Ron Gilbert On His Post-Guybrush Universe (dev rants!)

[Ed Oscuro]

Veteran developer Ron Gilbert was the driving force behind perennial favorites Monkey Island, Maniac Mansion, and other titles using the versatile SCUMM engine.

Check the article out here.

The guy comes off like a bit of an arse, if you ask me. But anyway, here's the article, enjoy.

[heyricochet]

Cool interview, I especially liked this part.

GS: So, I've been talking to a lot of people about interactive storytelling lately. As a veteran of interactive storytelling, how do you feel the current industry is embracing or defying the concept of telling a story in a game?

RG: I think generally they're not doing a very good job of it. I think that story in games is really way down on the list of people's priorities. It seems like most games that claim to have story really have scenarios. It's the scenario of, you know “aliens try to take over the world and you have to shoot everybody to win.” That's not a story, that's a scenario. Most games are just scenarios. They have opening cut scenes which kind of set everything up and maybe there's some kind of intermittent cut scenes that happen in the middle, but real interactive storytelling is more about the flow. It's the flow of the game around the story or the story flowing around the game. There's such a rigid structure right now in gaming, and I don't think anybody is really exploring what that can mean. It's a little bit disappointing to me.

Its true though, there really isn't much storytelling in games anymore. Reading this interview is making me want to go play Syberia, I think I will.

[Ed Oscuro]

Its true though, there really isn't much storytelling in games anymore.

rofl

Reading this interview is making me want to go play Syberia, I think I will.

Hey guess what - he dissed that game too (with his overblown generalistic statements).

I found his most laughable statement that he thinks the industry needs an RPG with Diablo style action thrown on. I swear to god.... x_x

[§ Gideon §]

I read a little, but the interviewee started to remind me of a friend who's perpetually drunk. I was hoping for more of a guru.