Posted in: Games, Video Games | Tagged: A Way Out, EA, entertainment, games, josef fares, video games

A Way Out Director Explains His Outburst At The Game Awards

Published Tue, 12 Dec 2017 06:45:36 -0600

The Game Awards always seem to have 'that' moment every year. That one moment where something goes wrong or someone says something unpolished or something happens that will be shared around on social media the next day. There are no second guesses for what that moment was this year.

When promoting A Way Out, director Josef Fares went on a three-minute rant about EA, microtransactions, games, and of course a rather 'colourful' comment about the Oscars. Speaking to Polygon about the outburst, Fares while saying he probably got carried away, asserts it's just who he is.

I can't change who I am. It's very hard to control. When I get excited, it's like — it's hard to control. Like, it's almost like: In my head I want to say something, but my mouth, it kind of, like, takes out everything… I mean, I would probably do the same thing now.

His outburst about the Oscars was interesting as well. Fares isn't just a game developer who had it out for film, but a filmmaker who has experience with the organisation. Before he made games, Fares was a recognised indie filmmaker and his film Zozo was Sweden's submission in the Best Foreign Film category in 2006. On why he called out the Academy specifically, he said:

It's not that I have anything against [the] Oscars. But there's a lot of talk about, like, you know, 'This is like the Oscars.' Like, the Oscars, the Game Awards, 'we're trying to be like the Oscars.' I'm like, come on, man. I mean, it's time for people to understand that games are, like, a serious art.

Whether the rant endeared you or made you hate him, Fares' unbridled and joyous enthusiasm for what he does is hard to take as faked. I think he is right about the notion of where he was going with the rant, even if he could have done it a lot more… gracefully. But hey, 'he's a passionate guy'.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!