There was a recent, rather interesting blog post on Entertainment Weekly’s website that asked: “What film directors would you follow anywhere?” Basically, the post talked about how important a director is when choosing what movie you want to see. Being a huge movie fan, I had a bunch of quick answers: Alfonso Cuarón, Danny Boyle, and Guillermo del Toro, to name a few -- the mere mention of their names alone is enough to get me to see a movie.
But when thinking about game designers, my answer wasn’t so easy.
Sure, there are many game designers I adore, but would I follow them anywhere? Would I blindly buy a game just because a certain game designer is attached?
The more I thought about it, the less sure I was.
In my hyperbole-filled, completely optimistic world of puppies and rainbows, I would say the answer to this question is yes (in bold and italics!)! Of course I would follow my favorite game designers anywhere. I want to have Shigeru Miyamoto’s babies, so I would buy anything he is selling.
But, wait. Maybe I need to calm down for a second Maybe I need to put my shirt back on, and really think about this for a second.
As much as I adore the legendary designer (seriously, LET ME HAVE HIS BABIES!), I never purchased Wii Music (a game Miyamoto designed). It just didn’t interest me. And this is coming from the biggest Miyamoto fan on the planet!
So, in answering the question “Is there a game designer you would follow anywhere?” with Miyamoto in mind, the answer is sadly (and surprisingly!) no. Not anywhere. (Although I would buy a Pikmin dating sim, no questions asked.)
I can say the same thing about other designers I love with a passion: Hironobu Sakaguchi, Hideo Kojima, or Michel Ancel.
I love all three of these designers, but I can’t say with certainty that I would buy any game they created based on nothing but their names alone.
Conversely, though, I had little to no interest in recent Xbox Live Arcade game Costume Quest the first time I laid eyes on it. It looked pleasant enough, but nothing about the game’s initial impressions excited me enough to buy the game the day it was released.
But then I found out the adorable RPG was created by Tim Schafer's Double Fine studios.
And that was all I needed. I bought it right away.
In fact, looking back, I realized that I have actually purchased every single one of Tim Schafer’s games. All of them.
Are they all good? No -- I was ultimately disappointed in Brütal Legend, for example -- but that’s not the question. The question is not whether the designers’ games are good ... it’s whether you would follow those designers anywhere.
And, with Tim Schafer, I guess I would (and have!).
So, in conclusion: I GUESS I HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO ANSWER MY OWN QUESTION!
That’s where I need your help! Do you think a game designer’s name is enough to get you to follow them anywhere? If so, who are some designers you would blindly follow, no matter what?
Here is a good scenario to get the conversation started: If Fumito Ueda -- the genius and arguably universally loved creator of ICO, Shadow of the Colossus, and the upcoming The Last Guardian -- decided to make a game in a genre you normally care nothing about ... would you still buy it?
If the answer is yes than a game designer’s name really does matter. If the answer is no ... well, maybe you have other priorities outside of a designer’s prestigious moniker. Maybe gameplay is most important. Or graphics. Or story. Maybe a great game designer's name is just icing on the cake.
What do you think? The answer is more difficult (and surprising!) than you may think.
Sound off in the comments!
Contest:
4:00 PM on 05.06.2011 | 
Keiji Inafune. To hell and back.
They've never made a game less than "great", I would buy a my little pony game if it was made by them, and it'd be amazing.
Alex Neuse!
Oh, he's not a game designer you say?
I DON'T GIVE A FUCK!
We be trollin. HARD.
There are devs and designers who always make me take notice of their games, like Valve, Bioware or Double Fine, indeed I own all of their games. However I don't blindly follow them, but it's fair to say I usually give them the benefit of the doubt when I might not do the same with other developers. They've all had their misteps. With Bioware it's their extensive recycling of environments and tropes in most of their games, with Valve it's not knowing when the hell I'll be able to finish Gordon Freeman's story and with Double Fine it's that sometimes the concept is stronger than the execution. I adore all three devs, but they aren't perfect.
Hideo Kojima is amazing but to go as far as to say I would follow him everwhere would never happen. I think that people who facinate themselves with other peoples lives like famous people, famous people events...etc are wierd.
Celebrity gossip crap says to me that your life isn't intersting enough so you need to delve into others to spice it up.
Might have kicked it up a notch in mind set but thats what I do...crazy, lol.
Suda 51 is the only one I can think of.
I agree with you. I feel like going to see a Steven Spielberg movie just because it is a Steven Spielberg is much easier to do than buying a videogame just because it is designed by a certain designer. I think I need to know more about the actual game as well! :)
Monkey Island being one of my favourite series of all time, I also feel a strongattachment to Tim Shafer and Ron Gilbert. But I haven't played everything they've made (mainly because some of their games were not available on PC).
So to wrap up, I also can't get a clear answer. I can totally find myself buying ANY game made by Blizzard, but I don't see myself getting a new console to play a game made by Blizzard.
A designer's I would follow anywhere is Suda 51, and Ken Levine
Developer-wise? I'd go with Harmonix and Naughty Dog. Both of them have never made a game I didn't like, from Amplitude and Crash Bandicoot to Rock Band 3 and Uncharted 2, I have loved all of their games.
Long answer: No. Game development is a team sport.
There are two designers I would follow anywhere: Shigsato Itoi and Hideki Kamiya.
Both of those guys have had flawless careers. There isn't a game with either of their names on it that isn't superb.
That said - anything that Ragnar Tornquist does in the Dreamfall storyline, I will buy. I'm a big believer in Team Ico. Anything Black Isle guys are attached to, I'll probably buy. Schafer is always a good bet. But I don't think I'd ever just go down the list of any game creator and buy all their titles blindly without knowing anything about them. It's more a case of, game creators can turn "might-buys" into "must buys" for me.
... so I'm gonna have to go with Wolfy's answer... Joseph Gordon Levitt. Just, well, just because.
Art Directors or Concept Artists on the other hand? Hell yes. I'd kill for a chance to MEET some of my favorite game artists, let alone spend a day with them.
But with tim shafer, the ico guys, Suda 51 etc. their games i feel kind of defy genre ... sure they can be bundled in with adventure games but that is the broadest kind of genre.. and who doesn't like an adventure game.
So I would immediatly be interested by anything they create but not feel certain enough to buy the game on day 1 without knowing anything else about the game.
And on the serious side, Tetsuya Miziguchi.
But I thought you said Haggar was your biological father. Do we need to take this to Springer??
i just play the games.