Spec Ops: The Line writer calls for less violent games

Spec Ops: The Line writer Walt Williams told a GDC audience that violent games are "creatively too easy", calling on the industry to produce more diverse stories.

"We're in an industry full of very intelligent, knowledgeable, and progressive people. It's getting harder and harder for us to play these games and to look at them critically and say, 'This is OK, this makes sense,' especially as we get older," he said, as reported by Gamespot.

"I would like to see less violent games out there. Not because they're bad or wrong, but because I think creatively they're too easy."

Non-violence is a bit of a non-starter for shooters, but although he acknowledge the difficulty, Williams seemed to suggest there are ways game narratives can differentiate themselves anyway.

"How can you make another shooter that leaves your characters arguably alive? I think we need to get to a point where we can move back to maybe trying to write characters that are a bit more hopeful. I think that might be a good first step," he said.

On the subject of Spec Ops: The Line, Williams said the controversial shooter's success was something of a surprise, even to him.

"Honestly, the game was very much an experiment. One that, to this point, I'm kind of really surprised that it ever made it to the shelves," he said.

Thanks, PC Gamer.