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Gamers don't take game worlds seriously enough, accuses Bleszinski

10:21 AM on 11.06.2008, Jim Sterling 58 comments

Gamers don't take game worlds seriously enough, accuses Bleszinski photo
     Xbox 360

If you didn't take the story in Gears of War very seriously, apparently it has nothing to do with the fact that its dialog was corny and the characters were little more than meathead stereotypes. No, it's your fault. You don't take game worlds seriously enough!

"One of the problems with videogamers is that they don’t take the videogame worlds very seriously," accused the Gears of War 2 creator. "It’s just like wink-wink, hey, it’s a videogame – whatever, right?"

Is it just me, or do 360-exclusive developers go on an insane rampage of stating wacky sh*t in the weeks before a game's release? Denis Dyack, Peter Molyneux and now Cliff Bleszinski have all done this, and I think this is certainly one of the silliest generalizations I've heard. The problem, I think, is not that gamers don't take virtual worlds seriously, it's that virtual worlds don't often give them much to be serious about. Try asking a Warcraft or BioShock fan how seriously they take their games.

Bleszinski also stated, rather challengingly, that if you don't care about the "emotionally engaging" plot of GoW2, you can just skip it: "If you really can’t deal with 30 seconds of dialog, if it’s really that agonizing for you, you can just hit the back button and Marcus will be like, ‘Enough!’ and you just keep going."

Now, I love me some Gears, and I really dug the story mode for the original game. I didn't take it seriously though, because I didn't think that was the point. It's a big, dumb action game with silly dialog and ridiculous rubber-faced monsters. That's not a slight, that's just what it is, and I like it. Don't expect me to write a fifteen-page thesis on Gears of War 2 when it releases tomorrow.


Next page: More Epic Games stories




heretrix's Avatar
heretrix at 11/06/2008 10:26
I don't understand why anyone takes Cliffy B seriously. Seriously, anything he says is pretty much a non issue to me unless it's an announcement of a new game. I really can't stand "rockstar" game designers.
Char Aznable's Avatar
Char Aznable at 11/06/2008 10:26
I really wish CliffyB would speak his mind more. We never get to see the inner workings of this genius and his thoughts on the industry. Please keep talking.
weedgan's Avatar
weedgan at 11/06/2008 10:28
My question is, why the hell is a post about cliffy B put up every 10 mins on this site?

C'mon jim...more news about the games, less about the people who make them.
PhazonYoshi's Avatar
PhazonYoshi at 11/06/2008 10:30
You've got to read between the lines, man!

And by that, I mean the lines of code - they commented out the story elements.
SWE3tMadness's Avatar
SWE3tMadness at 11/06/2008 10:30
Wait, there was story in Gears of War? All I remember in that game is chainsawing aliens in half.

But seriously, there are games with stories you take seriously, but the Gears of War series is not one of them.

I'll sit down and write a dissertation on the alternate-timeline theories in Legend of Zelda, and try to explain the symbolism in Brawl's Subspace Emissary Mode, cry in JRPG's, and ponder the existential quandaries in Portal, but the story in Gears of War only exists to give you an excuse to blow shit up in a gritty, post-apocalyptic setting. The. End.

Now shut up and let us play the damn game in peace already.
Holyetheline's Avatar
Holyetheline at 11/06/2008 10:32
I take Bioshock very seriously... I also take most RPGs seriously... and I even took the story of Dead Space seriously.
weedgan's Avatar
weedgan at 11/06/2008 10:33
Gears of War by Cliffy B.

CHAINSAW ON A GUN!


the end.
pd771's Avatar
pd771 at 11/06/2008 10:33
Char Aznable:
"I really wish CliffyB would speak his mind more. We never get to see the inner workings of this genius and his thoughts on the industry. Please keep talking."

U hope he doesn't stop either. He's bee proving what I've always said about him. He's an egotistical moron who think that he's some great visionary, when he's really the mIchael Bay of vidogames. Screw Plot or innovative game design, more explosions!
pd771's Avatar
pd771 at 11/06/2008 10:34
I meant I instead of U (damn typos) at the beginning of my other comment
NotAZombie's Avatar
NotAZombie at 11/06/2008 10:34
Why has he started talking like crazy all of a sudden?
Funky Goodness's Avatar
Funky Goodness at 11/06/2008 10:37
He's suffering from pre-menstrual release syndrome.
Mikey's Avatar
Mikey at 11/06/2008 10:38
I personally can't wait to hear what he'll say next.
nicojay's Avatar
nicojay at 11/06/2008 10:40
Well I'm very happy to hear one can skip the cutscenes. I can't stand when developers become infatuated with their pointless story lines and force the player to endure them.
I know that is not what his warped rant was about, but I only pay attention to the relevant info.
RoninZero's Avatar
RoninZero at 11/06/2008 10:41
oh no, please don't be mid-life crisis ranting, please don't be mid-life crisis ranting.

Although that's an interesting tid-bit about Xbox360 developers doing wacky shit. Must be something in the water or hardware.

Bioshock, I though, was serious business. That's just how it presented itself. Dead Space (the story thus far is a little laughable and all the inconveniences that happen are way too predictable [oh snap, this just broke!...seriously? Is this ship in that bad of shape?]), but still, it was gripping enough. I still need to play Gears of War 1, but I just don't see it as utterly gripping. And why is he complaining about taking stories seriously when his latest game hasn't been officially released yet? Time will tell. Cliff is cool, but some of these little rants are just out there.
exodus1925's Avatar
exodus1925 at 11/06/2008 10:42
Bleszinski needs to stfu. So many of the most recent news articles have involved him saying something really stupid. What a tit.
Kasmodiah's Avatar
Kasmodiah at 11/06/2008 10:45
You can't take it seriously because it's poorly written.
BulletTrain's Avatar
BulletTrain at 11/06/2008 10:48
What I don't get is why games that can have upwards of 20 hours of gameplay, can have such little character and story development. I mean games can last easily 3 times the length of your average movie, but usually have much less plot and character development, and some developers can't seem to fathom why we find them less interesting sometimes?

If you want people to feel attached and involved with your game, then make the world its in intriguing; Make us want to know what happens next, make us feel something for the characters involved.

Don't expect that since we like watching our character turn another character into a blood geyser by way of chainsaw gun, that magically we're gonna care if he's gonna make it home to see his wife and kids, or whatever other hackneyed crap thats shoehorned into the game plot.

Also, long rant is long.
Jim Sterling's Avatar
Jim Sterling at 11/06/2008 10:49
"My question is, why the hell is a post about cliffy B put up every 10 mins on this site?"

Posts go up on Destructoid every twenty minutes. This comment is already exaggerating by two.

No two posts about Cliffy B are going up in a row, meaning that it would have to be once every forty minutes at most. This comment is now exaggerating by four.

Off the top of my head, we have had about four dedicated Cliffy B (the man whose big game launches tomorrow btw) posts in the past twenty-four hours. I cannot be bothered to do the exaggemath for that one.
BlindsideDork's Avatar
BlindsideDork at 11/06/2008 10:51
Cliffy B is just desperate to get attention to sell his game. I hear they will castrate him if it fails...
solidgoomba's Avatar
solidgoomba at 11/06/2008 10:53
Am I the only one who looks forward to what Cliffy B will say next?
Tug Your God Out's Avatar
Tug Your God Out at 11/06/2008 10:55
This was the guy that crefted Jazz Jackrabbit afterall. To him, Gears is an opus.
J03yyz's Avatar
J03yyz at 11/06/2008 10:55
the bigger the game - the bigger the douchbag
ScottyG's Avatar
ScottyG at 11/06/2008 10:59
Man... when did CliffyB turn into a massive crybaby? Nothing wrong with drumming up attention for your game, but this doesn't seem like the best way to do it.
Drack48's Avatar
Drack48 at 11/06/2008 11:03
For me, the environments tell most of the story in modern games and in that respect Gears is amazing..the dialouge and plot are over the top, kinda stupid and not fleshed out..but the graphics are the story in way if that makes any sense..

The enemies screaming and coming at you moving with the wieght they do and the amazing texures..it's the vivid experience you remember long after you play, more than the cut scenes.

Look, I'm a graphics whore and can't wait for Gears 2 and needed and excuse to post..sorry
MechaMonkey's Avatar
MechaMonkey at 11/06/2008 11:08
Don't call him Cliffy B! You'll bring his crazy wrath down upon Destructoid!

C Bizzle is acceptable though.
rbrooks's Avatar
rbrooks at 11/06/2008 11:09
This guy is really starting to annoy me. just stfu about your game...of course people don't take video games serious...maybe becasue they aren't. That doesn't mean they can't have a good story though. I mean it's not like aliens are real, chainsaw guns are real...come on cliffy b...quit talking and focus on marketing the game instead of being a Giant douche on a daily basis
Cyberxion's Avatar
Cyberxion at 11/06/2008 11:09
Wait, we're supposed to take games seriously?
rbrooks's Avatar
rbrooks at 11/06/2008 11:14
@pd771

bullshit man...don't even say that gears of war didn't have innovative game design...cause that statement is a laughing joke. The cover system in GoW was the best ever and still is..how many games have tried to replicate this since then? I can think of a couple off the top of my head (mass effect, drakes fortune, quantum of solace...)
saxiums's Avatar
saxiums at 11/06/2008 11:20
It was hilarious watching the press release differences between Gears of War 2 and Resistance 2. THey are both huge games, and i'm sure are both wonderful. The big difference is no one at Insomniac makes the kind of claims that these devs do.
weedgan's Avatar
weedgan at 11/06/2008 11:23
@ Jimmy Sterling

Meh, touche on the technical side of things.

They still need to make keyboards with a sarcasm key, sort of like a shift button.

ANyway, I'm pretty excited for GoW2.
pd771's Avatar
pd771 at 11/06/2008 11:23
@rbrooks

It's good, but 1 thing doesn't make a game innovative. Gears 1 was highly overrated. It was good, but not spectacular. Gameplay was high, but everything else was average at best. The story was pathetic, and the characters were a joke. And the chainsaw gimmick was stupid. There, I said it.
king3vbo's Avatar
king3vbo at 11/06/2008 11:28
Just stop while you're ahead, Cliffy
Mattchewie's Avatar
Mattchewie at 11/06/2008 11:29
@BulletTrain

Oddly enough you have games like MGS that do try to develop character and story and get bashed for being little more than and interactive movie.

So I agree that if you want your game to be taken seriously, then make it serious. At the same token people really need to look at each game as its own island and try to find the art/story/dynamic in the game.
Solgrim's Avatar
Solgrim at 11/06/2008 11:32
Jim, you are a disrespectful bastard. That picture is not funny at all. You defiled a brave, noble, selfless, wonderful man's face.

How do you sleep at night?
kawaiiflamingo's Avatar
kawaiiflamingo at 11/06/2008 11:37
http://queersofwar.ytmnd.com/

now try playing it.
AlucardX24's Avatar
AlucardX24 at 11/06/2008 11:42
Cliffy obviously kidnapped Niero and wants us to write about him as payment.
SephirothX's Avatar
SephirothX at 11/06/2008 11:43
how many times have i already said that CliffyB needs a gag order?

How about CliffyB tries to stop complaining and spends time penning a good story, or better yet making his game not require a full clip to kill an enemy? Or even better, how about make characters that I can relate too? Seriously, who relates to Marcus Fenix? He's your blatant meathead stereotype.. has his bandana, his soul patch, his beefy arms and football pads... seriously if his gun could just shoot Coors Light out of it then he'd fit the meathead stereotype perfectly.
Trev's Avatar
Trev at 11/06/2008 11:45
@John Solgrim
I imagine you're going to get "comfortably, on a bed of puppy skulls" or something about sex with your mother as an answer to that one. Maybe both.
Jim Sterling's Avatar
Jim Sterling at 11/06/2008 11:46
Reaprar:

Image is reused from an article about GoW2 having colors in it. I figured it fit here as well. Plus I love it.
Zodiac Eclipse's Avatar
Zodiac Eclipse at 11/06/2008 11:49
I'm sure most gamers (especially the ones who played and enjoyed the first game) would have bought and played this one and never worried about if the story was serious enough. Now that everyone knows that Cliff believes the story is serious business they are going to find it even more ridulous when they play through the game.

Way to shoot your own game down Cliffster.
akathatoneguy's Avatar
akathatoneguy at 11/06/2008 12:13
It's not rocket science.

Upcoming game release = more interviews, then game blogs (like Dtoid) with apparently nothing else better to put on the front page post whatever the most inflammatory/ridiculous part of said interview is.

It's not as if Molyneux or Bleszinski were soliciting game sites to publish their thoughts. Nor is it as if Jim was forced at gunpoint to report this "news" that he is simultaneously mocking as he posts it.
Sharpless's Avatar
Sharpless at 11/06/2008 12:20
In a broad sense, Cliff is right. Think about it. Not all gamers are like us. Many are like the neanderthals on Xbox Live. Most of them don't take a game's story seriously, unless it's Halo. I don't think we're in the majority, and Cliff does have a point.

Also, Cliff wouldn't be talking so much, if the gaming media didn't give him the opportunity to do so. After all, these stories have to originate from somewhere, from someone holding a tape recorder in Cliff's face. Don't blame him, blame the media that serves as his mouthpiece.
Shrieve's Avatar
Shrieve at 11/06/2008 12:26
Is it seems to me that Microsoft is beginning to aspire to the 'Peter Molyneux School of Game Advertising.' Seems like with every launch they're bringing on the crazy.

As for Cliffy B., he's sounding more and more like some form of Bizzaro Molyneux stuck in an American Frat House. The attention is working I guess and worth a laugh. =)
JamnOnTheOne's Avatar
JamnOnTheOne at 11/06/2008 12:32
@Sharpless

Woah Woah Woah...You're making too much good sense there and not allowing yourself to have a knee jerk reaction to something. You better post a "Dude Huge == Teh Gay" post to redeem yourself in the eyes of your fellow posters.
BlackSheep's Avatar
BlackSheep at 11/06/2008 12:35
Dexter345's Avatar
Dexter345 at 11/06/2008 13:43
I'm with you, Jim. I loved Gears of War for what it was. A big stupid action game. I feel like they'll be shoehorning the sensitivity into this next one, and that's fine I guess, but it really shouldn't try to be something it's not.
SilverDragon1979's Avatar
SilverDragon1979 at 11/06/2008 13:47
Why so much hate toward the Cliffster? The guy is making us incredibly awesome video games. Let him say whatever he wants. You don't have to choose to listen to him if you don't want to.

The guy could be a communist for all I care and I would buy GoW2, because he'sa great game maker and it's going to be a great game and that's all that matters to me. Now if he was running for the office of President of the United States then I would care what came out of his mouth.

I swear the video game press just puts to much emphasis on what developers and publishers say. Sheesh!
Ninja's Avatar
Ninja at 11/06/2008 14:06
I just thought I'd recite the first few words of 1up's review of Gears of War II:

"It's not like the story is meant to be taken <b>seriously. </b>Take one look at protagonists Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago, with their impossibly bulging biceps and redwood-tree-thick physiques, and you realize that these guys are designed to appeal to the sci-fi set and the jock set, not pull at our heartstrings."

Gears of War had a beautifully designed world, there's no argument there. But the story, dialogue, character design and enemies are straight out of a brain-dead B Sci-Fi movie.

I've heard that Gears of War II's characters and story are given more depth, but I'm skeptical; the videos I've seen had the same kind of idiotic, macho banter that wouldn't have cut it in Bad Boys II.
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