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From OddWorld to Hollywood

Posted by Zonk on from the long-car-trip dept.

Game designer Lorne Lanning, creator of the well-known series of titles centered in Oddworld (Abe's Oddysee, Stranger's Wrath, etc.), has been "away" from gaming for quite a while now. After announcing the next title in the Oddworld Cycle, he surprised everyone by turning his company and his attention to the world of movies and television. Edge caught up with him for an interview on what it is like to work in the world of Hollywood, the reasons behind his decision to change the focus of his creative efforts, and the details of his new project Citizen Siege (a title both movie and game). Particularly interesting are his comments on games as a medium. He comments: "I have no doubt that games are the most powerful medium we've ever had, but we're still in the tinker-toy stage. We just have to blow out to the point where a game can change the face of political opinion, like a movie does. Lord David Puttnam was firmly convinced that the civil rights movement in America was enabled to happen because it was filmed for television, and offered insight and compassion to the audience. It made issues relevant, and enabled people to see from a different perspective. That's when a medium really has power - the idea of the artist, mythologically, is to show us the way, or the wrong way, even."

2 of 19 comments (clear)

  1. Bad Signs by MBraynard · · Score: 3, Interesting
    Oddworld games - at least the one or two I played - have a decidedly anti-corporate tone. Given the Lannings comments on the Civil Rights movement and older media like movies, I wonder if he wants to push his games to be more of an activist vehicle than they have in the past.

    Which is all well and fine... as long as the games are still principally fun and he doesn't forget that the reason people load up Abe + co not to learn a lesson but for the same reason people head to the movie house - to have an escape and to get some enjoyment.

    Better that than having games that get the same 'You must go see this film - the message is so powerful' swill (Siriana) that tries to guilt you into going to some film rather than to one you would enjoy (Borat).

  2. Art and Entertainment by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    If we want games to be taken seriously, we should applaud folks like Lanning who see the medium as having potential beyond mindless entertainment.

    All mediums have content. IMHO, the message of many games is "Entertaining yourself is the highest aim of life." That's all well and good, but the world is bigger than that.

    Hopefully, games in the future will fill more of the space on both axes: entertainment (Britney Spears, Epic Movie) and "art" (Beethoven, The Pianist). Great stuff is often strong in both respects (e.g. Shakespeare).

    Just one man's opinion. Feel free to disagree, and I'm certain you will! : ]