GO3: Q&A: The politics behind Area 51

At the recent GO3 Conference held in Perth, Australia, Harvey Smith--creative director for Midway's Austin studio--used his keynote speech to discuss the importance of strong character avatars within games. GameSpot AU caught up with Smith at the conference to talk about game characters and his upcoming game BlackSite: Area 51.

GameSpot AU: A lot of things go into making a great game. Where does character fit into the equation?

Harvey Smith: My thinking of that has changed a lot over time. I tend to think a lot more of archetypes, because I think people see those as compass points. In writing, often a nuanced character is very important, but in games right now a nuanced character is a confused character. You do want an interesting character that has some innovative elements, but you also want something that's recognisable in the role they play in the world. If you're talking about story games like BlackSite, then I think every character in the game needs to serve an archetypical role.

GS AU: Does working with archetypes make it easy to fall into cliche, though?

HS: Yes, I think so. One man's cliche is another man's grounded or familiar character. Cliche is undesirable, and grounded and familiar is desirable. Those things are at odds, but it's largely subjective--what is cliche versus what is recognisable. The familiar makes things more powerful. It's a fine line.

GS AU: What makes the best game avatar? A character that has a set background story or one that is a blank slate?

HS: It's a hybrid of those things. I've worked on a number of FPSs, and in BlackSite, we wanted to let the players project themselves onto our lead character Aaron Pierce as an avatar.

GS AU: You've described your upcoming game BlackSite as a "subversive military shooter." How does it compare to another "subversive" game you worked on in your past, Deus Ex?

HS: They're very different in terms of pace--Deus Ex was a role-playing, slow-paced exploration game, where BlackSite is a shooter with a very frenetic pace. But in terms of themes, in both cases the chain of command is suspect, and in both cases we ask difficult questions of the world today. In BlackSite, you play a Delta Force squad leader who's sent to Iraq to explore a weapons bunker in the middle of the desert. You find out during the course of the game that what you believe to be true is not always the case--that's very Deus Ex.

If America's Army is the right-wing shooter, I think ours is more balanced--it asks questions of both sides. Have we created these monsters that we're fighting? Is the bullet always the best way to solve problems? Who's the freedom fighter and who's the terrorist? Because our government often calls someone a freedom fighter in one decade and the next they call them a terrorist.

[But] I don't ever want the political message to get in the way of gameplay. I want BlackSite to be fast and furious. It is an intense, moody experience. But at the same time I love the subversive politics.

GS AU: Politics in games is always a touchy subject. Do you expect to get some criticism when the game gets released?

HS: I already have got some flack. I've had people say I can't believe you're touching that subject matter. I respond that I can't believe you're not--this is what's going on in the world today. We've redefined what torture is. We fund people one year, and a few years later our troops are dying fighting those same people. Shouldn't somebody be asking the questions? The potential of games is tremendous. I really take issue with people who think games are just a frivolous diversion. I think games have much more potential in terms of storytelling, in terms of interactivity, player creativity, and also in terms of teaching a lesson.

GS AU: Do you think more games should have a message?

HS: No, I don't necessarily think that. I think everyone should follow their own internal compass. I loved Serious Sam when it first came out--the goal of that team was to throw a thousand monsters onscreen at once, and that's a noble goal in my opinion. The goal of America's Army is to put a positive spin on the nation's military and get it into the hands of kids. I'm not so sure I'm happy with that goal, but hey, that's their agenda, and I don't think they should be restricted.

GS AU: Harvey Smith, thanks for your time.