Games Aren't Numbers

Today when I saw the film Moon I was treated to one of Brütal Legend's trailers (the exact version of which doesn't seem to exist on the internet). It featured Jack Black talking about how great the game will be and then a short clip from one of the cut scenes. It seemed like a relatively simple and effective advertisement.

In the past I've expressed my resentment for “film envy.” I like the fact that game developers don't have the same type of social role that Hollywood stars do, constantly selling their image in order to sell products (although unfortunately videogames have mascots to do that). But nonetheless I was bothered by the fact that Tim Schafer's name was nowhere to be seen on this ad, even though Jack Black's face took up the majority of its runtime. While this particular ad isn't at fault, it's symbolic of a larger issue: the public doesn't know or care who makes games. Or at least most of the public doesn't, not even the demographic that buy games. An accomplished celebrity within the videogame subculture like Schafer isn't worth anything on the silver screen.

The trailer I saw didn't do anything wrong, it's natural to let the star of a game promote it. EA's job is to sell the game, and there's no point in namedropping designers if that won't help sell it. But it's irksome how little credit is given to designers, especially one like Schafer.