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Peter Molyneux: Working For Microsoft Is Like Taking Antidepressants
SmartAboutThings (1951032) writes "Peter Molyneux is one of the most famous personalities in the history of gaming, especially recognized for having created God games Dungeon Keeper, Populous, Black & White, but also the Fable series. After creating the Fable series, Molyneux announced in March 2012 that he will be leaving Lionhead and Microsoft to start another company – 22Cans. During a recent interview, the former Microsoft employee has shared some interesting details regarding the time when he was working over at Redmond. Here's the excerpt from his interview: 'I left Microsoft because I think when you have the ability to be a creative person, you have to take that seriously, and you have to push yourself. And pushing yourself is a lot easier to do if you're in a life raft that has a big hole in the side, and that's what I think indie development is. You're paddling desperately to get where you want to go to, but you're also bailing out. Whereas if you're in a big supertanker of safety, which Microsoft was, then that safety is like an anesthetic. It's like taking antidepressants. The world just feels too comfortable.'"
To be honest, when I was using anti-depressants the world certainly didn't feel happier or more comfortable or some silly stuff like that. Those drugs didn't make me happy or joyous, they aren't some sort of a magical happy-pill. No, they flatten feelings -- both the bad ones, but also the good ones. Sure, they helped get over the worst times since they flattened out the bad feelings I had, but in the end I stopped taking them because they also flattened out the good things.
Not that my rant really means anything or has much to do with Molyneux. Just felt like sharing what it was like for me.
Taking anti-depressants were like a heavy weight being lifted off me. I couldn't be happier.
Err.. I'n not implying they are happy pills, only that I am happy to have a range of emotions.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
...although I'd say the devs were on something stronger than antidepressants.
All kidding aside, Win8 does seem to be a product of "Who cares what our customers want, we'll do it our way and they can just suck it", which pretty much defines comfortable complacency.
Never let a lack of data get in the way of a good rant.
It is not uniquely North American.
http://ajp.psychiatryonline.or...
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pu...
https://scholarsbank.uoregon.e...
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
It also depends on the individual. Everyone's individual brain/body chemistry is different and people have different reactions to the same dosage and substance. Generalizing reactions to drugs, especially mental health drugs, can be misleading.