Ron Gilbert Working on Penny Arcade Game

Yesterday at the Penny Arcade site Gabe shared the news that Ron Gilbert is working with them on Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness. The well known designer, veteran of several LucasArts adventure titles as well as the creator of the SCUMM engine, has apparently been assisting the duo in planning out their first commercial game title. Says Gabe, "We had our first meeting with Ron pretty early in the design process. Tycho and I were getting the story fleshed out and we had some ideas about the design and over all pace of the game. We laid it all out for Ron and then he picked up a whiteboard marker and started teaching class. I'm not sure how many people can say they got a game design 101 course taught by Ron Gilbert, but that's exactly what Tycho and I got that day. His insights into the way you move the player through an interactive story so that they get to explore the world but don't loose the narrative were incredible." 1up also has commentary from Gilbert, who says, "I have been a fan of Penny Arcade because I have always found their comic so funny and biting. When I first heard they were making a game and that they had chosen to weave adventure game elements into it, I knew immediately I wanted to be involved. Working with the Penny Arcade guys and the team at Hothead has been an absolute riot."

This is the end

[nokilli]

How can you be objective (or even funny) in reporting about an industry that you are now part of?

I love this strip. If they want to go and do video games from now on, that's great. But they shouldn't for a moment think they can do both. A lot of what makes Penny Arcade so great is that these guys have demonstrated their integrity... a big part of why people tune in to the site is because they know Gabe and Tycho say it like it is. Once that's lost, it's over.

I understand why it may seem like it's a good idea. Gabe draws great. Tycho talks pretty. The two have talents that naturally form the foundation for no doubt many a great game.

But the market is constantly taking people who excel at X and convincing them they can succeed at Y, and while financially that may sometimes work out, invariably X is lost, and Y ends up sucking.

I hope I'm wrong.

Re:This is the end

[Song for the Deaf]

I would hazard a guess that this game wouldn't so much be an entity unto itself, as an extension of their critiques and insight into the gaming world. Look for them to take the piss out of themselves and the games business and culture and its attendant cliches, sacred cows, and (hopefully) personalities.

I don't see how making this game will affect their status as outsiders. The fact that they're making an adventure game (a genre that appeals mainly to longtime and hardcore gamers, and that has been dead to mainstream video game produciton for awhile now) speaks volumes about what their true intents are. This is not going to be a shiny Gears of War clone.

And although they wouldn't say as much, the notion that they have a solid, solid fanbase behind them (PA expo anyone?) can be very liberating when you have to make creative decisions that affect the quality of a game. They know what their fans want. I think this game will be funny, witty, sarcastic, gross, inane, immature and fantastic- much like their comic.

Re:This is the end

[Jarjarthejedi]

"How can you be objective (or even funny) in reporting about an industry that you are now part of?"

Very easily, you don't talk about your work. Or are you claiming that a Computer Programmer can't be witty and objective about a programming issue (and if you're saying that you're gonna have to answer to most /.ers :P). What about a farmer talking about some farming practices in another country? So long as you're not discussing your work or a competitor's work or being payed to say certain things it's easy to be objective about the industry you're in. Since they won't have any competitors (there are few game studios left that make adventure style cheap games), are unlikely to talk about their game in their comics from what I've seen and will almost certainly not be payed to say anything now that they're making a game I see no problem with it.

IMHO someone who's a part of the industry tends to be the best source of information, so long as they can be trusted to avoid pushing their products over other people's. I've read Penny Arcade for a while and found that ever since they started this game they've been a lot kinder to the game industry without losing their wit or objectivity. Seems to me that they're now more qualified to talk about someone else's game as they are learning how difficult it can be. I'm a lot more likely to believe a game designer's extremely critical review of a game over your average joe who played it for 10 minutes. I'm not saying that's what Penny Arcade used to do but I would much rather hear their opinion on new games AFTER they've finished making one of their own that's (hopefully) good.

But hey, that's my .02 cents. If you want to get your news from a total outsider then that's your choice. I for one welcome our new game building game reviewing Penny Arcade overloads happily.