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“Most game designers really just suck”

3 min read
40

Molyneux

Richard Garriot, or Lord British if you prefer, is one of the industry’s most venerated game designers. In the early 80’s, he created one of the richest RPG worlds; and then spent the next 20 years making well, more Ultima. He’s also of the opinion that he’s one of the world’s best game designers, and that very few can match him. In fact, he believes that most game designers just suck.

“I think there’s really very few great game designers. I think Chris Roberts is one of them, Will Wright’s another, Peter Molyneux is another. They clearly exist, but on the whole, I think that the design talent in our industry is dramatically lower than we need, as an industry. It’s a very hard skill to learn,” Garriott told PC Gamer.

He’s right – and they’ve all been responsible for some truly amazing games. Fact is though, that you’re only as good as your last hit; and these are the guys responsible for Tabula Rasa, Starlancer, Spore and a damned “game” where you tap on blocks to unmask a cube.

“Other than a few exceptions, I’ve met virtually no one in our industry who I think is close to as good a game designer as I am. I’m not saying that because I think I’m so brilliant. What I’m saying is, I think most game designers really just suck, and I think there’s a reason why.”

“In my mind, most artists and programmers are just as much of gamers as the designers, and I usually find in my history that the artists and programmers are, in fact, as good of designers as the designers,” he added.

“They’re often better, because they understand the technology or the art. So we’re leaning on a lot of designers who get that job because they’re not qualified for the other jobs, rather than that they are really strongly qualified as a designer. It’s really hard to go to school to be a good designer.”

Even the good designers, he says, have a fatal flaw; they’re terminally lazy.

“And every designer that I work with – all throughout life – I think, frankly, is lazy,” he said.

“But if you follow, they generally say, ‘You know, I really like Medal of Honor, but I would have bigger weapons, or I would have more healing packs, or,’ you know. They go to make one or two changes to a game they otherwise love versus really sit down and rethink, ‘How can I really move the needle here?’”

“How do you really think about the whole thing holistically, to go, ‘yeah, it’s fine to wander through and kill a few things and get a treasure at the end, but why? What’s your motivation for being into it? What are the side stories? If you have these characters in there, what were their lives before they showed up on this map? If you didn’t think of one, go back. Do it again. I want you to know it.’”

What do you think? Is he right? Are game designers generally untalented and lazy? Off the top of your head, who do you think stands as a great game designer?

Last Updated: March 20, 2013

40 Comments

  1. Major Commodore 64 Darryn B

    March 20, 2013 at 12:01

    I hate you Peter Molyneux. Like a cat hating being wet. I just hate you.

    Reply

    • Sir Captain Rincethis

      March 20, 2013 at 12:09

      There there…

      Reply

    • Uberutang

      March 20, 2013 at 12:10

      My cats like wet…. but jy PM is a bit over inflated.

      Reply

    • umar bastra

      March 20, 2013 at 12:19

      I share your hate … freaking Milo

      Reply

    • Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

      March 20, 2013 at 12:19

      Agreed, Peter Molyneux ruined Gaming!

      Reply

      • CaptainNemo42

        March 20, 2013 at 14:40

        I thought it was Call of Duty?

        Reply

    • OVG

      March 20, 2013 at 12:44

      And his dog?

      Reply

    • Admiral Chief Erwin

      March 20, 2013 at 12:53

      Y U NO LIEK WET PUSSY?

      Reply

      • Purple_Dragon

        March 20, 2013 at 13:14

        Woo, that made me laugh loud and hard.

        Reply

        • Admiral Chief Erwin

          March 20, 2013 at 13:19

          😉

          Reply

      • Major Commodore 64 Darryn B

        March 20, 2013 at 14:30

        Have an upvote you dirty bugger.

        Reply

        • Admiral Chief Erwin

          March 20, 2013 at 14:31

          Much obliged.

          Reply

    • iPrimal

      March 20, 2013 at 22:44

      ugh that guy sucks now. Fable 1 was good, but 2 & 3 were major letdowns.

      Reply

  2. Sir Rants-a-Lot Llew

    March 20, 2013 at 12:11

    Woah. Boastful much?

    I agree that a lot of developers in the industry are starting to show some form of lazyness, he simply cannot say that they all are and that none beat him.

    Off the top of my head who is a great designer? Well almost every designer (whether art/writer whatever) at Rocksteady Studios is honestly the first to pop in to my mind.

    Not Peter Molosux or this guy though

    Reply

  3. Sir Captain Rincethis

    March 20, 2013 at 12:15

    I tried REALLY hard, but I couldn’t help it!

    Reply

    • Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

      March 20, 2013 at 12:20

      HAHAHHAHAHAHAAHAHAH Insert picture of COD sucking on a monkey’s bum!

      Reply

      • Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

        March 20, 2013 at 12:29

        Call of Duty… it sucks monkey ass!

        Reply

        • Admiral Chief Erwin

          March 20, 2013 at 12:53

          BEST PICTAWR EVAR!!!!

          Reply

          • Sir Captain Rincethis

            March 20, 2013 at 12:56

            null

        • Sir Captain Rincethis

          March 20, 2013 at 12:58

          New meme!

          Reply

    • Daryl Eksteen

      March 20, 2013 at 12:50

      Hahaha just like Halo as well! Same damn game, same damn high score.

      Reply

      • Sir Captain Rincethis

        March 20, 2013 at 13:00

        hehehe

        Reply

    • Admiral Chief Erwin

      March 20, 2013 at 12:56

      You are just a legend with all the epic pictawrs today!

      Reply

    • Kobus Nel

      March 20, 2013 at 14:45

      Well, I loved CoD4:MW, CoD:WaW was fun, MW2 was forgivable, but sucked, CoD:BO sucked balls but played it anyway (was a fan), and finally gave up on the series. Didn’t even look into MW3, but thanks to a well written review right here on Lazygamer, BO2 looked like they had a come back. Bought the game, got locked to my Steam ID, found out it’s the same shit with a different title, and vowed to never buy a game again, unless I check it out before hand by visiting a friend or something. FUCK CoD!

      Reply

      • Sir Captain Rincethis

        March 20, 2013 at 15:20

        Oh, come brother. It’s not like Lazygamer gave it best game of the year award… 0-o Too soon?

        Reply

        • Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

          March 20, 2013 at 20:05

          lol, game of the year!

          Reply

  4. umar bastra

    March 20, 2013 at 12:19

    Peter Molyneux? please. Richard Garriot, what a douche and a slap in the face of many great game designers… Idiot… Hideo Kojima, Fumito Ueda, Todd Howard, Miyamoto,Tetsuya Takahashi to mention a FEW…..stuff you Richard

    Reply

    • CaptainNemo42

      March 20, 2013 at 14:45

      What he said.

      Reply

  5. Wyzak

    March 20, 2013 at 13:23

    Add Brian Fargo and Max Schaefer to the list and we are in agreement!

    Reply

  6. Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

    March 20, 2013 at 14:37

    Speaking of shitty game designers, is anyone reviewing Activision’s The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct? Apparently it’s really… really.. and I mean really… bad.

    Reply

    • umar bastra

      March 20, 2013 at 14:50

      LOL was watching a let’s play … Oh Em GEE …………….. can’t believe they released such a game

      Reply

      • Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

        March 20, 2013 at 14:59

        lol I watched the game’s end on youtube last night…. I was literally laughing aloud because it’s terrible. Essentially, you get rushed by zombies, but every once in a while they stop attacking and just stand there, while you can shoot them in the head.

        Reply

        • umar bastra

          March 20, 2013 at 15:01

          Lol epic fail it’s so clear to see it’s a quick cash in. it looks like a poor man’s zombiU

          Reply

  7. mornelithe

    March 21, 2013 at 15:56

    That he didn’t mention Bohemia Interactive or GSC Games as one of the better developers, makes his entire argument invalid. He’s clearly having an oral session with his buds.

    Reply

  8. J

    March 25, 2013 at 09:59

    Brian Fargo – Responsible for Fallout and Fallout 2

    Reply

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