The subject of the latest issue of Wired magazine is failure. And rather unsurprisingly one of the subjects taking center stage in any discussion about major failures is the now-cancelled Duke Nukem Forever. The story of DNF is well-known by now, the delays, the engine changes, the drama behind its cancellation (and if not then the article is a great summary of the downfall of 3D Realms and the Duke).
The lead for the article sums it up nicely. 3D Realms had success, had time, and had the money to make its dream project. And while there were plenty of other mistakes make along the way to cancellation and vaporware infamy, the story of Duke Nukem Forever would be much different if 3D Realms didn’t have those resources available to it. And as the article tells its story it becomes very clear: the failures of Duke Nukem Forever are a direct result of too much time and too much money. Any other project would have been released a decade earlier because of the time and financial constraints typically associated with game development. 3D Realms had the luxury of not releasing a game unless they absolutely wanted to and that became the major issue with DNF.
To compare look at the idea of art from adversity. The production of Werner Herzog’s Fitzcarraldo was a nightmare that resulted in an amazing film. Jaws was fraught with delays and filming difficulties almost driving Spielberg to give up on the project. Even ignoring the extremes of actual adversity constraints can be enormously useful. Hemingway once said his best work was the six word story “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” Or look at the success of rapid game development competitions like Ludum Dare or the Global Game Jam. 48 hours seems like no time to complete a good game yet some of the best games of last year (like Beacon) were developed fully within this time span.
Adversity and constraints are elements that are enormously useful in the process of creation. They force you to be creative, they force you to find compelling solutions to problems, and most importantly they often force you to just complete the damn thing. With no constraints placed on themselves 3D Realms doomed themselves to the sad ending that befall Duke Nukem Forever. Let’s not let the Duke’s fall go in vain. Place constraints on your projects and you’ll end up much happier (and successful) for it.
