Bluetracker

Tracks Blizzard employees across various accounts.

Great thread on the cursed problem of turning a game world with (by design) widely varied matrices of personal interest and expression into a linear narrative. The delta in peoples individual, unique experience in video games (+TTRPGs), IMO, is far greater than linear media. https://t.co/1gzpMr9FEl

Great thread on the cursed problem of turning a game world with (by design) widely varied matrices of personal interest and expression into a linear narrative. The delta in peoples individual, unique experience in video games (+TTRPGs), IMO, is *far* greater than linear media. https://t.co/1gzpMr9FEl

TerranGregory

Posted 3 years, 9 months ago (Source)

Great thread on the cursed problem of turning a game world with (by design) widely varied matrices of personal interest and expression into a linear narrative. The delta in peoples individual, unique experience in video games (+TTRPGs), IMO, is *far* greater than linear media. https://t.co/1gzpMr9FEl

Chadd Nervigg

Posted 3 years, 9 months ago (Source)

@TerranGregory I don't get how this argument can be made with a straight face, in the same month that Arcane came out. Like yeah, trying to make a movie/series of just retreading the main storyline of ME1-3 would encounter these problems... So just don't do that? Tons of better options anyway.

Chadd Nervigg

Posted 3 years, 9 months ago (Source)

@TerranGregory Make a story about the first contact war. Or the story of Archangel on (station I can't remember the name of). Or a new Quarian character going off on her pilgrimage story and getting wrapped up in some galactic intrigue. Don't even try to include all of Shephard's companions.
TerranGregory

Posted 3 years, 9 months ago (Source)

@Celestalon I agree (On the potential to tell new stories in the game world and not the story of the game as it was presented), but "just don't do that" is likely not as simple as it sounds, and in this case to me has more to do with the nature of why they would license the IP to begin with.

TerranGregory

Posted 3 years, 9 months ago (Source)

@Celestalon The usual hope is that an in-built audience of an IP is a springboard to broader exposure on release (and thus a greater chance of commercial success), but that dynamic is pinned on the acceptance of that audience that the expression is authentic. Their expectations matter.

TerranGregory

Posted 3 years, 9 months ago (Source)

@Celestalon In the case of Mass Effect, even though Shephard isn't in the title, many people in that audience equate it with Shephard's story. To a (likely) sizable portion of that audience, a mass effect without Shephard would be like making an Iron Man movie without Ironman.

Chadd Nervigg

Posted 3 years, 9 months ago (Source)

@TerranGregory I guess I just completely disagree. Mass Effect is a huuuuge rich world building marvel. It’s been explored primarily through the lens of Shepard so far, but there’s tons more to explore. If there’s Turiens and Warp Relays and Geth, it’ll feel like Mass Effect.

<blockquote class="quoted">
 
</blockquote>
Great thread on the cursed problem of turning a game world with (by design) widely varied matrices of personal interest and expression into a linear narrative. The delta in peoples individual, unique experience in video games (+TTRPGs), IMO, is *far* greater than linear media. https://t.co/1gzpMr9FEl (<a href="https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1463674636361555971">None</a>)
<hr/>

<blockquote class="quoted">
 
</blockquote>
@TerranGregory I don't get how this argument can be made with a straight face, in the same month that Arcane came out.

Like yeah, trying to make a movie/series of just retreading the main storyline of ME1-3 would encounter these problems... So just don't do that? Tons of better options anyway. (<a href="https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1463945498935513098">Chadd Nervigg</a>)
<hr/>

<blockquote class="quoted">
 
</blockquote>
@TerranGregory Make a story about the first contact war. Or the story of Archangel on (station I can't remember the name of). Or a new Quarian character going off on her pilgrimage story and getting wrapped up in some galactic intrigue. Don't even try to include all of Shephard's companions. (<a href="https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1463947260534812679">Chadd Nervigg</a>)
<hr/>

<blockquote class="quoted">
 
</blockquote>
@Celestalon I agree (On the potential to tell new stories in the game world and not the story of the game as it was presented), but "just don't do that" is likely not as simple as it sounds, and in this case to me has more to do with the nature of why they would license the IP to begin with. (<a href="https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1463973743055683591">None</a>)
<hr/>

<blockquote class="quoted">
 
</blockquote>
@Celestalon The usual hope is that an in-built audience of an IP is a springboard to broader exposure on release (and thus a greater chance of commercial success), but that dynamic is pinned on the acceptance of that audience that the expression is authentic. Their expectations matter. (<a href="https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1463974350416060419">None</a>)
<hr/>

<blockquote class="quoted">
 
</blockquote>
@Celestalon In the case of Mass Effect, even though Shephard isn't in the title, many people in that audience equate it with Shephard's story. To a (likely) sizable portion of that audience, a mass effect without Shephard would be like making an Iron Man movie without Ironman. (<a href="https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1463974678301589518">None</a>)
<hr/>

<blockquote class="quoted">
 
</blockquote>
@TerranGregory I guess I just completely disagree. Mass Effect is a huuuuge rich world building marvel. It’s been explored primarily through the lens of Shepard so far, but there’s tons more to explore. If there’s Turiens and Warp Relays and Geth, it’ll feel like Mass Effect. (<a href="https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1463978263491932161">Chadd Nervigg</a>)
<hr/>

Tweet

Great thread on the cursed problem of turning a game world with (by design) widely varied matrices of personal interest and expression into a linear narrative. The delta in peoples individual, unique experience in video games (+TTRPGs), IMO, is *far* greater than linear media. https://t.co/1gzpMr9FEl

@TerranGregory I don't get how this argument can be made with a straight face, in the same month that Arcane came out.

Like yeah, trying to make a movie/series of just retreading the main storyline of ME1-3 would encounter these problems... So just don't do that? Tons of better options anyway. (<a href="https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1463945498935513098">Source</a>)

@TerranGregory Make a story about the first contact war. Or the story of Archangel on (station I can't remember the name of). Or a new Quarian character going off on her pilgrimage story and getting wrapped up in some galactic intrigue. Don't even try to include all of Shephard's companions. (<a href="https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1463947260534812679">Source</a>)

@Celestalon I agree (On the potential to tell new stories in the game world and not the story of the game as it was presented), but "just don't do that" is likely not as simple as it sounds, and in this case to me has more to do with the nature of why they would license the IP to begin with.

@Celestalon The usual hope is that an in-built audience of an IP is a springboard to broader exposure on release (and thus a greater chance of commercial success), but that dynamic is pinned on the acceptance of that audience that the expression is authentic. Their expectations matter.

@Celestalon In the case of Mass Effect, even though Shephard isn't in the title, many people in that audience equate it with Shephard's story. To a (likely) sizable portion of that audience, a mass effect without Shephard would be like making an Iron Man movie without Ironman.

@TerranGregory I guess I just completely disagree. Mass Effect is a huuuuge rich world building marvel. It’s been explored primarily through the lens of Shepard so far, but there’s tons more to explore. If there’s Turiens and Warp Relays and Geth, it’ll feel like Mass Effect. (<a href="https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1463978263491932161">Source</a>)
 
 <hr/>