Interview Chris Avellone works with challenged kids

[Vault Dweller]

Tags: Chris Avellone; Obsidian Entertainment

Chris Avellone decided to answer <a href=http://forums.obsidianent.com/index.php?s=8d03c336ce3360472c0f39b2497a9784&automodule=blog&blogid=1&>some questions</a> "from students aspiring to be designers".
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<blockquote>2. Do you have a family at this point in time? If so, how has the two areas as far as family man and Game developer coexist? If not, how would you see yourself in that kind of situation in the future?
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3. How often do you work on certain projects?
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5. Have you had time aside to learn new skills while working in the game industry?
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7. Do you have friends in other game businesses?</blockquote>Fascinating.
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[Elhoim]

3. How often do you work on certain projects?

This one is priceless.

 

[Amasius]

Why would someone with a sane mind want to become a game designer? Eh, never mind...

 

[Lumpy]

Do you design games while you work?

 

[MountainWest]

"How does it feel to waste your talant in a business aimed at the retarded? Awesome or totally awesome?"

 

[sabishii]

I liked this:

The most important facet of education, though, didn’t come from school – it came from gamemastering and playing games during this whole period outside of school, combined with the school education. If you’re forced to be the game master/entertainer long enough so that your players stick around from session to session and enjoy themselves, chances are you have the skills for what makes a good game designer.

 

[Dgaider]

I liked this:

The most important facet of education, though, didn’t come from school – it came from gamemastering and playing games during this whole period outside of school, combined with the school education. If you’re forced to be the game master/entertainer long enough so that your players stick around from session to session and enjoy themselves, chances are you have the skills for what makes a good game designer.

I would say that is very true. When we've hired writers, the one thing that links those people who *instinctively* grasped the whole concept behind multi-pathing dialogue were those peopel who had done a lot of gamemastering. Those who didn't, despite their skill at writing regular prose, could learn it (or not) but none of it seemed to grasp it as quickly as those who were already dyed-in-the-wool gamers.

In fact, whether or not one has experience gamemastering is something we now tend to ask during an interview.

 

[thesheeep]

Why would someone with a sane mind want to become a game designer? Eh, never mind...

Nobody with a sane mind wants to do so. You have to be at least partially insane... That's quite ok though. It makes Game Designers something special

 

[Lumpy]

people who *instinctively* grasped the whole concept behind multi-pathing dialogue

Eh? Bioware games have that? Which ones?

 

[Kingston]

7. Do you have friends in other game businesses?

What the fuck does that even mean? Other computer game companies, consoles, board games, chess... WHAT?

 

[MetalCraze]

Eh? Bioware games have that? Which ones?

MDK2

 

[JoeDirt]

CHOO CHOO HERE COMES THE HATE TRAIN

lumpy, skyway, you don't have to "prove" yourselves to the Codex. you're in already! rejoice! you're part of the gang

 

[Lumpy]

CHOO CHOO HERE COMES THE HATE TRAIN

lumpy, skyway, you don't have to "prove" yourselves to the Codex. you're in already! rejoice! you're part of the gang

I'm trying to prove myself to the Codex? I thought I did a pretty good job at disproving myself.
No, I was genuinely curious, what Bio games have that? Since BG2 seems to be the most well liked here, and while enjoyable, it had nothing of that sort.

 

[MetalCraze]

CHOO CHOO HERE COMES THE HATE TRAIN

lumpy, skyway, you don't have to "prove" yourselves to the Codex. you're in already! rejoice! you're part of the gang

ahem, Joe, really look at bioware's games. Most of dialogues there built by black and white scheme, where white is an angel and black is a murderer/grinder of everything that moves. Except BG2 really. But even then bg2 had much of this shit. And since BG2 it's only black & white. And now look at Mass Effect. That is the most horrible dialogues I saw in the bioware rpg.

 

[Bradylama]

Well, to be fair, he is implying that familiarity with branching mechanics has become something important to Bioware, so I'd lay off the hateorade a little.

 

[Elwro]

Yeah, it's nice to hear it's a requirement. Now, I hope DX 10 won't become a requirement for their new games...

 

[fastpunk]

7. Do you have friends in other game businesses?

What the fuck does that even mean? Other computer game companies, consoles, board games, chess... WHAT?

The future of gaming looks promising ey? I mean, if this is the type of question a soon to be designer asks then we're fucked!

 

[inwoker]

Nobody with a sane mind wants to do so. You have to be at least partially insane... That's quite ok though. It makes Game Designers something S.P.E.C.I.A.L.

fixed

 

[Human Shield]

CHOO CHOO HERE COMES THE HATE TRAIN

lumpy, skyway, you don't have to "prove" yourselves to the Codex. you're in already! rejoice! you're part of the gang

I'm trying to prove myself to the Codex? I thought I did a pretty good job at disproving myself.
No, I was genuinely curious, what Bio games have that? Since BG2 seems to be the most well liked here, and while enjoyable, it had nothing of that sort.

No it had lots of dialog options that lead to the same outcome exactly what DM's love.

 

[Stephen Amber]

I'm trying to remember if you could piss off Drizz't in BG2 the way you could in BG.

 

[inwoker]

I'm trying to remember if you could piss off Drizz't in BG2 the way you could in BG.

you may kill him, but not loot his scimitars

 

[Cassidy]

Sometimes people ask others about the things they don't have.