In the survival MMO Conan Exiles, it’s about bare survival in a hostile environment. You play as a condemned person who, thanks to the rescue by the barbarian Conan, is allowed to wander through the lands. You are a refugee – and the inspiration for this background lies in the reality of the present.
In an interview with PC Gamer magazine, Games Director Joel Bylos explains which real influences inspired him for the game’s backgrounds. The focus is on the refugee crisis that has affected Europe in recent years.
The Reality as a Source of Inspiration
When Bylos was just starting the development of Conan Exiles with Funcom, the refugee crisis was all over the media. Hundreds of thousands of refugees and migrants were traveling through and into European countries.
A surge that many places were not prepared for and to which many locals still react skeptically. For Bylos, who was working on the setting of Conan Exiles, this was a welcome inspiration:
“I thought to myself: Here we have these people who are huddled in exile and suddenly waves of refugees are washing into their country. Both sides of the story are very interesting – that’s what I wanted to build upon. (…) At first, they open their arms to welcome the refugees. But as more pour in and claim both resources and land, the hosts become more bitter and eventually turn against them. We have seen this to a certain extent in Europe.”
The player will partially take on the role of a refugee in Conan Exiles. However, Bylos also emphasizes that both sides are important. Neither is right, and each has a reason for their views. The refugee crisis marked a framework for the desired player experience in the game’s development.
Should Secular Politics Play a Role in Video Games?
Bylos believes that every (game) author draws their inspiration from real-life experiences.
However, one should always keep in mind that they have a responsibility towards their characters: Bylos often feels that authors place their own political opinions too openly in the mouths of the characters, without illuminating the other side.
“Sometimes, when I play a game, I think: Hmm, it seemed important to the author to say this or that. But that probably doesn’t apply to the character within this world and this situation. For instance, if I write a story about a refugee who comes to a foreign country, I have to write that story based on these characters and their experiences. But I also have to put myself in the perspective of those who already live in the country in question and consider how they feel about it.”
The conflicts between the characters then arise quite naturally. According to Bylos, nuances are what make the characters interesting – and the fact that neither side is right.
Moreover, it is a prerequisite that authors write about things that also interest them. These typically stem from the world in which they live, including its politics, people, and disputes.
The full version of Conan Exiles will be released on May 8, 2018, on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. The game is already running in early access on Xbox One and PC.
