Thought/Process: Gear Shift: An Interview With Cliff Bleszinski

We thought he should shut the f*** up during E3, but it turns out Cliff Bleszinski's got some insights worth hearing.
12/17/2008 3:52 PM | 3 Comments | Page 4 of 6

Bleszinski: I don't think we focus on the movie when we work on the game. There are certain continuity things we tweak, though. I'm thankfully an executive producer of the movie so I can steer it to be true to the game. There have been so many bad movies based on videogames over the years. Disney was able to make a great movie based on a ride; why can't we make great movies based on videogames? People forget that Hollywood made a lot of bad comic book movies until they got the formula right. A lot of the top-10 grossing movies of all time have really geeky subjects, like Indiana Jones and Star Wars, but those subjects are massaged for the masses with compelling characters.

Crispy Gamer: Who is your dream cast?

Bleszinski: I'm not really allowed to get into that. But I can tell you: no wrestlers, and no football players. People see these huge characters and think we need to cast tanks to fill those roles. But when you look at Mission Impossible or Vin Diesel movies, these guys are like 5'4". They just need to be charismatic and shot the right way. Put them on a workout regimen and they'll fit the bill.

Crispy Gamer: You spoke about massaging things for the masses. Focus testing gets such a bad rap in films; do you think it's the same with games?

Bleszinski: In film, it's tough because the way people experience narrative is so subjective. With a game, in usability at least, a person can either grasp how to play through the game or not. There's nothing subjective about that.

Crispy Gamer: Are we still to assume that Gears is being structured as a trilogy?

Bleszinski: In Hollywood, the last sequel is the one that fails to make money. We were never set that it would be a trilogy; we're going to take it on a game-by-game basis. If Gears 2 does well enough, then yeah, we'll work on a third.

Crispy Gamer: Game development tends to consume the people who do it. Do you get to watch much TV?

Bleszinski: I love "Mad Men." Everything in the details, from the clothing to the sexual politics, it's fascinating. ... I haven't really had a chance [to watch the new season], because I haven't burned through the first season. It's really strange how we used to have the "water cooler" moment where you could talk about each week's show, but now it's so fractured.

Crispy Gamer: Yeah, because of DVRs and on-demand, you can't really talk about TV with other people because you don't want to ruin it for those who haven't seen it yet. Do you think games are having a similar impact on TV-viewing habits?

Bleszinski: I think games are going to take over as the predominant form of entertainment over the next 20 years, with TV becoming more background noise. My girlfriend and I more often than not use the TV in the background while we're on our laptops. I just don't have time for TV because I'm playing games, or looking up funny videos on YouTube.