3. Lack Of Auteurship
If you have ever read one of my many interviews with game developers here on What Culture, there is a question that you will see that I have asked everyone, "Why do you think gaming has a lack of auteurs?" What I mean by this is why aren't creative directors in games as revered and important as film directors or novelists. Unless you are an insane gaming nut, I am sure you might struggle to get into double digits when naming game directors. This is a massive problem. Art forms grow because of their artists and name recognition is a massive part of growing a fan base. Recognising and supporting these artists is a huge part of upholding the medium's integrity because it gives them creative sway over a franchise and keeps the direction of the industry out of full control of punlishers. The more popular these creatives become, the less replaceable they are. Too often have I head stories of artists getting replaced, franchises getting moved and sequels being made by completely new studios. While none of this is uncommon practice in say the film industry, it is vastly more rampant in the game industry. Art forms are carried on the back of its artists. It is about time we started supporting ours.