14 DAY TRIAL // Richard Garriott, the creator of classic games like Ultima, believes that most of the designers working in the video game industry at the moment are lazy and less suited than programmers and artists to create new titles.
The veteran developer believes that those who have skills in asset creation or in programming can study and deliver concrete results while designers are essentially super-fans who fail to get any clear competency and tend to be lazy and lack innovative ideas.
Garriott tells PC Gamer that, “So we’re leaning on a lot of designers who get that job because they’re not qualified for the other jobs, rather than that they are really strongly qualified as a designer. It’s really hard to go to school to be a good designer.”
He adds, “And every designer that I work with – all throughout life – I think, frankly, is lazy.”
According to the developer, video game designers need to try and explore the games they work on and try to find a way of re-making them with each new installment rather than simply adding bigger levels or bigger maps.
Garriott believes that issues like player motivation, potential side stories and the reason for the entire story progression should be taken into account during game development.
At the moment, the creator of Ultima and former space tourist is working on a project called Shroud of the Avatar: Forsaken Virtues.
The game uses a core role-playing game structure with added massive multiplayer elements, allowing gamers to choose what other players they are interested in interacting with.
The game is currently seeking funding via Kickstarter and has recently achieved its first funding target, with the team adding stretch goals that expand the game mechanics and the game world.
Shroud of the Avatar: Forsaken Virtues should be out during 2014 on the PC.