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[DrDark101]

I contend that games are in part art. It is after all artistic vision that provides us the worlds we love exploring in games. That said, games are also without question a consumer product made to be sold and in that sense consumer expectations must be taken into account when making games. When art for art’s sake trumps expectations you get what has happened with Mass Effect 3.

In light of the fact that Mass 3's ending will apparently be revisited by the Bioware team people have been debating if this is a good thing or not. I for one do think it is a good thing not just because it gives me hope for a better ending but because it shows that fans can have a say in the products they buy. I liken the situation to commissioning a painting. You walk into a studio, look at the artist’s works and find them appealing. You then commission the artist to do a painting for you with the stipulation that you want a tree next to a waterfall with a mountain in the background as the main elements of the piece. You arrive to pick up the picture after many weeks only to find the artist decided that his vision should supersede your vision and painted a scene of a hay bail in front of a house with a cityscape in the background. The piece is still top quality and expertly done it’s just not what you asked for. Would you still buy this painting? Some might, but most would say NO and demand that the artist make another using the elements they outlined originally. This is the exact same situation as the Mass 3 ending fiasco.

Does this hurt the industry? IMO no it doesn’t. It’s also not a sweeping event, every game out there does not automatically require a rethink if people don't like the ending or some aspect of it. I didn't like the end of Halo 3 but I was still okay with it and accepted it. That said it might make game makers look good and hard at what they plan which I think is actually a plus. Developers will want to avoid this type of situation resulting in better content for all in the future. Besides there are unique factors involved in the case of Mass 3, fans have become so involved and feel so entitled because that’s ironically one of the series strongest selling points.  It was built and designed in such a way that it allows us to tell the story in our own way. Few games allow for such a far reaching ability and simply follow canned beginning, middle and end routines where you are in essence simply along for the ride. Not the case with Mass Effect, we are active participants molding the narrative the way we see fit. Yes Bioware gives us the options but we are left to decide what to do with them and that’s what makes this situation different.