The creative process of artists is disrupted when they alter their decisions in the piece because of what they think the audience will think.
Videogames are art if the process of creation is that which allows ideas and concepts to grow from a creative entity. The artists working on a play all work together as a team with a unified vision in line, the actors, set designer, light designer, costume designer, etc. They do not make a play with the notion that it’ll be a crowd pleaser, or that it is what fans of the playwright will want. 343i, the creative entity for Halo, has to act in the same way.
Let me preface this by saying that I’m not against feedback, and I’m well aware that for Halo games to continue being made, they must sell. But what sells more? An incredible, new, and exciting game, or a new game? Fan feedback is also an incredible tool for developers if it’s used correctly. The function of feedback, which is really most prevalent in videogames, should be to give the artists another perspective that shines light on their idea and where/if it can go against the intended execution. It shouldn’t be used to see whether an idea is liked or not. It doesn’t matter if it’s liked or not, it matters if it works.
That’s the problem I see. This has nothing to do with the pointless argument of casual vs competitive. It has to do with 343i being fully behind their choices for the future of Halo. The intention behind the choices for Halo 5 and beyond is what matters. And if the intention is so flexible and hesitant that 343i can be bullied into how they make the game, who is really making the game? The artists or the audience?
It has to be the artists. We as an audience think we know what we want. But 343i shouldn’t give us what we want. They should give us what they want out of a Halo game that moves it forward in what they believe is the right way because they are the ones making it. Everything simply can’t be fan service. If it is, then where is the beauty of the creation? There’s too much “we are aware” and “will be changed” going on. How exciting and interesting would it be if 343i introduced a new feature or idea that they were completely behind, even if fans initially weren’t onboard?
This is why I believe that certain parts of the new Halo world aren’t working. Because 343i is taking into account entirely too much what the fans will think, they are being sheltered from true, amazing new ideas to move Halo forward. I’m worried that the things they introduce are already filed under “subject to change” because they take into account so much what we think.
Guys, I know that everyone here knows Halo and what it means to them and what they believe keeps the true feel of Halo intact. But that’s different for every single Halo fan on the planet. Literally, every fan. Do you know who it isn’t different for? A single creative entity: 343i. Otherwise it’s chaos, or even what some may call the state here right now.
The bottom line here is that the best things about Halo have come when the creators have been 100% behind the decision. The things that don’t/didn’t work almost always didn’t fit not because of fan feedback, but because of the unsureness of the people behind it, and whether it would work. All that matters is intention and execution. Second guessing doesn’t help. Again, this is not saying that feedback shouldn’t be embraced. It should. I’m saying that it shouldn’t be a factor in the initial creation of an idea for Halo.
Our brains work in a way where true creativity can blossom in an environment that is accepting, relaxed, and collaborative. We aren’t making Halo. 343i is. And we have literally no idea what 343i is capable of. They can make fantastic new additions to Halo, if they work in a way that doesn’t scare them away from new ideas. They can’t be overwhelmed by us.
Please notice that I haven’t put my opinion in on anything regarding specific Halo 5 additions/changes, or other media and pieces 343i made. I really, really want this discussion to be about the process of making a freaking amazing Halo game, which has happened.
Think of how exciting a future Halo has if 343i, while still listening and communicating with fan feedback but not yielding to it, can truly embrace that they will make the best Halo game that they want to make because they are artists working on a piece of art that we all, including 343i, care for and love.