成为游戏设计师是一回事，而成为讨厌这个行业的游戏设计师又是另一回事。对许多怀有抱负的游戏设计师而言，厌恶游戏行业无疑是毁灭性的，但是对Quantic Dream首席执行官David Cage来说或许不是如此。这位《暴雨》首席设计师只有少数几款作品，他告诉GDC与会者自己有个改变游戏业现状的梦想。

于“在《暴雨》中让玩家情感大起大落”小组讨论会上，Cage阐述玩家在其设计的PS3互动游戏《暴雨》中的情感体验。游戏邦获悉，虽然《暴雨：折纸杀手》仅卖出将近两百万套，但其仍然广受好评，超过72%的玩家被游戏剧情深深吸引。这款游戏所包含的某些内容并不属于目前任何一种游戏题材，但是其新颖、紧凑，值得玩家一试。

但Cage思考的问题是，未来游戏会呈现何种局面。他认为现在的游戏缺乏创意，做的内容几乎与30年前相同。大部分游戏内容主要还是枪支、平台和等级，这些已经有碍于游戏业继续发展。虽然某些游戏尝试通过故事剧情来改善这个问题，但Cage声称因角色在游戏中可承载的内容有限，使设计师难以做出大举动。开发者利用游戏中的过场动画来解决这个问题，但即便这些动画也是当今游戏面临的一大问题。

暴雨：折纸杀手

那么如何才能真正解决这个问题呢？视频游戏是否将不再是优秀的传播媒介？《暴雨》是否将成为工作室制作出的唯一像样的游戏呢？虽然Cage指出的游戏业前景不容乐观，但是他声称自己将坚持从事游戏开发者这个职业。游戏邦了解到，出于挖掘精彩故事的需要，或许他会加入Hideo Kojima（开发过著名游戏《合金装备》）。他认为，游戏可以让玩家融入其中，这是其他媒介做不到的。

依Cage的看法，要解决问题很简单，无外乎使玩家真正成为游戏的一部分。在游戏中，玩家不仅仅控制Ethan Mars等角色，更像是与他们一起生活。玩家承担起每个角色面临的困难，亲身体会角色的情感和心态。大多数游戏选择将某种情感分离出来并忽略其余内容，但是Cage决定为每个角色都设计大量情感状态，在适当时候依次表现出来。

Cage为艺术献身，或者他仅仅是自命不凡，或者他确实想改革游戏业，抑或是以上三者兼有？虽然《暴雨》以及David Cage在Quantic Dream开发的其他游戏或许不会吸引所有玩家，但这些游戏的面世是否意味着游戏业正在发生变革呢？答案无疑是肯定的。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，转载请注明来源：游戏邦）

GDC: HOW HEAVY RAIN DESIGNER DAVID CAGE PLANS TO REVOLUTIONIZE THE INDUSTRY

It’s one thing to be a gamemaker, but to be a gamemaker that hates the industry? That’s usually a death toll for the many ambitious would-be game designers out there, but not so for Quantic Dream’s CEO David Cage. With just a scant few titles under his belt, the lead designer of Heavy Rain told GDC-goers that he has a vision to change the low standards gamers have put up with in their videogames, one trope at a time.

During the panel “Creating an Emotional Rollercoaster in Heavy Rain,” Cage talked about the emotional experiences that his PlayStation 3 interactive drama Heavy Rain brought to the table. While this tale of the Origami Killer game only sold approximately two million units, it still garnered favorable reviews and kept a higher-than-average 72 percent of gamers’ attention to the closing credits. Consisting of something that cannot be classified into one genre, it was original, intense, and a worthy play.

But was it the future of games? Cage thinks so. He feels that games today suffer from a loop, doing the same things now that they were doing thirty years ago. With a reliance on guns, platforms, and strict level designs, he feels that the vast majority of games just go through the motions, stunting their growth. While some games try to fix this with a story, Cage stated that the limited amount of things a character can portray in-game boxes the designers into a corner. The solution? Cutscenes; yet, even those pose as another problem with games today.

So what’s the solution to this problem? Are videogames a lacking medium? Are the only decent games being made by his studio? Despite this dreary outlook Cage provided, he said that he signed up to be a game developer. While he may join the ranks of Hideo Kojima (Metal Gear Solid) in terms of sheer stories, he feels that games can provide a level of immersion unseen in other mediums.

Cage said the answer is simple: it all comes down to immersion and relatability. In the game, you don’t just control Ethan Mars, Norman Jayden, Madison Page, and Scott Shelby, you live through them. You carry the burdens that each of them face, and feel the emotions that they are going through. While most games tend to isolate one emotion out and ignore the rest, Cage said he decided to plan out a myriad of emotions for each of these characters and placed each of them out to the right moment.

Artsy? Pretentious? Revolutionary? All of the above? While Heavy Rain and the rest of David Cage’s repertoire of games at Quantic Dream may not appeal to everyone, could you say that it has displayed games in a new light? The answer is a resounding “Yes.” (Source: The Kartel)