Will Wright: 'Games are not the right medium to tell stories'

Will Wright is best known for revolutionary games like The Sims, but the famed game designer has been up to more than just making games. And, unlike his games, which are all about open-ended story creation, Wright's new show on Current TV tells a concrete story.

"Games are not the right medium to tell stories," said Wright in a CNN interview, adding that they're "more about story possibilities."

Wright and Albie Hecht's new drama, Bar Karma, however, doesn't draw its characters, plots, and dialog solely from the usual team of writers (would you expect Wright to do anything the 'normal' way?). Not even Wright is directly in charge of the show's direction - it's crowd-sourced, a 'community-developed' TV series. The (preemptive) fans created the show by offering input on its website.

The resulting premise involves a mystical barroom in which the fates of lost souls are guided by the staff. The show premiered on Current last Friday, and you can watch episodes, as well as join in with the production of future episodes on the official site.

"This is storytelling," said Wright. "Television is a very different thing from video games. It's kind of hard for me to compare."

What do you think about games as a medium - or not a medium - for storytelling? You can read more of Wright's comments in his interview with CNN, in which he discusses his preference for creating his own stories in games, as opposed to experiencing stories told via other media.

Feb 18, 2011