Warren Spector's take on Console Gaming

Oh, that old argument: what’s better, your PC or your console?

As a PC gamer, I can’t say I don’t prefer my computer, but I’ll admit it: I own an Xbox 360, and it’s good for more than just collecting dust. Who cares anyway? As long as the games are interesting, I’ll play them on whatever platform presents them best.

Warren Spector, creator of the first two Deus Ex games and Thief: Deadly Shadows, more or less agrees with me. While he hasn’t spent a large portion of his career developing for consoles, I have to say he’s speaking knowledgeably: He’s the lead designer on both Epic Mickey titles, the latter of which is approaching its release date in Autumn 2012. This franchise has featured and will continue to feature console releases, giving Spector some quality time with the specifics that come along with console development.

Warren Spectors take on Console Gaming xbox 720 Warren Spector Vessel ps4 next gen Epic Mickey 2 Epic Mickey

On a side note: How weird is it that Warren Spector is producing games for Disney?

When our colleagues at The Edge asked him what he thinks about the possible release of new consoles such as the Xbox 720 or Playstation 4, he said,

If it comes, it comes; when it comes, it comes. I’m not a tech guy, particularly. I’m a design, story, character guy. I think most of the problems we have to solve are creative ones, not technical ones. Obviously we make software, so there’s always a technical element to what we do, but I will make games that do whatever I want them to do at the end of the day, and I will use whatever technology [is] available.

It sounds to me like he would have a thing or two to discuss with the lead developer of the indie puzzle/platformer Vessel, John Krajewski, who recently started a blog on the future of gaming called Through the Loop. While the two developers are approaching a similar problem from a different angle, it’s interesting to see this attitude represented in both the world of indie games and large commercial releases. On top of that, it confirms my belief that game developers are getting bored producing the same games over and over again, just with better graphics (the link is an editorial which explores this phenomenon in depth).

That being said, there’s no question that the next-gen consoles are coming. The question remains: what are developers like Warren Spector going to do with them?

Image Sources: GamersGlobal, G4tv