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[WInd and Rain]

I remember a time when someone made a film, or a game, or some product of entertainment value. The product was made from a vision birthed from its creators with the sole intention to be loved by the people it would entertain. The product was not made according to the demands of consumers. We would either like it, or we wouldn't. It was very simple. The creative force behind the product could only go with their gut instinct, rely with their heart and stick with the plan, measured only by budgetary constraints and marketing concerns, and maybe the FCC or other governmental censorship regulations. Throw in a few top level executives with their own do's and don'ts. You'd have a little bit of input from polling a certain percentage of the population, and you'd read what the critics had to say, but that was it. It was like working in a vaccuum.

Star Wars comes to mind. I often wonder what would have happened if we had the internet when the first Star Wars movie came out... or if the first Star Wars movie came out today instead of the late '70s. Would it have been such a worldwide success, a cultural phenomena on par with the Seven Great Wonders? Would the entire world have loved it so much? Would the mass merchandising have been so effective? Would there have even been three films? When I saw it in the theater as a kid, it was a spiritual experience for both me and my dad who took me to the theater, and I didn't even understand most of it. Henceforth I grew up with Star Wars and surrounded myself with Star Wars stuff, but would that have been the case if we had the internet?

My opinion, specifically regarding this letter, is that if the first Star Wars movie was made today, we'd have forums like these, because in the minds of senior level marketing executives forums are considered valuable for receiving consumer metrics. We'd have clips on YouTube and journalistic blogs and websites sharing updates and announcements. And everwhere you went, there would be some comment system or message board, some way that we could be heard anonymously. So we'd have millions of people, from all walks of life around the world, man woman and child, anonymously shouting their extremely diverse opinions about the film. There would be lots of fighting on the boards, there would be patronizing, insulting, and finger pointing. You'd have some people defending the film, but they would be labeled as "sheeple" or "mindless fans" or just stupid or young. The negative critics of the film would feel not only entitled, but obligated, that it was their duty, to share their emotionally charged disgruntlement as vastly and openly as possible. Some may even act as if they were personally affronted by the film. The film could have made millions and yet you'd think everyone hated it. Avatar comes to mind. So naturally, those in favor of the film would leave. The forum would become a roiling cauldron of cancerous negativity about the product that the forum is supporting. Would Lucas have even considered making a second film if this was all he had to go by?

There is no wonder why Bioware, and other companies, are keen about information control policies.

It makes me consider the emotional turmoil that the creative people go through who are behind these products when most of what they get from fans is vitriol on these boards. I wish there were ways beyond my money to show my gratitude for their efforts.

I think my point is this: Bioware listens to these forums. I've been lurking on the ME forums since ME1's debut back in 2007 and I know that they read just about everything on here. The Bioware folks may not post with the same fervor as many of the forum's regular fans, and they may not satiate enough people by sharing Bioware's entire quarterly strategies like some demand, but they do read these things and they do listen.

I just caution the folks at Bioware to ingest these forums from a very specific and distanced perspective while sifting through the white noise in order to find valid data (extremely challenging I might think). However, at the end of the day, I would rather Bioware stayed the course and held to their own vision, and make the product that they want to make, not what the fans are clamoring for. You make the game, not us. We love the game only because you made it for us, not because you "did what you were told" by us. You guys obviously have the world class talent to create masterful works of brilliance on your own without the opinions of countless anonymous fans. There is no possible way to please everyone here. Just make what you make and stay true to yourself and your formula. A game that you make with integrity, "warts 'n all", is far more worthy of my money than a game seemingly "without mistakes" but "made by the fans".

The Mass Effect brand is one of my favorite things that's come down the pike over the last 40 years. I enjoyed ME1, and I adore ME2. The visionary strength of this brand is phenomenal. I eagerly anticipate whatever else is in store for ME2 and look forward to ME3 and beyond.

To all of the moderators and people who govern these forums... frankly I don't know how you can do it day in and day out. Thank you for your work, as it is a critical component in understanding this nebulous market.

[3CardMonte]

 2 things.

Videogames (and other interactive media) can be very shakey when classifying it as art. I think it falls into 2 categories: Art and Utility. On the art side of things: Yes we're meant to be taken on a fantastic journey, we're meant to think and ponder the choices we've made. This game definitely has a message in it, and in that it's an expressive piece of art.

But unlike paintings, or movies.. videogames have user input. In order to view the art we need to navigate through it's maps, we need to have a stable, simple, and easy to use user interface, the controls need to be tight. The difficulty challenging without being impossible. We interact with this game on so many levels, and the details of how we do are as much a technical heavy issue as they are an art heavy issue. I think that with the specific case of videogames, fans complaining will help make the next game an even bigger success, and that's how we've gotten to the point we're at now with this amazing form of storytelling.


The second thing:
Luckily, Bioware spends more time innovating and creating than stressing out about whiney fanboys on their forums, so we're in luck. The percentage of people on these forums vs the percentage of people who purchased the game: less than 1%, and I think they're down to earth about the weight they put on people here's concerns. After all, it's not as if this is their sole source of feedback. They get feedback from gaming magazines (on and offline), reviews, articles, video reviews, podcasts, the amount of people buying the game, buying special editions, the amount of people purchasing DLC. I'm sure there are videogame testers and focus groups and beta previewers before the make any definitive game-altering change.

[javierabegazo]

Great post, and a nice read, I agree substantially.

While it's nice for BioWare to listen to the fanbase, there is certainly a large amount of white noise to wade through. It's shocking how many easter eggs there are in the game that are a shout out to some poster, or to some topic that was from the forums

[tommythetomcat]

I think forums are a nice gage for the minutia of little things that immerse you into the game more. Things like the mission complete summary are cool but should instead be displayed in a personal email or something like that. As well as things like walking on and off your ship at hubs, these things are small and help make the game feel substantial and not just a series of unconnected theme parks.



Hopefully they will make a few changes in regard to the feeling of immersion for ME3.



Good read by the way thanks for posting.

[addiction21]

All I have to say is

ENCHANTMENT

[TornadoADV]

How did you kill all these Darkspawn?!



Also, I believed that ME1 was spot on, that Bioware had done everything right and just had to tighten technical aspects of the series. Then ME2 comes around and I really wonder who they designed the game for.

[obie191970]

javierabegazo wrote...

It's shocking how many easter eggs there are in the game that are a shout out to some poster, or to some topic that was from the forums

RPG's these days are all about big decisions and visceral action.  I miss the old days when you used to have to remember to drink water and fly in space for 5 hours real time.

[Poison_Berrie]

I agree OP.

And I think that they do mostly create what they think should be the product.