an express train in
1914, but I don’t think
that’s really what the
industry needs. What’s
more interesting to me
is experimenting with
game design itself, how
the game is con-
structed, what the
player is actually doing,
trying to create a new
form that works. That
kind of experimenta-
tion was a lot easier to
do when the pub-
lisher’s stock price
wasn’t riding on the
success or failure of the
experiment. It’s definitely easier to get backing for something that’s a sequel or varia-
tion on a proven formula. The harder it is to describe or explain something new, the
fewer people or companies you’ll find who are willing to risk money on it. I think it’s
unfortunate, but I don’t know what to do about it. It’s pretty much an inevitable result of
the cycle; when we go to the computer store as a shopper and look for the next game,
let’s be honest, what are we looking for? We’re more inclined to look at things that are
heavily promoted, that we’ve read about in magazines. So titles that come out with little
fanfare are going to have a harder time reaching the bigger market. So in a sense, as a
public, we’re getting what we asked for. But as a game designer, yeah, I do miss it.
My friends who make films for a living always used to say: “Oh boy, I really envy
you making computer games. There you’ve got the chance to do something really origi-
nal. While down here in Hollywood all they want are retreads of last year’s sequel.” It’s
kind of interesting how the game industry now has the same set of problems that film-
makers have been complaining about for years. Maybe even worse. Along with bigger
production values, bigger markets, and more glitzy award ceremonies, we’ve achieved
a kind of genre paralysis, and it’s become more difficult to break new ground.
So you just feel frustrated more than anything.
I guess resigned. I think every new art form goes through stages of its evolution. With
computer games we’ve lived through the exciting early years, and now we’re in the
growing pains years. This definitely doesn’t mean that innovation stops. Even in
filmmaking, which is a hundred years old, every couple of years a film does come out
that, whether because of societal changes or technological changes, could not have
been made a few years earlier, and is a valuable step forward. It’s just that you have to
weed out hundreds of clones and mediocre films to find those few gems. I think we’re in
the same place with computer games. Every year, out of hundreds of new games,
there’s a couple that push the envelope in a new and interesting way. The best we can
Chapter 18: Interview: Jordan Mechner 343
The Last Express