Do Game Designers Burn Out Like Rock Stars ?

Reader Ant wrote in to mention a Guardian Unlimited Gamesblog article which asks: Do Game Designers burn out like rock stars? From the article: "The games industry is getting on a bit now, and so are many of its key 'superstars'. You may not think it, given the proliferation of sequels and movie tie-ins that clog up the charts like that sickly white glue in the veins of heavy smokers, but this is a creative business. No matter how many people are involved in the process, there must be a spark of inspiration somewhere at its core. So what happens when the spark falters, or goes out?"

Comments

Some do, some don't

[Poseidon88]

I don't really think of John Romero as a burn out. He's not a has-been so much as a never-was. He was in the right place at the right time to take some of the credit for Doom. How much was actually deserved is open to interpretation. The fact that he has not been contributed anything worthwhile to the gaming community since he left id speaks volumes about his level of creativity.

Then you have folks like Peter Molyneax (also mentioned in the article). He has some really great game designs under his belt. But the last 8 years or so have been filled with one disappointment after another. Honestly, Pete, if you'd just keep your big trap shut until you have a working demo, you could save yourself a lot of heartache.

Then there are the Sid Meyers of game design, who, while they haven't shown a lot of innovation lately, certainly know how to please the masses by re-working their tried and true formulas into fresh masterpieces. Half Life 2 and the new Pirates were both very derivative of their predecessors, but both added enough fresh gameplay and new features to make me fall in love all over again.

Re:Game designers aren't hardcore(with nick)

[Alkaiser]

Have you played Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance or Mortal Kombat: Deception yet?

Or possibly, Mortal Kombat Adventures, Vol. 1 released on the Playstation?

How about Dynasty Warriors: Empires? Or the Story mode in Soul Calibur, Soul Calibur II, Tobal No. 1, Tobal No. 2 or Ehrgeiz?

Re:Game designers aren't hardcore(with nick)

[stonecypher]

You predicted that graphical MUDs would be successful after years of successful text-based MUDs

Actually, his prediction postdates the first successful graphic MMOs, too. Have a look at the early histories of GEnie, Delphi and Compuserve; they offered massive online games whose game mechanics, if not whose quality of graphics, frequently rivalled or bettered those available today.