Scott Dewalt

I think games really need to stop trying to be more cinematic and tell their narratives through ways only a game can. Player agency, transforming content, multiplayer, and other systems are all unique ways to tell stories that so many games (particularly AAA games) never take advantage of.

It’s easy to see why cinema has had the impact it’s had on gaming, and how many developers wish to emulate it. But if game developers want to be taken more seriously, I think the first step should be to stop apologizing for being games.

I think one of the major reasons why abridging has evolved so much is due to creators being more active in the editing. This is particularly evident in YGO:TAS.

The original episodes were extremely short and had minimal editing. The writing is similar to an anime script adapter: a script is written within the constraints of the animation. Later episodes regularly run over 10 minutes and the new scripts could never fit in the original animation, so it’s edited to accommodate the script instead of the other way around.

Those creative risks and liberties helped evolve abridged series from fan parodies to what you’ve written here.

I’ve noticed a trend among these big Silicon Valley companies (and this probably extends to other businesses): whenever there’s a controversy, maybe apologize and do nothing to solve the problem.

Some of these problems could be solved with strict moderation and taking a more hands-on approach, but these tech companies seem revolted by the idea of hiring human beings to do work and instead just automate everything.