David Cage: Developers Should Approach Gaming like Poetry or Painting

Not too long ago, video games varied in genre, but in recent years the industry is gearing up for an all out assault on our love for explosions and multiplayer in the form of Battlefield and Call of Duty. Quantic Dream head David Cage wants developers to try something new.

“Would you go and see a movie which just shows shooting for 90 minutes?” David Cage told CVG. “That appeals very much to my son, who is 10 years old. He wants to explore the world, but also fears it. Being in a video game where he can jump very far, have cool guns and shoot at people without getting hurt is something he feels very good about. It gives him exaggerated confidence, control.”

“But as an adult, it doesn’t work. When you think of non-gamers, very few people have an interest in that,” he concluded.

Quantic Dream released Heavy Rain to much acclaim, the title featured lots of Quick-Time-Events and less reliance on action-heavy gameplay. Critics and audiences praised the game for its inventiveness. To many Heavy Rain stands out because it’s differential take on gameplay mechanics. Quantic Dream’s other title, Indigo Prophecy is the only piece of video game software that truly compares to Heavy Rain in a meaningful way.

Recently, Cage also commented that L.A. Noire featured out-dated technology. He acknowledges his comments don’t gain him further popularity, he isn’t interested in curring favor, but in the evolution of the video game industry.

“If what I was saying was totally agreed by everybody, then my life would be very boring,” said Cage. “Look, I’m not a programmer, I’m not a graphic artist – I come from an outside world. I approach video games the same way I approach theatre, filmmaking, poetry or painting. I wish more people would take that point of view. It would help the industry to move on. I don’t just say these things to annoy, or to try and sound cleverer than anyone else.”

Want more controversy from Cage? How about retiring the Dual Shock controller in favor of something different.

“Maybe there will be more devices in the near future in the same direction [as the PlayStation Move] but which work slightly differently that will open new ground. I can clearly see how DualShock is the end of an era and we need to move to something else as an industry,” said Cage. “I don’t know if Kinect or Move are the ultimate answer. It’s up to console manufacturers to bring [a new device]. But something will happen, hopefully soon.”

What do you think about Cage’s comments?