SYDHiT - I Don’t Give A S**t About Mass Effect, I Do Give A S**t About Artistic Integrity

SYDHiT writes - The thing that makes art great is that it can cause such heated discussion, arguing with a friend over the meaning behind a painting or whether that last Transformers movie was good or bad is what makes art last beyond its finale. If you watch/play/view something artistic and at the end of it you say “That was ok, I guess”, you forget it almost immediately because there was nothing to grasp onto, whether it be a good or bad aspect.

[dredgewalker]

Artistic integrity is always compromised when you start marketing it.

[Philoctetes]

It's interesting that the author is making an issue out of Bioware's artistic integrity. This is the same company that cut stuff out of the main story and sold it as day one DLC. Sorry, but you don't get the play the "artistic integrity" card after you pull a stunt like that.

[wollie]

so next time McDonald's screws up my hamburger, I wont question their "artistic integrity"

[Wolfbiker]

Completely different and you know it...mcdonalds is a service, mass effect is entertainment.

Even if you think ea and bioware sold out in favor of the almighty dollar then do the mature thing and shut up and don't spend your money on their products anymore...money talks..which is why they are in this position.

[Hicken]

Not by much, honestly.

If a painter, let's say Da Vinci, was commissioned by a patron to paint something, and the patron was not satisfied with the end result, then Da Vinci would have to paint something else, or lose that person's patronage. Payment is for something the patron likes, not whatever the artist desired. Staying true to his vision for something would have to be on some other project, entirely (like the Vitruvian Man, for example, instead of the Mona Lisa).

This is the basics of artistic integrity: within the scope of the artist's vision, but also conforming to the tastes of the patron. Because if the patron isn't pleased, you don't get paid. And if you don't get paid, you're working for free.

Video games are the same. At least, some of them are. Mass Effect is one such, at the behest of the creators. They crafted a "piece" which was supposed to appeal to their fans, their patrons. Bioware explicitly stated that their patrons' input would directly affect the end result of this piece; however, upon completion, the effects were negligible. Some patrons, nonetheless, were satisfied, but it appears that many more are not. And they have every right to demand that the artist who crafted the piece rectify this oversight.

Money DOES talk, but I honestly don't know how many times the "vote with your wallet" thing will have to fail before people stop trying to make that argument. It was fine when those who played games were concerned heavily with the gaming industry: they would buy good games or games from good developers, and the lack of sales for other developers, games, and franchises would weed out the bad. But now it has gone mainstream, and the mainstream audience is never as picky about something as the core audience. With more money coming in from the mainstream, the core "voting with their wallets" hardly makes a dent. And, in the end, whatever issues they had are ignored in favor of the money still made from the indifferent- or not as discerning- mainstream crowd.

I'd encourage you and others who think that people are going too far to look at all sides of this, and not just choose one immediately: how many times this generation have gamers been screwed over and subjected to unfair, greedy practices? Yet despite many of us objecting to those practices, they have become ever more common. Abstaining from purchasing, then, isn't a big enough deterrent. More must be done.

[wollie]

If you think the end of ME3 was artistic or even "entertainment" then I can't help you.

[dc1]

The author should take the time to read/understand the issues before expressing his opinion. I would argue that if bioware/EA had artistic integrity and intestinal fortitude, they would have delayed the game to deliver the story in context with what they promised/intended.

[TronEOL]

I don't really care about all this to be honest. After a while of arguing it (since I didn't mind the ending), I sort of just gave up. Because in the end, whatever they add I'll be playing. Not to mention I recently read what one of the writers wanted to do with the ending and thought it was pretty cool.

I'd prefer something new, but more DLC for a game I enjoy is fantastic. More Mass Effect is a positive in my books.

[Firewound]

I understand sticking to an artistic vision, hell without it mass effect wouldn't be the game it is. But Bioware decided to throw there own "artistic vision" out of the window, when they altered the ending because some fans weren't happy with the original ending when it was leaked in the script.

I understand the need for them to consider the fan feedback, but they created great endings for the previous games. Why did they suddenly change the ending before people had even held a copy, let alone played it to its conclusion. Now there stuck in a situation of there own making, damned if they do, damned if they don't.

[palaeomerus]

A bad ending is not an indicator of artistic integrity but of artistic bankruptcy and generally being clueless and inept. Disappointing inferior work is simply not worth defending from revision especially when it is created for use in a commercial product.