[Christian IV]

Thanks for posting the linkey,

I have the utmost respect and admiration for Ragnar, and indeed I like him as a person, from what his blog indicates, he is a warm, intelligent, compassionate and very creative spirit with, yes, a touch or more than a touch of genius in him. I enjoyed reading his words, and think he is pretty right on about some of the observations he makes, and wish all the best for him and Funcom for future worik. But my doubts remain after seeing the debacle of Dreamfall, which is harsh and disjointed in some very basic fundimental ways and I sense that Ragnar still does not realize its major failure when it could have been a tremendous success if he had only kept what was unique and wonderful about TLJ and added what the new tech can do and built on a beautiful story without falling into plot traps and overly sentimentalized scenarios. It is a mailaise of our time I feel, simplistic and frankly banal trivialized plots are everywhere, and the 15 minute fast rush of TV thinking is eroding literature in print, film and games at a rapid rate. We are becoming a high tech illiteratti, and Ragnor symbolizes this, which is sad, for we KNOW he has the genius vision in him he has created from that place, and can again. I fear perhaps that the game industry and its so called
LAWS of success, sales, supply and units is a huge monster to face alone, and there are some but not many in the game world at the producing end with the courage and strength to stand up against the dragon, which demands to be fed full of the lowest quality diet and the highest degree of hype and glitz and violence and frenetic hyperactivity.

The slow pace and peace of mind of classic, and I insist, NOT old fashioned, has been, point and click, or deep story modern tech games is still the Gold Standard and will remain so, and the audience is NOT dwindling as Ragnar implies, indeed the potential for quality games is vastly expanded from the 1980's and 1990's for millions more are now computer literate who are potential and real customers and appreciators of any thing of quality. The problem is that they have very few chances to be drawn into the world of computer games, CGI, because they will be totally turned off by hyperactive and viloence addicted trash that is churned out each year by the game factories and the zombies in the suits that rule of them.

I question myself to be writing such questions when I know how much time and effort of human hands and minds and hearts goes into a game and how much work indeed went into Dreamfall and TLJ, and yet, my hope and dream to see the games literature rise and flourish and deepen rather than become a trivial pursuit of hyperactivity lured into numbness by glitz and glamor screens, and hyper actition. I still sense that there is huge potential in the games medium that has only been touched upon, and we can go higher and deeper by far. So I hope it is my hope for this and not a easy sniping that comes across, for I care and do admire and really like Ragnar and Funcom's efforts and will keep hoping.

I can only hope they wlll somehow return to the high and narrow path, that leads ot true quality and greatness and fun and beauty. I will remain hopeful and trust in the power of truth and the spiriit of the voice of adventure.