Yakoob on 15/2/2015 at 01:37
I'm with Sulphur, the interview read more like an interrogation. The very first line immediately sets up an accusatory tone that never really lifts and meanders a little too much at times. It had the opposite effect intended for me, I actually understood and emphasized with PM a bit more for remaining so civil and being the "bigger man" all throughout. That PM had it coming is besides the point, there are ways to pose these questions without being emotional, personal and unprofessional about it. I expected more civility from a reputable journalist.
Format of the interview aside, I have some mixed feelings about the whole thing. As a GameDev, I can relate to everything PM said, and witnessed the same exact "issues" that led to his "lies" myself, albiet on a much much smaller scale. But as an enterpreneur and a consumer, I also could not stop shaking my head.
PM goes on about creativity and you can't predict it and rush it, which is all true. But he's NOT just an artist. The moment he took money from people, he turned it into a business. He added an element of responsibility* to his backers. He can no longer take as much time and methods as he wants in the name of art; he has to deliver. This is why startup indie devs get told a finished good game is better than an unfinished great game. I believe project-management is an integral part of the GameDev Craft as much as the creative parts.
(It's also one of the reasons I've been reluctant to try KS myself, as I'd feel really guilty if my own endeavors flopped and I wasted people's money and, more importantly, trust. )
* On the flipside, I also never saw KS as a purchase or even investment, but a hopeful donation. And I'm pretty sure KS own policies reflect that (correct me if wrong). So technically PM has never lied - they are still developing the game and striving to deliver the pledges. Walker harping on returning people money for the booklet just felt way too hamfisted and PM does have a point - regardless of it being a making-of or design hanbook (which are in many ways pretty similar), it's not something that can (or should) be finished before the game itself. And that is, despite delays, still underway.
My take? I think PM isn't so much a deliberate schemes as someone with a grandiose-ego personalities where he dreams big and is incapable of grasping the true scope of the work required. He does recognize this as his own fault and admits to it, which is great, but he repeatedly refuses to take any responsibility for it, which is terrible. You can't just admit your flaws and hope people accept them without taking steps to mend them.
Jason Moyer on 15/2/2015 at 03:48
It's a shame that the worst contributor to RPS is the fucking owner of the website.
Pyrian on 15/2/2015 at 06:05
Quote Posted by Jason Moyer
It's a shame that the worst contributor to RPS is the fucking owner of the website.
Lol. I've seen a
lot of businesses like that. There's a reason that one basic business advice is "hire good people and get out of their way". Some owners seem completely oblivious to the fact that their success is largely despite themselves. Others... Know it very well, and how they feel about it kind of varies.
Fafhrd on 15/2/2015 at 08:51
Quote Posted by Jason Moyer
It's a shame that the worst contributor to RPS is the fucking owner of the website.
He's
a owner of the site. Jim, Alec, John and Kieron own it together. John's probably the most prolific writer of the Hive Mind since Jim splits his time between Big Robot and RPS, I don't know what Alec does, and Kieron does comics full time.
EvaUnit02 on 15/2/2015 at 18:45
^
Alec had been MIA for a while because he has a baby. He came back from "paternal leave" in late 2014 however.
faetal on 16/2/2015 at 11:12
I agree with Sulphur. Seems like Walker has surveyed the landscape and seen his chance to be a champion for the disgruntled.
Renault on 16/2/2015 at 15:59
I think as a journalist, it's expected you have a modicum of respect for your interviewee and that you basically conduct yourself in a professional manner. I think at several points during the interview, he (Walker) didn't live up to that. He's only hurting himself and the site though. I'm guessing any potential/future interviewees will think twice about doing interviews with him - who wants to put up with that kind of abuse? He's ripping on Molyneux's reputation and at the same time killing his own.
