Baldur's Gate II

Instead of the expected background information about the game, this is mainly an autobiography interspersed by a (often tedious and shallow) retelling of the game's story with some insights about the methods used for characterising its various people and creatures. Bell apparently hasn't given much thought to how explicit the story should be described, so there are many spoilers - including every major plot twist - but details are often shyly left out or just hinted at in passing.

I didn't know Matt Bell before reading this book, and wasn't all that interested in learning more about his struggles as an author or his childhood as a geek. This doesn't mean that those parts of the book were particularly annoying, but one could have wished for a more concentrated look at the game. In fact, the autobiographical parts didn't seem to have much to do with the game beyond a general look at the author's interest in computer games and fantasy.

This could have been a fascinating look at a game and a gamer, but instead it was just a tepid mixture of two largely unrelated stories, both not very compelling on their own. It was far from terrible, to be fair, but the only reason I can think of to read it would be to learn more about Matt Bell and his personal experience with Baldur's Gate II. For everyone who doesn't share this desire, avoiding it won't be a great loss.

This is a bit of an odd book in the series. I general enjoy the titles that focus on the creation of the game or its critical and cultural reception and influence but this is quite a personal memoir that combines the author's discomfit with his love of fantasy and genre fiction, his writing of a D&D novel and literary fiction and his love of Baldur's Gate.

The game is essentially a background detail to the memoir, which isn't badly written but just didn't feel to me like the bill of goods I signed up to.

There are some good points about some of the strangeness of the relationships within the game fiction and a very good point about how scripted open world games empty of life the more players interact with them. The world removed of injustice becomes dull and impossible to engage with.

However ultimately it felt the only point being made was that every cultural artefact is a product of its moment.

1) “In a role-playing game, you start life already a hero. Or at least a hero in the making, guaranteed only to improve. Every scenario is designed and structured with your eventual success in mind, every storyline shaped to match your character arc. Everywhere you go there are obstacles but they are all intended to be overcome. None of your failures will be permanent, and unlimited second chances are always only a reload away.”

2) ”It is sometimes difficult to determine correct pronouns when discussing an RPG like Baldur's Gate II, where Gorion's Ward—the player character—can be of variable gender, race, and occupation. Who is the character and who am I? How separate are these entities? When writing about in-game experiences, are they happening to my version of Gorion's Ward or are they happening to me, the player? What should we call the character at the heart of our story? Sometimes I will say I, and mean either the character or me. Sometimes I will say you, and mean either my character, your character, myself, yourself, or some generalized ideal player. Sometimes I will speak of Gorion's Ward in the general sense, rather than in my specific case. There is no one right answer, and all these modes have their own nuances useful for the purposes of discussing the ‘role-playing’ part of an RPG: Who are we when we begin such a game, and who do we become as the game proceeds?”

3) “Here again is the difficulty of crafting a story in games that lets you wander off the main storyline. In a more traditional narrative, the characters would never spend all this time acquiring equipment and solving minor territorial disputes before launching their rescue attempt. What good is there in delaying Imoen's rescue, in letting a friend suffer unnecessarily? Presumably none. But because this is a game and because the game world necessarily revolves only around my character, Imoen will be no worse for wear when I arrive. There is no true narrative urgency except the player's interest. Wherever I go, the world bursts to life. When I leave, the world waits for me to return. Imoen is being tortured by a man I've sworn to kill but she will not be tortured any more or less based on how quickly I arrive.”

4) “Despite my creeping misgivings during the writing of The Last Garrison—despite similar misgivings about writing this book you are reading—I now suspect that one way to end the injury I did to myself by hiding what I loved is to reveal the shame I felt publicly, to put that admission into writing and to make it public. This book you're holding is one way for me to say, This is who I was. It is also, in almost every important way, still who I am.”