Eurogamer article/interview with Sid Meier

Sid Meier said:
"We actually reject that point of view," he chuckles, leaning forward in his chair. "If there's anything in reality that's not fun, we will change it. There's no hesitation about changing the world, our vision of the world, our interpretation of the world, to make the game more fun. We're not restricted by what really happened or what's real. If it comes down to a decision between what's realistic and what's fun, we're going to choose the fun path and then rationalise it based on some obscure historical incident where the 300 stood off the Persians or whatever. You can always find some historical precedent to rationalise a decision you made. If Civilization isn't fun enough then it's not because civilisation isn't fun. It's because we made a bad decision."
Take that historical accuracy fanatics
 
It's an interesting interview. I liked some of the design rules that they quote there ("just because we can doesn't mean we should" etc.).

Ace Patrol is great, by the way. I seem to be seriously hooked on it.
 
"We still remember that it's important to get the player's total brain engaged and not just the tips of their fingers."

That's why I have always vastly preferred turn-based games to real-timers - I want games to challenge my brain, not my speed of reaction. I got Age of Empires for free with one of my computers, but I don't think I've played it more than 2 or 3 times.
 
Sid and I would see eye to eye on many things...

"We actually reject that point of view," he chuckles, leaning forward in his chair. "If there's anything in reality that's not fun, we will change it. There's no hesitation about changing the world, our vision of the world, our interpretation of the world, to make the game more fun. We're not restricted by what really happened or what's real. If it comes down to a decision between what's realistic and what's fun, we're going to choose the fun path and then rationalise it based on some obscure historical incident where the 300 stood off the Persians or whatever. You can always find some historical precedent to rationalise a decision you made. If Civilization isn't fun enough then it's not because civilisation isn't fun. It's because we made a bad decision."

This is one of the core values I've laid down as Senior Mod Designer of ProjectCiv. If you want to make an accurate historical documentation, go write a book; if you want to make something interactive and fun, make a game.

"We still remember that it's important to get the player's total brain engaged and not just the tips of their fingers."

That's why I have always vastly preferred turn-based games to real-timers - I want games to challenge my brain, not my speed of reaction. I got Age of Empires for free with one of my computers, but I don't think I've played it more than 2 or 3 times.

This "total brain engagement" leads to another concept of game design that I hold to be sacred. Not just dear or in high regard, but sacred. The power of tangential learning is amazing, and the Civ franchise has always been a shining example of successfully getting players to learn without teaching them. If we can help enrich the lives of our players learning, then we not only do something to give back to those that support us but we better society as a whole, one person at a time.
 
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