was a fantastic interview. Great job Dave. I am super interested in trying A Mind Forever Voyaging now!

[dsheinem]

Thanks, Stark, I think it was one of our best shows

[Stark]

Well I also appreciated that it brought a very talented guy to the forefront to me. A guy who is at the center of a lot of the BioWare titles I've enjoyed over the years and I never remember hearing about him. He certainly hasn't been highlighted like this like Ken Levine, David Jaffe, Sid Meier or any other notable industry folks.

Still working through my back log of Podcast listening, but just want to say that I've enjoyed the show very much, thanks for doing it!

[BogusMeatFactory]

Just finished listening to this, by Stark's recommendation and I have to say that I enjoyed it immensely. I am glad to see that there was a nod to Text-Based Adventure games. I have been a huge fan of the interactive fiction genre since the mid 80's and have to agree fully with David Gaider's opinion on, "A Mind Forever Voyaging." I consider that to be one of the greatest pieces of storytelling over any medium. Steve Meretzky, the designer and writer was responsible for that and other great works like, Planetfall, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and the hilarious Leather Goddesses of Phobos and the Spellcasting Series. (A side note on that, Meretzky commented on how he received huge controversy on his Leather goddesses of Phobos game for its sexual undertones, even though the game is VERY tame and he received nothing on Mind Forever Voyaging, which is a political and sociological nightmare)

Mr. Gaider brings up great points on storytelling through an interactive medium. The need to be dynamic and branching in your storytelling sets it apart from other mediums, BUT, you rarely see that style in a game. Very few games really offer you decisions that warp and change the story and the world that encompasses it.

I feel that the next big videogame revolution will be on how a story is TOLD, instead of how you experience a story. game companies now usually build their games on a gameplay idea. "We are going to have a character in a greek mythology world and you can do really bloody combos with a heavy accent on violence," then they work on a story that is built around the mechanics.

Eventually, people are going to get bored of the types of games they play. You can only play games like Devil May Cry, Call of Duty etc. so many times before you start to get tired of it and want something more.

It's an idea.