Games aren’t always allowed to take the risks that movies and books can. A creator can put 100 sex scenes into a single piece of cinematography, but the second someone shows intercourse in a game, the medium comes under fire. That’s one of the main reasons that Grand Theft Auto 5’s torture scene was so shocking. We don’t expect video games to push the envelope in such a mature manner, but Oddworld creator Lorne Lanning has plenty of ideas that he believes would be more traumatic than what we were recently exposed to in Rockstar Games’ open-world epic.
Speaking with CVG, the veteran game developer let slip just a taste of what he’s working on behind the scenes. Lanning doesn’t want to commit to a new project before he’s sure the money’s there to produce it, but when asked about GTA 5’s torture scene, he couldn’t help but discuss his even more traumatic ideas.
"I'm working on some stuff, at a design level, that is going to be more traumatic. I'm not sure I'm going to able to make it,” he admitted. “I'm designing stuff and I'm like, wow, this might be really intense, at a basic core level. I'm really trying to think it through. But part of me wants it. That intensity.
"I'm trying to find a balance between charm and intensity. In that intensity, in the way a particular character works, it might be a shocker for some. It might not be something they're expecting. I'm not sure I can make it, I'm not sure I can finance it. I don't think it's going to make worse people – and if I did I wouldn't make it. Remember the line about Mortal Kombat? We thought the world was going to end because you were pulling out spines. But it was great fun.”
If you want an idea of the types of games Lanning produces, a few of the Oddworld titles are now available on PSN. But even if that particular world isn’t your cup of tea, Lanning is a savvy designer worth keeping an eye on.
