ashdrake1 wrote...
withneelandi wrote...
I don't necessesarily think they should change the ending to mass effect 3. I don't think it was a good ending, but I am uncomfortable with the idea of a writer being presured by the fanbase to change something they have written after the fact.
There are a few reasons I don't think this argument holds up with mass effect 3...
The idea of "authorship" is far more complicated in a game like mass effect than in novel or film in the sense that it asks the player to take part and make choices on how the narrative will progress, the problem with mass effect 3's ending is not that it is bleak, or even that it is open ended, but that it seems to render all the choices the game asked the player to make meaningless. For me looking at the game as a narrative, it sets up a sort of 2 way narative with the player then chooses to ignore that convention at the narratives conclusion.
The idea of amending a text after the fact is not a new one, the idea of the directors cut is long established in "proper" art like movies. Especially where technology or time constraints have curtailed what the director could do. I strongly suspect the ending we got in mass effect 3 was less the creative teams vision and more a compromise of time or tecnology. It would be very hard for the team to state that in public but I that is the impression I get from playing the game. The last section felt rushed and disjointed from the rest of the story.
Finally, I think video games can be "art". I'm not sure mass effect 3 is. One of the things that makes art, art is that the primary motivation is "art for arts sake", i.e not to make profit. I find it hard to let a writer fall back on "artistic integrity" when a game ends with a prompt to buy future DLC.
All that said I am still torn on the idea of an amended ending. I think the end was terrible, but I think it would set a horrible example and would frankly lead to a campaign like this any time a game ends in a well thought out, but perhaps leftfield or unexpected way.
Basically, the end is terrible and I don't think we should defend it on the basis of artistic integrity but while chaning this ending seems reasonable it would set a terrible precident and lead to an internet campain to change the end of EVERY major video game franchise that dared take an unexpected approach. It would have a chilling effect on creativity in viedo game in the long term.
A developer will be wary of sparking such a campaign, and getting bad publicity or paying out the costs of developing new content and so won't take any risks when making games. That is far worse for gamers than this ending being rubbish.
So by that logic you are saying many great film makers do not want to make a profit on their films. That is ludicrous. Artist want to keep being able to make art. They very much would like to turn a profit to enable this.
Also harry potter is dumb. Could have used the time spinner to save just about everyone. I don't demand that be changed. I hate all of the star wars prequels. I hate the additions to star wars (btw is exactly what people are asking for.) I was originally sold a product where Han shot first. I was lied to by the original film. I have yet to hear of one FTC complaint for Lucas to fix his endings. I don't want to shoot the elusive man and hear him scream Nooooo!
If you believe that then you have missed the point of games becoming art, games are not art because they can do the exact same thing film, music, and literature can do, its art because of the one thing it can do that no other from can. Adapt, adapt to the fan base, adapt to the will of said fan base, it is the interaction, and the maker/player relationship that dictated this from of art.
And will ether be the reason for its success or failure.
As for your film argument, your right no one if forcing Bioware to change the ending. If they so believed they were right they would stand buy it, but if they change it, its not because a “lack of artistic integrity” it because the integrity never existed, and they want fans to keep buying their products.
They can look at this from the view of an artist or a business. What do you think will win?
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