The Old-School Individualist

Independent game designer Jeff Vogel on putting morality into play

Ben Malisow from the December 2008 issue

(Page 2 of 2)

So in the Avernum and Geneforge games, I like to give the players choices. No cut-and-dried solutions, but instead situations where they have to go, “What do I want to do here? What side, what faction, do I think really has more of a point?” If I get to the point where the player has to actually stop and think about it, then I think I’ve made an interesting game.

The games that are far more political, and far more philosophical, are the Geneforge games. There really is no good guy or no bad guy there; pretty much every powerful person has a faction you can join and fight for, and some of those factions are pretty ethically hairy. In Geneforge 5, the game I’m working on now, you can join probably the most morally appalling side that I’ve ever created; I mean, I almost feel awful about writing it. But it’s really important to me to do that, because most people are going to pick the good guy side and I really want to create an awareness in the player of how bad things could possibly get. I like giving the player a horrible choice, not because I think they will take it but because I think you gain a lot from the awareness that that was a choice.

Those are the games where the people on the online forums argue for jillions of posts: “No, I think that this faction is correct,” “No, I think that this faction is correct.” That is the most satisfying thing to me, when I’ve created something where people can come out of it and go, “Yeah, he totally wanted me to join that side,” but they all think a different side is the one I wanted them to join. I love that.

Ben Malisow (benmalisow.com) is an instructor in counter-cyberterror at the University of Texas at San Antonio’s Center for Infrastructure Assurance and Security. His most recent book is Terrorism (Chelsea House).

Comments

egosumabbas|11.21.08 @ 1:11PM|#

While most big-budget games try to railroad you into a plot, there are mercifully some that give you a freedom of choice.

The Baldur's Gate series comes to mind. There's Second Life (though that doesn't really qualify as a "game").

The most open-ended one I've played is Oblivion, which was much like it's predecessor Morrowind.

Though there's something to be said about mindless plotless fun like Katamari Damacy.

Joel|11.21.08 @ 1:15PM|#

For those of us who aren't really into RPGs but might want to look at this guy's games, you might have thrown in a URL or something...

|11.21.08 @ 1:51PM|#

Did anyone ever play the Atlas Shrugged game? I can't link to any gaming sites from work, but the reviews were pretty bad IIRC.

|11.21.08 @ 1:58PM|#

Joel, try http://www.spidweb.com. This guy was my DM in college, and it was pretty rollicking. Even then he was into giving characters "interesting" choices.

|11.21.08 @ 2:01PM|#

This guy was my DM in college...

Holy crap, you outed a D&D-er!

Intertubz foul!

rhywun|11.21.08 @ 2:13PM|#

Indie gaming is where it's at. I've had more fun with free or shareware games lately than the stuff crapped out by the big firms. I guess it helps that I have zero interest in role-playing, fighting, sports, or "life simulation" games.

|11.21.08 @ 2:15PM|#

Ah, Jeff Vogel. A legend by the time I was going to school in Claremont. Also, if you have a child or plan to have one, The Poo Bomb is a must-buy. It was significantly more useful than any of the 'serious' parenting books we bought.

perilisk|11.21.08 @ 2:52PM|#

"I guess it helps that I have zero interest in role-playing, fighting, sports, or "life simulation" games."

But he makes role-playing games...

|11.21.08 @ 3:24PM|#

rhywun,

Please recommend some free games; I have a lot of time to kill here in the office.

|11.21.08 @ 3:28PM|#

@FrBunny

The game was 'Bioshock'. It was, as far gaming pleasure, really good. I loved the environment and the plot wasn't so bad. I guess my biggest critique is the way they kind of lampoon Ayn Rand. Basically what happens is there is a Galt's Gulch, in the form of an mid-Atlantic underwater city. Things are great for a while but things go to hell. It uses a lot of the speech of Galt or Roark. While it never really delivers a verdict on Rand or Objectivism I suppose it's not all bad (even if its inferred that the city went to hell because of absolutism), any publicity is good publicity? They have some nice lines in it, so maybe it will leave an impression on some kids.

|11.21.08 @ 3:43PM|#

Ego,

If you liked Oblivion then I think you will love Fallout 3.

I've played both and I Fallout 3 is a blast!

|11.21.08 @ 4:10PM|#

Seems like I saw an actual Atlas game though. A 5-minute web search renders me demonstrably incorrect.

I also heard that about Bioshock. Haven't played it.

Paul Eres|11.21.08 @ 11:36PM|#

It's not spiderweb.com, it's spiderwebsoftware.com. I've been a fan of his games for nearly a decade now. I'm also an indie developer and a libertarian, so it's nice to see more interest in indie development here!

Paul Eres|11.21.08 @ 11:37PM|#

Also, there was an Atlas Shrugged RPG, yes. It was an amateur game made in RPG Maker, without permission from anyone, and really, really badly made.

|11.22.08 @ 9:03AM|#

VINDICATION!

dersk|11.24.08 @ 6:59AM|#

Ah, the Scorched Earth party. Brings back great memories of cave newts and volcanoes.

dersk, garnished with beak

Anon|11.25.08 @ 7:05PM|#

Hey Jeff Vogel, the 70s called and they said they want their glasses and hair back.