one defense of Bioware is that they make popcorn videogames that are enjoyed by a wide spectrum of people–that they may not be literature but they’re telling some kind of big sweeping story and offering loads of entertainment. this is false. to call them digestible fare is a specious lie. i would love it if bioware made common denominator, disposable, entertaining games. their games are turgid, indigestible, monotonous slogs.
bioware’s games do not deserve to be talked about. they do not deserve the many, many articles and deconstructions they’ve accrued due to their pop culture cachet. they are forgettable, with terrible, one-note (one may be too generous) characters, and design that specializes in the infantilization of the player.
they cling to genre as if any deviation from the most saccharine, predictable plotting were certain death, as if any modest flourish of humanity or sophistication were anthrax waiting to be inhaled, yet they fail to entertain or work within even the most basic strengths of their genres.
real talk: there is no facet or branch of design that bioware does not fail at on a ludicrous, embarrassing level, so stop taking them seriously.
Yep.