Who Wrote This Abortion?
November 15th, 2007 Posted in Game Design, Wordcraft | 18 Comments »By way of Broken Toys (which was by way of Jeff Freeman), an interesting take on what it means to be a writer for games:
Right now, for example, Bioware-Austin is hiring junior-level writers. I’m thinking about applying, because I have a lot of respect for Bioware’s consistent blend of strong action and strong stories. But I’ve read interviews lately in which the guys at Bioware-Canada (who are above Austin in the chain of command, I assume) say the only reason they didn’t write a homosexual romance story for Mass Effect is that they were constrained by time. As a faithful Catholic, I’d have to refuse if someone asked me to write a story condoning homosexual behavior (which is different than homosexual impulses). If it came to that, I wouldn’t be surprised if I was fired. Even if I wouldn’t be expected to write such a story, though, could I choose to be a part of an artistic work which includes advocacy against my own conscience?
As a writer (not for games), this isn’t something I’ve ever had to struggle with. Not because I’m some whorish keyboard for hire who will press keys in mostly grammatically correct combinations for insanely small sums of money—well not just because of that—but because I’ve never been in a position where I was paid to write something I considered personally aberrant. The bulk of my paid writing gigs have been technical. With very few exceptions, heavy machinery manufacturers don’t care much about the sexual orientation of their die-casting infrastructure, and it’s sort of a requirement of the job that anything electrical in nature runs positive to negative (or vicey-versey I forget) if you know what I mean and I think you do. My creative writings have all been my own, so they of course tend to reflect my own personal beliefs and outlook on life. That’s not a conscious decision, just more of a “write what you know” approach. Which would explain my current work on the history of swizzle sticks and other cocktail paraphernalia, tentatively titled “I Hope You’re Happy, They Cut Down The Rain Forests So You Could Have a Miniature Umbrella In Your Drink You Selfish Bastard.” It’s going to be a coffee table book.
It does seem dishonest to me that a writer would constrain themselves to what the Catholic Church thinks about certain issues. Based on this criteria, “hallower” (if that is his real name!) might want to disqualify himself from writing, playing, or being involved in the video game industry at all, given that back in January The Pope himself bloviated:
“Any trend to produce programs and products – including animated films and video games – which in the name of entertainment exalt violence and portray anti-social behavior or the trivialization of human sexuality is a perversion.”
Still, it’s an interesting mental exercise. As a card carrying fetus-hating tree-fornicating granola muncher, would I take a paying gig where my job was to write against my principles? Could I turn Dick Cheney into a sympathetic character who cuddles with puppies instead of shooting them in the face? Could I really bring myself to write a piece about Kirsten Dunst without including the adjectives “skanky,” “whorish,” or “stay-away-from-Toby-you-skanky-whorish!”? It would be a challenge. But unlike “hallower” (I don’t think it’s his real name) I like to think I’m open to the challenge of being “a part of an artistic work which includes advocacy against my own conscience.”
Are there some jobs I would absolutely refuse? Of course. I like to think I’d refuse a writing job from The Swiftboat Veterans for We Hate Cute Bunny Rabbits With Pancakes On Their Heads SO MUCH (or NAMBLA1), but then again it really does make the pancake inedible, so are they really so wrong?
Fencing your imagination with hypothetical boundaries is the cognitive equivalent of an athlete refusing to lift a weight because it’s heavy. Sure you can grow and hone your craft by writing what’s comfortable and what supports your own ideals. Many established writers have never written outside their own biases and ideals and have been perfectly happy and even occasionally highly paid. But while many of these writers never left their own mental yards, it’s doubtful they erected fences to keep themselves from leaving.
§
1The Daily Show writers are on strike. I’m just picking up the ball and running.
