The nerd net is abuzz this morning that geek heroine Felicia Day’s mystery project will be a 6 part live action webisode based on BioWare’s fantasy universe Dragon Age. I feel so alone as I seem to be the only one who is a little bit wary of this decision and her ability to produce a quality product here. Before you label me as a troll or set my house on fire let me elaborate.
I love Th
e Guild. I have seen every episode multiple times and new seasons are always very exciting. The last episode of season 3 was definitely the highlight for me. I think Felicia day is a very talented comedy writer and also very good at playing her role. She did such a fantastic job with The Guild that even my wife, who’s gaming taste doesn’t go beyond You Don’t Know Jack, Worms, and Rock Band, absolutely loves the show as well. To sum it up; I am a huge fan.
With that said I wouldn’t hire Jerry Seinfeld to write for Dexter, I wouldn’t hire Notch to write the story for Mass Effect 3, and I wouldn’t hire Felicia day to write a “dark fantasy narrative” because it is not in her resume or demonstrated skill set.
To quote Felicia herself, “I wanted to bring a modern sensibility to a fantasy character in a fantasy world.” This is what really makes me nervous. An aspect I really enjoyed about DA:O is that Ferelden felt very authentic. There weren’t any elves saying “that’s wack” or any hip hop dwarves. There was no lute hero. All there was just a different (sorta but that’s another post) twist on fantasy fare that had a unique and immersive feel. Dragon Age isn’t really about humor. That’s not to say there isn’t any room for it, but I don’t think it should ever be shoehorned in for its own sake. I love humor like I love violence like I enjoy anything; when it’s appropriate.
Felicia is also quoted as saying “I put every bit of effort into making this something that gamers should be proud of.” This also rubs me the wrong way for a few reasons. Why not make this something everything can be proud of? We gamers are often a fickle bunch who have been trained and conditioned for years to accept subpar writing, acting, and plot development as gold. I would like to see the team produce something that anyone who isn’t a gamer can appreciate. I have a lot of friends who love fantasy writing but can’t stand video games, or don’t have the patience to put in the requisite 30+ hours to play through DAO plus another 25 for the DLC.
Now I hope to be proven wrong. I hope this series is amazing and I am reduced to just a pessimist who doubts everything that is right in this world. I love Felicia Day and think it’s amazing that she exists as a celebrity (famous for being a home grown nerd). I will just wait to get excited about this one. Now if they hired this guy we would be cooking with gas!