Sponsored By

Video: Thief vs. Deus Ex - a design discussion

Deus Ex designer Warren Spector and Thief designer Doug Church grill each other on stage at GDC 2002 about their first-person stealth game design decisions.

Game Developer, Staff

May 23, 2013

2 Min Read
Game Developer logo in a gray background | Game Developer

Deus Ex designer Warren Spector and Thief designer Doug Church grill each other on stage at GDC 2002 about their first-person, stealth game design decisions, to exemplify deep analysis without destroying the "magic of game creation." Courtesy of the GDC Vault, this free 60-minute panel sees Spector reply to topics such as the expression of narrative from minute-to-minute in Deus Ex, while Church explains such ideas as stretching the "edge of tension" between being safe and being spotted in Thief. To watch the full Warren and Doug show, click here. Session Name: Practical Game Analysis with Doug and Warren Speaker(s): Warren Spector, Doug Church Company Name(s): Ion Storm, Looking Glass Studios Track / Format: Design Overview:Warren Spector and Dough Church have worked together and separately on games for more than 10 years. Although they often have worked on projects with similar goals, the do not always agree on what methods are appropriate to reach them. Similarly, although their interests overlap on issues of design, player behavior and effective tools for players and developers, there are notable areas of difference in their ideas and approaches. In this session, they discuss these and other issues, often agreeing, but at times politely disagreeing about what should come next for games, as a medium of entertainment for players, as a medium of expression for developers, and as a medium of profit for publishers.

About the GDC Vault

In addition to this presentation, the GDC Vault offers numerous other free videos, audio recordings, and slides from many of the recent GDC events, and the service offers even more members-only content for GDC Vault subscribers. Those who purchased All Access passes to events like GDC, GDC Europe, and GDC China already have full access to GDC Vault, and interested parties can apply for the individual subscriptions via a GDC Vault inquiry form. Group subscriptions are also available: game-related schools and development studios who sign up for GDC Vault Studio Subscriptions can receive access for their entire office or company. More information on this option is available via an online demonstration, and interested parties can find out more here. In addition, current subscribers with access issues can contact GDC Vault admins. Be sure to keep an eye on GDC Vault for even more new content, as GDC organizers will also archive videos, audio, and slides from other events like GDC China and GDC 2013. To stay abreast of all the latest updates to GDC Vault, be sure to check out the news feed on the official GDC website, or subscribe to updates via Twitter, Facebook, or RSS. Gamasutra and GDC are sibling organizations under parent UBM Tech.

Daily news, dev blogs, and stories from Game Developer straight to your inbox

You May Also Like