Press Reset- Book Review
Press Reset is Jason Schreier ‘s follow-up to Blood, Sweat, and Pixels, which looked at the inside story of how video games are made. Press Reset takes a further look behind the curtain and reveals what it really takes for the games we love to be created. In light of the constant news including #MeToo and #BLM much of this won't come as a surprise for those who follow the gaming news behind the big AAA announcements and promotional pieces but what Press Reset does is give you the inside track, often with big names sharing their experiences.
Over the course of the half dozen or so games, we hear tales of crunch, abuse, corporate buyouts leading to the scrapping of hundreds of hours of work, burnout and systematic layoffs after games have just released to make the balance sheet appear more profitable. Schreier is a video game journalist of some repute and writes with passion and a clear knowledge of the subject matter. It is refreshing to see an honest insight into the creative process of the biggest entertainment industry in the world without the glossy sheen of promotion or soundbites.
Chapter 1, The Journeyman, looks at the creation of Epic Mickey by Warren Spector. Epic Mickey was a title I owned and was excited about but ultimately disappointed by due to its shonky camera, floaty jump and surprisingly gloomy graphics. I wanted to love it but it felt a little rough around the edges, however I felt it was a worthy effort. The follow up, Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two, garnered less praise and wasn't as charming as the first game. Many commented that it seemed like a rush job with little passion or care shown. We learn from Schreier that Disney Interactive had moved the deadline for release forward, got rid of a lot of the workers and tried to introduce elements from Facebook and mobile games, which they thought were going to change the gaming landscape. They were wrong. I feel for Spector as he seems like a stand up guy who just wanted to make niche immersive sims a la Dungeons and Dragons but the suits consistently let him down.
Chapter 2, Project Icarus, looks at the creation of Irrational's Bioshock Infinite. The original Bioshock game became a beloved and bona-fide masterpiece which took narrative to another level in gaming but the follow ups and Infinite were difficult and some of that seems to be due to Ken Levine's divisive managerial style. It's fascinating as I played and completed the game and felt like, even though everyone was praising it to high heaven, it was a straightforward, boring corridor shooter with a very pretty coat of paint and cod-philosophy and quantum physics thrown in. A few months later, the hype had calmed down and I think much of the industry realised that the Emperor had some okay but not high-falutin' clothes.
The end of Irrational was due to Ken Levine's leaving and this is the auteur problem; you get to work with an ideas guy but when the guy decides to leave, the lights go out. And so it was.
Chapter 3, Rafting Upstream, looks at some of the staff that left Irrational setting up their own idea studio and releasing isometric rogue like puzzler The Flame and the Flood (which I haven't played). It looks at how Kickstarter and digital distribution made indie games a more viable solution for smaller teams to pursue. It also looks at how big name players can come in seeking to mooch in and disrupt things but can often lose interest and leave people hanging (Google and EA come to mind).
Chapter 4, The Case of the Missing Studio, looks at the interesting Studio Marin situation where a studio had mass layoffs but wouldn't say it had, saying it was 'reallocating resources.' As a worker it made it more difficult to get a job as usually when studios shutter companies rush to pick up talented staff. However, due to the closure of the studio many of its alumni went off to make successful independent games such as Gone Home (which I loved) and Kine (which i have yet to play).
Chapter 5, Workaholics, looks at the creation of Visceral Studios and the critical success of Dead Space and Dead Space 2. Then with EA' s 'Games As a Service' agenda it was mandated to make Dead Space 3 as a strange multiplayer shooter to compete with the likes of PUBG. I played Dead Space 1 and 2 and loved the creeping dread feel of being alone. By inserting a companion, I felt that Dead Space 3 would lose its identity and so it seemed as many fans turned away from the series. EA shuttered the studio after its poor decisions led to a poorly received game. The bean counters had struck again and affected the lives of so many for the benefit of so few through in terms of balance sheets, stocks, shares and self-awarded pay rises. At the time of writing this review news has just come in that EA are seeking to revive the series with a reboot but I don’t trust them to do anything worthwhile after they shuttered the studio due to their own corporate hubris.
Chapter 6, Bloody Socks, looks at the shuttering of 38 Studios, a studio created by an American Baseball star player, Curt Shilling. A huge fan of World of Warcraft, Shilling wanted to create his own MMORPG. Unfortunately, lack of business acumen and knowledge of the working side game development studios, and unfortunate legal wrangling with Rhode Island State meant that a sad fate awaited his much-hyped game Kingdom of Amalur.
Chapter 7, Big Huge Problems, looks at how Big Huge Games was bought by THQ and the problems that arose when their parent company became bankrupt. When 38 Studios and Curt Shilling came calling to buy the studio and support their in-progress MMORPG, BHG thought its problems were solved. This chapter is another angle to the tale told in chapter 6 and looks at how Shilling's meddling, upper management's confused messaging and video gaming experience and unrealistic expectations led to BHG's downfall too. After 38 Studios closure, the BHG team were out of a job, even though it had a completed game that was ready to ship. Luckily, it was bought by Epic who liked what the team had done before it too decided to close the door after only 8 months. It seems like the early 2010s had companies trying to push the 'Games As Live Service' and micro-transaction model, meaning games well into production were pivoted to produce Frankenstein’s-monster games where pieces of games were carved out to sell on digital storefronts, to the detriment of the game quality.
Chapter 8, Gungeon Keeper, looks at the ouroboros nature of video games and studios. This chapter looks at EA’s habit of buying studios, and then pulling the plug. And so it is was with Mythic, who were tasked with creating a game for the burgeoning mobile games market. Mythic was asked to pitch mobile games alongside working on Ultima Forever. Looking through the back-catalogue, Mythic Entertainment fell in love with Bullfrog's Dungeon Keeper 1 and 2. The game, created by the legendary game designer/ hype man Peter Molineaux, was a dungeon crawler but viewed askew as it was from the point of view of the 'bad guys'. Unfortuanely, EA insisted that the new game had to follow the freemium model (where the game was free but you paid micro-transactions to speed up 'cooldown timers') as the suits were looking to ape the huge financial success of Clash of Clans, which had earned hundreds of millions in the previous couple of years. It didn't go to plan and the studio was shuttered but a few of the team decided to go independent and from this came Indie hit, Enter the Gungeon. I hadn’t played Enter the Gungeon but after hearing this chapter I decided to support the plucky studio and I gotta say, the game is a blast!
Chapter 9, Human Costs, Human Solutions, looks at the cost of making games and offers possible solutions to the sometimes toxic environments and conditions that exist; dedicated outsourcing houses, freelance consulting and unionisation of the video game industry,
The AAA videogame industry is unsustainable as it currently stands. It has a high drop out rate and the brain drain is huge as many seek more stable work to support themselves, especially if they are looking to settle down, buy a house or start a family. In many countries, unions have helped protect worker's rights but in many parts of the videogame industry unions are considered one step away from Communism. However, Covid may have changed the way we think about work and remote working may be the way forward.
Whatever the case, Schreier has brought to light the highs and lows of the industry and in a thoroughly engaging way. This book is a must read for anyone with even the slightest bit of interest in the video game industry or the creative process.
LINK- Blood, Sweat and Pixels- Book Review
LINK- The Offworld Collection- Book Review
LINK- Uncharted 4- Video Games As Art
LINK: Japan: My Journey to the East
LINK- ‘Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire’