- I Don't Understand Why Video Game Developers Use Character Classes; Warren Spector Said
- Warren Spector Still Confuse Why Video Game Developers Use Character Classes
Game designer (Warren Spector) took it up, openly said in a recent interview with Gamespot, he doesn’t understand why his fellow developer colleagues use them so often. He likens them to a relic of the past, created for Dungeons & Dragons (the tabletop roleplaying game) because there was no other choice at the time. Here is what he said:
I don’t want to say I’m not a fan. There are a lot of games where that kind of progression you’re talking about make sense, skill trees and there are still people who think character classes are a great idea. Again, one of the hallmarks of the immersive sim is it’s about you in the world. You the player, not your little 64-pixel-tall avatar or whatever.
It’s about you making the decisions that you feel are appropriate to the situation. So the most important thing to me is each player’s individual playstyle driving the experience. Having said that, we do have, just like we had an in Deus Ex and in other games, body augmentation and fighting modifications. […] In this game, and in other games like it, you develop a character is through your inventory. You’re going to be acquiring things throughout the game. The tools you create will allow you to interact with our world simulation and our enemies in unique ways that, again, serve your playstyle.
I don’t understand why video game developers use character classes. I guess it’s simple for people to understand “I’m a fighter, I’m a healer, I’m a mage.” It’s probably sensible and there’s a reason why I’m kind of the “King of the Cult Classics,” and haven’t sold 100 million copies of a game ever. But character classes and all those secret di roles were the best simulation tools that Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson had at their disposal when they created this whole role-playing thing. And we have better tools now. I don’t get it. As a player, sure, I’ll play a game that has character classes, but I’m not a huge fan. Warren Spector was pointing to the System Shock 3, of course. Announced in late 2015, System Shock 3 is in development at Otherside Entertainment.
It’s about you making the decisions that you feel are appropriate to the situation. So the most important thing to me is each player’s individual playstyle driving the experience. Having said that, we do have, just like we had an in Deus Ex and in other games, body augmentation and fighting modifications. […] In this game, and in other games like it, you develop a character is through your inventory. You’re going to be acquiring things throughout the game. The tools you create will allow you to interact with our world simulation and our enemies in unique ways that, again, serve your playstyle.
I don’t understand why video game developers use character classes. I guess it’s simple for people to understand “I’m a fighter, I’m a healer, I’m a mage.” It’s probably sensible and there’s a reason why I’m kind of the “King of the Cult Classics,” and haven’t sold 100 million copies of a game ever. But character classes and all those secret di roles were the best simulation tools that Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson had at their disposal when they created this whole role-playing thing. And we have better tools now. I don’t get it. As a player, sure, I’ll play a game that has character classes, but I’m not a huge fan. Warren Spector was pointing to the System Shock 3, of course. Announced in late 2015, System Shock 3 is in development at Otherside Entertainment.
