David Cage Would Have Left the Industry If Heavy Rain Hadn't Been A Commercial Success

Yes, seriously. In an interview with Games, David Cage reveals this shocking fact: If Heavy Rain had been a commercial failure, I would certainly have had to go back to more standard types of games…actually, I would probably have left the industry, he says.

Why go so far? Because David Cage wants games to mean something, of course–just like most of us do. For me, emotion is everything. If you can create an experience that is emotionally engaging and though provoking…my point of view is certainly very marginal in the industry right now, but I continue to believe that the future of games lies in reaching an adult audience, not the way the Wii does, but in creating interactive experiences that carry depth and meaning, and trigger complex emotions. We should invent new ways of playing to get rid of loops, mechanics and patterns, as well as stop limiting ourselves to ultra-violent themes.”

Interestingly, this doesn’t explain why Heavy Rain can best be described as “Saw the video game,” and why there are so many ultra-violent elements to it. Would Heavy Rain have been as successful without those elements, would people have been able to appreciate it? Would anyone even consider it a game, then? Who knows. David Cage does think there’s a lot more that we could be doing to explore mature themes, though.

There are so many things to talk about that have never been evoked in a game; so many worlds to explore; so many new ways of playing that we cannot even think of today, that it would be stupid not trying to go further. If we don’t do it, we will see our business decline and we will limit games to toys for kids and teenagers.

Because remember, folks, the 18-25 year old male demographic isn’t actually THAT big. Why should our games strive to cater to mostly/only that demographic?