Le cinéma.

Bientôt l’été draws more inspiration from Nouvelle Vague cinema than any of our previous games. In some ways it’s a tribute, even.

I adore Godard’s work and attitude in embarrassing amounts. Having just seen Le Mépris again fills me with doubt again about the position we should be taking with our work. Should we push the medium to its extreme in search of the sublime? Or should we try to address the desires of the public and, well, change the world? The fact that Godard calls Le Mépris a “traditional film” in the trailer, makes me think he struggled with similar doubts. And it’s comforting to see that a supposedly traditional approach did not prevent this film from becoming the masterpiece that it is. Maybe it even helped.

Still, what he does in that film is so far removed from what happens in videogames. One of the leading parts in Le Mépris is played by an aging Fritz Lang. And part of the subject matter is the conflict between art and commerce. Videogames have only just started understanding that they are an art form. We are a long way off from having senior games directors who can defend the art of videogames against the commercial demands of an industry. So maybe it’s just too early for any of this.

Also, when thinking how I could possibly make a videogame that is as bold, and humorous, and tragic and sublime as Le Mépris, I draw a blank. Despite the superficial similarity of displaying on a screen, the two mediums feel extremely different to me. I’m often jealous of how film can simply point a camera at reality and record it. The same effect in videogames would be utterly unaffordable.

But this is a different medium, and we have to find our own way. Not just in the craft of the art, but also in positioning our output in its cultural context. In many ways, videogames are far more exciting and flexible than film. And our times call for very different approaches to art.