Deus Ex designer Warren Spector and Thief designer Doug Church grill each other on stage at GDC 2002 about their first-person, stealth game design decisions, to exemplify deep analysis without destroying the "magic of game creation."
Courtesy of the GDC Vault, this free 60-minute panel sees Spector reply to topics such as the expression of narrative from minute-to-minute in Deus Ex, while Church explains such ideas as stretching the "edge of tension" between being safe and being spotted in Thief.
To watch the full Warren and Doug show, click here.
Overview:Warren Spector and Dough Church have worked together and separately on games for more than 10 years. Although they often have worked on projects with similar goals, the do not always agree on what methods are appropriate to reach them.
Similarly, although their interests overlap on issues of design, player behavior and effective tools for players and developers, there are notable areas of difference in their ideas and approaches.
In this session, they discuss these and other issues, often agreeing, but at times politely disagreeing about what should come next for games, as a medium of entertainment for players, as a medium of expression for developers, and as a medium of profit for publishers.
About the GDC Vault
In addition to this presentation, the GDC Vault offers numerous other free videos, audio recordings, and slides from many of the recent GDC events, and the service offers even more members-only content for GDC Vault subscribers. Those who purchased All Access passes to events like GDC, GDC Europe, and GDC China already have full access to GDC Vault, and interested parties can apply for the individual subscriptions via a GDC Vault inquiry form.
Group subscriptions are also available: game-related schools and development studios who sign up for GDC Vault Studio Subscriptions can receive access for their entire office or company. More information on this option is available via an online demonstration, and interested parties can find out more here. In addition, current subscribers with access issues can contact GDC Vault admins.
Be sure to keep an eye on GDC Vault for even more new content, as GDC organizers will also archive videos, audio, and slides from other events like GDC China and GDC 2013. To stay abreast of all the latest updates to GDC Vault, be sure to check out the news feed on the official GDC website, or subscribe to updates via Twitter, Facebook, or RSS.
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This is pure gold to industry professionals and aspiring indies alike, especially with regards to Doug Church. We don't hear from him enough.
These ideas are still present in games such as Dishonored and Bioshock Infinite. Ken Levine frequently cites Dough Church as a genius-level game designer, so it is quite nice to hear the man speak for himself.
These ideas are still present in games such as Dishonored and Bioshock Infinite. Ken Levine frequently cites Dough Church as a genius-level game designer, so it is quite nice to hear the man speak for himself.