That's the bottom line. Total transparency can be cool but it's unnecessary and can be problematic. Extreme secrecy is also unnecessary and clearly problematic.It doesn't need to be completely transparent, it just needs to be transparent enough that predatory practices and poor treatment of labor isn't hidden by industry secrecy.
Yup, and the reason publishers want extreme secrecy is to hide anti-consumer/predatory practices and how they mistreat labor. Individual developers may want the excitement of surprise reveal and have no ulterior motives, but the way the secrecy benefits publishers is mainly a negative.That's the bottom line. Total transparency can be cool but it's unnecessary and can be problematic. Extreme secrecy is also unnecessary and clearly problematic.
No amount of transparency will review work practices. Even if you work there you can be oblivious of how others are being treated.Look at the shit Bioware pulled this generation. We wouldn't have known the horrible treatment the developers suffered had it not been for Jason at Kotaku.
Also think about Blizzard's cancelled games. Artists put years of their lives into projects, only for it to be shutdown. We may never see their efforts.
Bad work practices suck, but only games companies get referred to as being 'secretive'. People making movies and books and TV shows and music don't get called secret. People working for music streaming sites or services don't get referred to as secretive.That's the bottom line. Total transparency can be cool but it's unnecessary and can be problematic. Extreme secrecy is also unnecessary and clearly problematic.
I'm basically thinking along similar lines as to what Double Fine did with their documentary but even more so in that direction. Not just following one game, but a studio, the ideas they are coming up with, their pitches, their prototypes. Their scrapping ideas, etc. Basically like a reality tv show for game development
Very fitting recent article about Epic's Unreal Tournament project: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/20...the-ambitious-project-left-drifting-in-space/
It was very open and community-oriented. Caused a lot of problems, too
A lot of indie devs basically already do this. See TIGSource devlogs or developer Twitch streams or Screenshot Saturday and other places
Those industries are absolutely secretive, espionage-y, and NDA-happy in their own ways and called as much. But they do release a lot more helpful, basic information than the AAA games industry currently does.Bad work practices suck, but only games companies get referred to as being 'secretive'. People making movies and books and TV shows and music don't get called secret. People working for music streaming sites or services don't get referred to as secretive.
The entertainment industry has cultivated rabid fandom with hype and spoiler culture. They've done it to themselves. People would be less maniacal if info wasn't treated like it's CIA confidential-special.Won't happen. The internet fan bases are entirely to far gone in the rabid side of things for anyone to want to deal with the stress and anxiety it would cause.
Also think about Blizzard's cancelled games. Artists put years of their lives into projects, only for it to be shutdown. We may never see their efforts.
Also think about Blizzard's cancelled games. Artists put years of their lives into projects, only for it to be shutdown. We may never see their efforts.
Yeah i agree with this. There should be other ways to hold companies responsible without hurting the developers.Things change way too much in a day for total transparency.
Feedback from the community would also:
- make investors push for implementing the most vocal requests when it does not mean it's going to be a better game for it.
- put extra stress on devs.
So it should not happen imo.
What would you gain from seeing a product you would never be able to play, except negativity thrown at the specific studio (which is already the case)
Do you really want to see the game equivalent of an aborted fetus? (Trust me, no developer wants you to see a highly unfinished game laid bare for the world to judge) Its also incredibly pointless.
It sucks not to be able to show off your hard work but I would never want that to be in the form of a highly unfinished game
edit: I apologize if I come across as a bit bitter or crude, but the other thread showed me the light of some of the poster here who would happily see a developer go out of business and the lively hood of the hard working people that make these games possible, just for them to get their leaks.
...
As for cancelled products, this happens all the time in creatives fields, and other fields too! So many fields are driven towards internal green light processes, and lots of near completed products get shelves.
There are artists and coders and designers and QA and lots of people that work on these. Demanding to see the art assets doesn't benefit anyone, and robs the company of the option to use these assets in a future game (which sometimes happens).
Does it suck to be unable to show all of your work as part of your portfolio? Yes, but that's normal.
Yup. Should stay out of WoW forums when changes are made. You'd think Blizzard personally rapes and killed people close to some posters with their vitriolic hyperbole.the intention is good, but its not gonna work, sorry.
1. It's boring, most documentary pretty much highlight the most interesting parts of making the game, majority of the time, its boring, like most work. You really don't want to see people discussed mundane stuff.
2. Extra resource to the dev and parties involved.
3. Other parties involved might not want it due do to their policy.
And like seriously, have you seen internet comment with COD or MOBA balance patch? change a little things, and someone throw a death threat to dev.