Speaking to EpicGames News, Double Fine founder Tim Schafer has defined why writing inclusively and never reaching for a “grab bag of stereotypes” makes for higher video games – and the way it influenced the Psychonauts collection.
As a part of Schafer’s Boss Level profile with EpicGames News, the developer defined that there was “a lot less sensitivity” within the video games trade when he joined in 1989 and that shift in attitudes knowledgeable the variations between Psychonauts and Psychonauts 2, which had been launched 16 years aside.
“Some things we did in the first game, we didn’t do in the second game on purpose – but we’re just older, and had more sensitivity to a lot of issues that naturally express themselves in the game,” Schafer revealed, including that Double Fine felt “it was important that it had the same kind of jokes and humour, but [also] cared more.”
“It was really important – because it’s a comedy – that people knew we weren’t making fun of people, but were looking humorously and lovingly at the human psyche,” the developer added.
Continuing, Schafer pressured that inclusivity is “an ongoing education for everybody,” and shared his personal studying expertise.
“I thought I’d learned a lot, and then we tested a game and people pointed out a word and asked if we knew what this word means to certain people,” the developer recalled. “I had no idea – and people will criticise that and say ‘woke culture, PC police’ and stuff – but for any art, I’m thinking about how my art will be interpreted by the viewer. If I’m making a horror game, I want the viewer to be scared – is this effectively scaring people? If it’s a comedy, is it making people laugh? Is a romantic comedy making people feel romantic?”
“If you’re told you’re hurting people [and it’s] a comedy, it’s not supposed to be hurting people,” he continued. “You naturally want to think about how your words affect people, and make sure that the artistic intent is successful. Are you using shaming words? Alienating depictions of people?”
On that observe, Schafer shared his personal ideas on what makes for good writing – and the way avoiding dangerous tropes performs into that.
“The best writing is never based on stereotypes,” Schafer defined. “The best writing is based on research, or real world found-dialogue, or your own personal experiences. It always makes for writing that punches through as unique, as opposed to a grab bag of stereotypes.”
Elsewhere, Tim Schafer has pressured that it’s “really important” for the video games trade to sort out crunch tradition and enhance the standard of life for staff.
In different information, a brand new quartet of basic Sega Mega Drive video games are actually out there to play on the Nintendo Switch, by way of the Online Library.
