(mashedmarket)

Er…not really. I don’t have a problem with the notion that a single person can imprint his or her own personal vision on a collaborative creative project. But I have been wondering if adopting an established mode of film criticism is really the most appropriate means of advancing discourse on games.

Not that anybody’s forcing this stuff down our throats. It’s just that, from time to time, names like Cliff Bleszinski, Hideo Kojima, and Ken Levine get bandied about to the extent that one has to wonder whether the industry is helped or hindered by their prominence. There seems to be a general consensus that the gaming business needs rock star personalities. But are the critics getting anything out of these?

In absence of a satisfactory answer to that sprawling question, I’d like to present an alternative means of attributing artistic vision.

So. Where do rock stars come from?

Lately, I’ve enjoyed thinking about studios as bands and games as albums. This might not prove the most fruitful simile, though thus far it’s been pretty entertaining. Valve Corporation, for instance, is one tight developer. But I’ll elaborate on them during a subsequent post — I need a bit more time to fully bake my ideas.

Until then, I’m off to finish Half-Life 2…