GDC 2011: Heavy Rain Maker Calls for More Mature Games

One of the most impassioned speakers during GDC has been David Cage, the founder of Heavy Rain developer Quantic Dream. He spoke at great length about how games haven't fundamentally changed over the years and the little meaning that is attached to what game protagonists do (and subsequently how "most games are emotionally limited"). He also urged developers to make more mature games intended for adults.

He boiled down the formula of most games to a combination of running/climbing/jumping and then shooting enemies. This is all done for the purpose of making it the boss so you can move on to the next level. "The game tells me I'm the good guy, although I'm a mass murderer -- because I have to kill thousands of people in order to be that good guy," he said during the panel, as transcribed by CVG. "Where's the meaning in all this? Kissing the princess in the end as your reward?

"There is no real meaning that is possible when the only thing the hero can do is shoot other people or jump on platforms. As a consequence, most games are emotionally limited. The kind of emotions you feel in most games are quite basic; they are about frustration, competition, anger. These are the kind of feelings games give you."

Cage also talked about the need to take risks and create new paradigms. But beyond that, he also said that there needs to be more games that, like Heavy Rain, are intended for a mature, adult audience: "You don't have to create a game for teenagers. You can create a comedy, you can create a tragedy. You can create whatever you want. You can create something for adults. And that's what's really interesting to me."

CVG notes that many of his comments were responded to with applause from the audience, which is made up primarily of developers, given this is GDC. Chances are the clapping wasn't done to be polite. And if that's the case, maybe there are other developers out there who also believe in this message. Of course, it's an entirely different matter when it comes to actually turning those beliefs into actual games. For those who enjoyed Heavy Rain's tone, hopefully those developers will be able to carry through and make more games that are designed with adults in mind.

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