Fallout: New Vegas Lead Writer Inconveniently Points Out That...

"In some ways, I think doing narrative in video games is a little akin to doing comic book work."

The Fallout TV show returns for Season 2 next week, with the series opting for a weekly cadence that goes on till February. Season 2 takes us to the setting of Fallout: New Vegas, and PCG's Ted Litchfield recently had the opportunity to speak to one very interested party: the lead writer of Fallout: New Vegas, John Gonzalez.

Gonzalez began by going into some detail on the elements he admired in the show's writing, before things took a rather more interesting turn.

"I really enjoyed the first season of the show," says Gonzalez. "I thought there was some really admirable complexity in the way that they explored the world. I mean, I thought that the Maximus character is a fascinating creation, a fascinating slant to take you into the Brotherhood of Steel. I'm fascinated to see where it goes."

Gonzalez then makes the dangerous decision to mention the topic of credit and residuals, comparing it to how many early comic book creators were treated: the likes of Bill Finger or Jack Kirby or Steve Ditko.

"It is very odd to see characters that I created showing up in other media," says Gonzalez. "It's also something where there's no credit for that, there's no residuals for that. And that's something that I understood doing the work early on. In some ways, I think doing narrative in video games is a little akin to doing comic book work.

"In the '60s or '70s, it's like, 'Oh, you created Spider-Man? Good for you.' I mean, at least we know who Steve Ditko is, right? But it doesn't belong to you. That's not the terms under which you do the work. So it's weird. To me, it just shows that when Leonard Boyarsky and Tim Cain first imagined this world, I think that they did something that was a master stroke."

Few would dispute that: though props to Gonzalez for turning his very valid point back onto the original co-creators. Comics have grappled with questions of credit and compensation for the medium's entire existence, and despite the popularity of imprints like Image (where everything is creator owned) it remains largely a work-for-hire industry. You can certainly see where Gonzalez is coming from: the Fallout show is bankrolled by Amazon, a massive success, and season 2's about to kick off with a take on stuff he created.

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Incidentally, Fallout co-creator Tim Cain has f

Source: PC Gamer