Junction Point Interview (con'd)

FiringSquad:In a recent speech you stated that the content of some games like the Grand Theft Auto series, even though they may be great in terms of design, would bring unwanted attention from people like lawmakers who might want to restrict the sales of video and PC games. Do you still believe that the game industry could be curtailed by such a movement by politicians?

Warren Spector: Hey, it’s only been a few months since I gave that speech at the Montreal International Game Summit, so, yes, I still believe it! I think there’s a real risk that we’ll run into trouble with the courts and legislators, yes. We’re in a constant, ongoing battle about that. But more important to me than the external threats are what I see as INTERNAL threats to gaming’s future. I simply don’t want to participate in the coarsening of our culture through the celebration of violence and criminal activity. And I think, as a medium, we focus too much attention on that kind of stuff--on adolescent power fantasies, basically, and that is stultifying our growth as a medium. But let me be clear—I would never single out the Grand Theft Auto series for criticism on this score—we’re all guilty. I’m guilty—I mean Thief and Deus Ex and the other stuff I’ve worked on isn’t exactly the most pro-social, teach-the-world-to-sing stuff I can imagine! We need to broaden the range of content we make available to players. I wrestle with that every day.

FiringSquad:Even though you are working on a PC game do you have any opinions on the next generation consoles (Xbox 360, PS3, Revolution)?

Warren Spector:I have a ton of opinions about the next gen consoles! What do you want to know? Basically, I’m inspired by the apparent power of the hardware and the potential that offers us; but, at the same time, I’m terrified about how much more difficult and expensive development is going to be as we try to tap all that power and deliver on all that potential.

FiringSquad: Windows Vista is due to be released for PC in the fall of 2006. Do you believe the OS and the resulting technologies could help PC gaming in the long run?

Warren Spector: Vista seems really cool, I’ll say that much. And it seems likely to be a nice platform for gaming. I do think the pervasiveness of consoles is going to be hard to beat, no matter how good the OS is—and with the consoles offering more robust online access all the time, even that area’s going to get…interesting…for PC developers. We’ll just have to see how the platforms shake out over the next few years
Firing Squad: What do you think are the biggest challenges the video and PC game industry will have to face in the next few years?

Warren Spector: Money, money and money. If we don’t start exploring new ways to finance games, new ways to reach our audience, new ways to broaden the range of game styles we offer and new ways to develop games that don’t cost a fortune, we’re in for a world of trouble. Games may be art (I think they are), but they’re incredibly expensive, and getting moreso all the time--and that puts our future in some significant jeopardy

FiringSquad: Finally is there anything else you wish to say about Junction Point Studios' current and future plans?

Warren Spector Not just yet. But soon…soon

As always, we’d like to thank Junction Point Studios’ Warren Spector for participating in this interview. We look forward to hearing more from them once they’re closer to releasing their first title!