Salvatore Discusses MMOs, the Iraq
Our own R.A. Salvatore has written a nice piece discussing the role of story in MMO gaming. If there were any doubts as to whether Drizzt’s daddy is more than a figurehead around our studio, this should answer those concerns. Yes, he actually works here, and yes, he really is driving the story of our game.
This is a great article and I am pleased to see Mr. Salvatore getting more vocal about the gaming industry which he has now joined. I agree with his assessment of a possible future wherein many people look to online persistent worlds for their entertainment (and the odd moral and social issues that will ensue). But I wonder about whether the current trend toward pre-existing content will stifle the ability of gaming companies to create new worlds and successfully compete.
The success of World of Warcraft illustrates how powerful a previously known property is in the success of a game. Currently, the greatest “buzz” about future projects is going to Warhammer Online and Age of Conan – both games with significant IP history.
I hope that 38 Studios and other companies have success in creating new games with new worlds and new stories and find a way to generate the necessary excitement to bring them successfully to life. Before these games are widely recognized as their own art form, they will need to prove that they can stand alone creatively and still generate an audience.
Because if an mmorpg game exists – and no one plays it – is it really art?
(Sorry about that last bit, but I couldn’t resist.)
For years (since Bob worked on Demonstone), he’s been very vocal in games being the next type great way to bring stories to the masses. I’m just happy he’s found a great compny where he can grow and help it grow. Seems to me that given the previous game he did, he was fairly confined with the type of story he could work on. Given that it was a licensed product, and single player only.
With Bobs Demonwars novels (and Crimson Shadow, and … and …), he’s proven that he certainly is adept at world-building.