Rob McElhenney on Bullseye: Being honest about the video game industry on Mythic Quest

Описание: Rob McElhenney on Bullseye with Jesse Thorn! Full podcast can be found here or on most podcast streaming apps:

https://maximumfun.org/episodes/bulls...

Transcript:

Jordan Morris: Before you started making Mythic Quest, how much did you know about the world of—you know—gamers and video games and, kind of, all the stuff that’s getting parodied in Mythic Quest.

Rob McElhenney: Nothing.

Jordan: Didn’t even—didn’t even play Street Fighter in a pizza place, as a kid?

Rob: Oh! Oh, sure! No, of course I always—I played games. I’ve played games my whole life. I mean, we didn’t have a Nintendo. We couldn’t afford a Nintendo when I was kid, but my neighbor had one. So, I remember just coming home from school every day to play, you know, Mike Tyson’s Punch Out and Legend of Zelda and—and—

Jordan: Ah, the classics, yes.

Rob: Of course. And Mario Bros. and Super Mario 2. And so, like—and then, as I grew older, getting into PlayStation and playing Resident Evil, you I know, for four days straight. And of course, that was always, like—always been a part of my life, but I would never consider myself like a hardcore gamer. And I certainly didn’t know anything about the development or making of the games.

Jordan: That is such an interesting observation. I’m sure it adds—[chuckles] we can all remember, when we were kids, the neighbors that had the nicer video game collection. That is a very, like—I think that is a—kind of a through line for people that are kind of around our age.

Rob: Well, if you remember the original Legend of Zelda, the cartridge was gold. [Jordan affirms.] And there was something about, like, “WOAH, man!” Like, “You got gold! You got gold in your house! Like, I’m pretty sure we have, like, rats in our house!” [They laugh.] “And you have—you’ve got, like, a piece of gold?! In your bedroom?! You are rich!”

Jordan: “And you’re not melting it down and selling it?! What are you doing?!” [Laughs.]

Rob: “Why are you still living in this rowhome, in South Philadelphia? Like, melt it down and go get a penthouse somewhere.”

Jordan: So, you mentioned earlier that you are making this show in conjunction with Ubisoft and, you know, they are one of the most famous makers of video games. They make the Assassin’s Creed games and all sorts of other, you know, things that are now staples of video gaming. But the show does, like, look critically at a lot of aspects of the game industry. And it’s definitely, like, not always flattering. Like, you guys—you know—tackle some topics and you’re, you know, critical about the way the game industry operates. How do you balance, kind of, working with the industry but also, like, pointing out some of its flaws?

Rob: Well, that was something that was really important to us from the very beginning. And I—and I—and I asked Ubi. And I said, “Look, if you want—if you want me to be a part of this, then we’re going to have to look at all aspects of the industry with a critical eye.” And they said, “Of course. Of course.” And, you know, what’s really been wondering about them is that they recognize the truth that is… we have to stop pandering. We have to stop pretending that something is all good or all bad. We have to stop this… very strange notion that if we’re presenting something or somebody with flaws and honesty, that it’s going to detract from an overall macro-message. And I actually think that that works to our disadvantage, just as a—as storytellers, certainly. Because people can smell [censored] from a mile away. And I think it’s clear that, in the macro, this show is celebrating the gaming industry. And, by far, that’s the overwhelming response that we’ve gotten from everyone—that this is something that is celebrating the industry with all of its triumph and all of its foibles. Because it’s human beings, and that’s what human beings are. And if you present human beings as just being these, you know, stereotypes of heroes and villains, then people are gonna smell it and they’re gonna turn it off.