D. Gaider - from writing games to writing novels

[Monolith]

Tags: BioWare; David Gaider

Our old buddy David Gaider, <a href="http://www.rpgcodex.com/images/peopledb/davidgaider.jpg">shady character over at BioWare</a>, has honed his writing skill and fulfilled everybody's dream of <a href="http://us.macmillan.com/dragonagethestolenthrone">writing a novel and actually getting it published</a>! It's the prequel to Dragon Age: Origin and here's the synopsis I blatantly copied:
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<blockquote>After his mother, the beloved Rebel Queen, is betrayed and murdered by her own faithless lords, young Maric becomes the leader of a rebel army attempting to free his nation from the control of a foreign tyrant.
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His countrymen live in fear; his commanders consider him untested; and his only allies are Loghain, a brash young outlaw who saved his life, and Rowan, the beautiful warrior maiden promised to him since birth. Surrounded by spies and traitors, Maric must find a way to not only survive but achieve his ultimate destiny: Ferelden’s freedom and the return of his line to the stolen throne.</blockquote>
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When I was about thirteen I had this awesome idea for a novel. A young boy, whose queen mother was killed, has to lead an army of rebells against a tyrant. It sounded very original ten years ago. Anyway, the end would have blown everybody away. Good thing I've kept it in my drawer for the last ten years, otherwise I'd have to sue David for plagiarism now.
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To add more relevance to this newspost, David added <a href="http://blog.bioware.com/2008/12/09/writing-a-novel-p1/">three</a> <a href="http://blog.bioware.com/2008/12/10/writing-a-novel-p2/">blog</a> <a href="http://blog.bioware.com/2008/12/11/writing-a-novel-p3/">entries</a> to the BioWare blog about his experience writing a novel and slightly about the differences between that and writing for games.
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Spotted at: <a href="http://www.gamebanshee.com">Gamebanshee</a>
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[Sirus]

I..... think I could love you.

 

[MetalCraze]

Shepard in Middle-Earth.

 

[Monolith]

I..... think I could love you.

I..... think I should get the fuck out quickly.

 

[Andyman Messiah]

The question that immediately pops up is, "should Dave G still be considered a good writer after this?" Seriously that sounds like shit. Jesus crotchgrabbing Christ on a diamond studded pogo stick.

 

[Pastel]

When I was about thirteen I had this awesome idea for a novel. A young boy, whose queen mother was killed, has to lead an army of rebells against a tyrant. It sounded very original ten years ago. Anyway, the end would have blown everybody away. Good thing I've kept it in my drawer for the last ten years, otherwise I'd have to sue David for plagiarism now.

You are a true patriot of the Codex, Monolith.

 

[Pastel]

Cloaked Figure rears its ugly head.

Seriously, do you believe this novel to be anything but pointless drivel? Consider: "his only allies are Loghain, a brash young outlaw who saved his life, and Rowan, the beautiful warrior maiden promised to him since birth".

 

[Andyman Messiah]

I feel as if I have read that story, many times already, I think it comes from every Bioware game ever. Oh well, at least they skipped the interactivity part.

 

[Brother None]

Rowan, the beautiful warrior maiden promised to him since birth.

Ah.

Ahahaa.

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

You couldn't make that stuff up. That's like the lowest of the low of fantasy writing.

 

[hiver]

It actually looks like bad hentai.

 

[The Rambling Sage]

After his mother, the beloved Rebel Queen.

How can you be a Rebel and a Queen at the same time? Isn't that like being called the "Anarchist King" or something?

Loghain, a brash young outlaw who saved his life, and Rowan, the beautiful warrior maiden promised to him since birth

Why are all young men brash and all beautiful maidens warriors nowadays? Haven't those writers heard of the horrible things muscles, scars, and sweat do to feminine beauty? Don't they know why there are no brash old outlaws?

 

[MetalCraze]

Rowan, the beautiful warrior maiden promised to him since birth.

Ah.

Ahahaa.

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

You couldn't make that stuff up. That's like the lowest of the low of fantasy writing.

I suppose that means that at least we won't get retarded romances because we got to bang the chick right away.

 

[Jaime Lannister]

"his only allies are Loghain, a brash young outlaw who saved his life"

nooooooooooo don't ally with the pornstar it's a trap

 

[Brother None]

Man I don't know this character and already I'm hoping she gets a faux-dramatic death scene. Oh please oh please oh please.

I suppose that means that at least we won't get retarded romances because we got to bang the chick right away.

Yeah right. You gotta roleplay your way into her good graces, mang. When faced with three dialogue options:
1. I like you.
2. I kinda like you.
3. Let's fucking kill shit yeah.

1 and 2 are appropriate and - in BioWare fashion - lead to exactly the same outcome. So does 3, but you have to do a minigame then.

 

[Pastel]

Rowan, the beautiful warrior maiden promised to him since birth.

Ah.

Ahahaa.

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

You couldn't make that stuff up. That's like the lowest of the low of fantasy writing.

I could imagine a great writer actually making a good novel out of this basic concept.
On the other hand, this

 

[Fat Dragon]

his only allies are Loghain, a brash young outlaw who saved his life,

and Rowan, the beautiful warrior maiden promised to him since birth.

 

[Pastel]

his only allies are Loghain, a brash young outlaw who saved his life,

and Rowan, the beautiful warrior maiden promised to him since birth.

Analogue.

 

[Brother None]

I could imagine a great writer actually making a good novel out of this basic concept.

That would have to be a pretty epic writer.

I mean, taking traditional fantasy cliches and turning them on their head is great and all. But from that description, that doesn't really sound like what they're doing

Maybe I should do a book review for GB...

 

[Pastel]

I could imagine a great writer actually making a good novel out of this basic concept.

That would have to be a pretty epic writer.

I mean, taking traditional fantasy cliches and turning them on their head is great and all. But from that description, that doesn't really sound like what they're doing

Maybe I should do a book review for GB...

Turning them on their head wouldn't be the only way - you could use the cliches in pure form in an otherwise interesting to explore fantasy setting.
And yes, you most definitely should. Matter of fact, I beg you to do so.

 

[Unradscorpion]

To bad Dave isn't over here anymore, this would have been hillarious.

 

[Azrael the cat]

Actually, the description of the 'allies' sounds a lot like one of the greatest film artistic masterpieces of all time....Conan the Barbarian (with Arnie as Conan)! Ahh...the great dialogue in that film - 'Hello, I'm [forgotten the name], a thief!'

 

[Jaime Lannister]

But Conan's just some random badass, not "TEH CHOSEN ONE"

 

[Wyrmlord]

I remember this one situation that David Gaider was saying that games like Torment and the Witcher are held back greatly by the fact that they have fixed protagonists.

Shannow very smartly responded to him, "There is room for more than one kind of game in the market. Your tastes don't determine what should or shouldn't go into it (thank god)."

It just makes you wonder. It's perfectly OK that Gaider works with his template of "the adventures of an unpaid personal therapist who journeys with half a dozen malcontents, and descends down onto the villains while wooing his friends and solving their social issues." He himself acknowledges that this is his style, and he likes it.

But why that certain self-righteous, in seeing that this is only and the best way of doing it?

 

[spacemoose]

damn, I'd like to have a beautiful warrior maiden promised to me from birth hmm

 

[spacemoose]

seventy beautiful maidens would be even better