Swedish-Lebanese video game developer and filmmaker Josef Fares is on a mission to make storytelling the top priority in video games, criticizing designs driven by money for stifling creativity.
"From a creative perspective, if you involve money too much, it will negatively impact it," Fares, whose 2021 game "It Takes Two" was a critical and commercial success, told AFP in Stockholm.
The 47-year-old has little tolerance for video game industry trends, including microtransactions, which encourage players to make repeated small payments for virtual in-game items.
The model offers developers a revenue source following the initial purchase of a game, or in some cases, the game is made available for free at the outset, with transactions being the sole source of revenue.
Fares agreed that in some instances it has been extremely profitable, but "we will never have those in our games".
He explained that introducing such mechanics inevitably influences design decisions.
"We shouldn't make decisions in video games that are solely for financial gain. It shouldn't be like changing the rules so you end up paying more money," Fares said.
Fares, who left Sweden at the age of 10 while Lebanon was in the midst of civil war, is known for his outspoken nature, using a strong expletive during the 2017 Video Game Awards to criticize the Oscars.
In the early 2000s, Fares wrote and directed five Swedish feature films, encompassing both comedies and dramas.
He established Hazelight Studios in 2014, following the success of his initial video game project, "Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons".
The Stockholm-based studio specializes in developing games that are designed for co-operative play, where two players collaborate and work together to achieve common goals.
It has released two games so far and is currently completing its latest project, "Split Fiction".
'Friendship'
The themes of the studio's first two games can be encapsulated in a single word, according to Fares.
He mentioned that the 2018 video game "A Way Out" was about "trust," which revolves around two prisoners working together to escape from prison.
The highly acclaimed sequel, "It Takes Two" (2021), revolves around the theme of "collaboration," where a married couple on the brink of divorce are turned into miniature dolls, prompting them to cooperate and navigate the hazards of their own home.
"'Split Fiction' is about the bond of friendship," Fares explained.
The narrative revolves around aspiring writers Mio and Zoe, whose contrasting personalities put them at odds with each other, as they find themselves trapped within a simulated world created from their own fictional tales, and must ultimately put aside their differences to escape.
"It's somewhat like a buddy movie, that you obviously star in," Fares said.
However, Fares pointed out that directing movies and video games are not the same.
One has to comprehend that they are two completely distinct platforms, one is engaging, one is static.
Films, a passive medium, have been in existence for a significantly longer period, allowing the art of storytelling to mature over time, "to develop the skill of conveying a narrative."
When working with an interactive medium, where the player has control over the pace and direction of the game, the developers have less control over aspects such as pacing or where the player focuses their attention.
Figuring out how to tell compelling stories in this setting is still a work in progress.
"We wish to be involved in determining how stories are told in video games," Fares said to AFP.
Sweden's video game industry has a remarkable track record of producing games that surpass expectations, considering the country's relatively small size, with notable franchises like "Minecraft" and the "Battlefield" series, as well as popular mobile games such as "Candy Crush".
Globally, the video game industry faced a challenging period in 2024, with numerous studios undertaking significant workforce reductions.
According to a report by the Game Developers Conference, nearly one in 10 developers were let go during the year, with restructuring and decreasing earnings listed as the primary causes.
Fares stated to AFP that he thinks the industry is currently in a favorable position, but he hopes that developers focus on creating the games they want, rather than trying to pursue the next major trend.
"I hope things improve, but I wish people would make decisions based on what they truly care about and enjoy doing," Fares said.
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© Agence France-Presse