Original Comment by: Warren Spector
http://www.junctionpoint.com
Bravo, Kieron. Your comments about games as an evolving form of expression, with its own strengths and weaknesses, are right on the money. The fact that some people can't see games as a medium of self-expression, worthy of first amendment protection (or international equivalent), always leaves me shaking my head in disbelief.
In fairness, I do know a few game developers who deny that their games contain ideological biases and/or overt points of view, but only a few. (And they're so clearly wrong, you just have to write their beliefs off as classic examples of the intentional fallacy in action!) Most of us actually believe we're "saying something" in our work and, the best developers, I think, revel in their ability to collaborate with players in the telling of a story or the creation of an experience that is, at the very least, personally meaningful, if nothing more.
But my real purpose in commenting on your article isn't simply to praise a well-reasoned piece, but to elaborate on some comments you made about Deus Ex. First, I'll completely cop to my own liberal leanings. I wear the mantle of liberalism proudly and openly. And, yes, many characters in the DX universe encourage the pacifist approach and/or the pursuit of goals that might be read as "liberal" in some sense of the word. However, we did make something of an effort to be even-handed in our approach to things and would like to relate a story that supports this contention. (I found this moment revelatory and wondrous!):
Several years ago, I was in New York speaking at a games conference at the New School for Social Research. After the sessions ended, I went out to a nearby club with some attendees, where I was accosted by a slightly tipsy fellow who harangued me about having made "that crappy, left wing piece of propaganda, Deus Ex" (which he played start to finish, I'm happy to say!) Before I could respond, another conference attendee walked up and began arguing that my slightly tipsy critic was completely wrong--DX was, in fact, a non-stop right wing diatribe. I walked away, thrilled, and left the two of them to argue the meaning of the game "I" had made.
I mention this not to argue that the game didn't have a point of view, but rather that the game was open-ended and even-handed ENOUGH to allow players to read into it what they wanted and to create an experience that either confounded or supported their own political beliefs. These two players had completely different experiences of the same game. And they weren't simply interpreting a linear work differently--they had experienced different things through play!
I found the exchange exhilerating and humbling--it also filled me with hope about the power of our medium, as well as our unique ability to share authorship with players.
Anyway, thanks again for a terrific article. Wish I'd read it before I gave my GDC session on Aristotle's Poetics a couple of years ago. I would have stolen your observations and given a better talk!
