Filmmaker Verbinski gores gaming

SIDEBAR: In his D.I.C.E. conference keynote address, Gore Verbinski urged developers to break out of the homogenized mainstream and try something new, saying that they "have the obligation to make the suits s*** themselves."

Now the Pirates of the Caribbean director will get the chance to put his money where his potty mouth is, as The Los Angeles Times (registration required) is reporting that Verbinski is getting into game development himself. Verbinski told the paper that he's been thinking of entering the game world for a little over a year, saying that the project he's currently formulating is "a little bit out there."

"Although I really enjoy Halo and BioShock, I'm not interested in jumping in to compete with those guys," Verbinski said. "I want to come in from a completely different direction. I've had a tremendous experience in the film industry, taking knocks and figuring out how to navigate that world. Before I assume I know how to navigate this one, I want to observe."

Verbinski said he was not only interested in creating new genres, but that he wanted to explore the different aspects that make the game medium unique as well. For example, he said he was interested in new approaches to narrative, and would like to see a game that evoked strong emotions instead of simple excitement. However, he also said he'd like to explore gaming with no narrative at all, since the interactive nature of games means the developer doesn't necessarily have to impose a story on the audience.

Finally, he addressed the Disney adaptations of his blockbuster pirate-themed trilogy, saying he wasn't happy with the end product.

"I do think that model for producing games is broken," Verbinski said. "I think it's kind of a merchandising model rather than an art-form model. So I don't blame the people internally at Disney. I just think things have to change because it's diminishing the brand of gaming overall when you're producing stuff just to make a shelf date."

As for what he would have done differently, Verbinski said he would have liked a massively multiplayer social networking game that would let the players shape the game's world and story. He likened the trilogy's fan base to that of the Star Trek franchise, and expressed regret that the game didn't respect the fans as much as they deserved.