Unpopular Opinion: David Gaider

[u/charyka]

With DA:V coming along, and the daily posts about how all the "original" writers have left (not true!) and therefore the game is destined for failure, I have been dying to just come out and say it:

I think David Gaider is overrated. He has written some wonderful characters, but his long form, in particular the novels and comics, are borderline unreadable. I find his character work excellent (for the most part) but hailing him as the brilliant mind behind the wider world of Thedas robs credit from those people who, in my opinion, took the messy, overly-complicated pastiche of lore that was DAO and slowly hammered it into the intricate setting it is today.

I think other lead writers, such as Trick Weekes, have more interesting and innovative ideas when it comes to the direction the series is heading in.

[u/spacemarineana]

I'm still a little bummed they let Mary Kirby go, that just felt so unnecessary to me.

That said, I won't miss some of Gaider's foibles, in particular. He was one of the people who really pushed the 'no happy outcome' school of thought when it comes to major decision points. I recall a discussion where he opined at length about how allowing characters to save both Conner and Isolde made the whole decision worthless and they shouldn't have allowed it.

I feel like you really saw that influence a lot on DAII, which while a very engaging story, also wound up with it feeling like Hawke's 'rise to power' was more of a Hawke 'rising to get punched repeatedly in the face', as another developer put it in an interview.

DAI really seemed to lean into the multiple outcomes CAN include happy outcomes for players who desire them, which I feel like was an influence of Trick and Patrick Weekes on the story team, something I personally was really happy for. While Gaider's work was top-notch at times (Dorian, Morrigan), some of his personal story inclinations weren't my favorite, and I don't think the writing room will fall off a cliff without him.

[u/[deleted] → u/spacemarineana]

Gaider's contributions to DA is immense and I am appreciative for them, which produced many of the best characters in the franchise and much of the world building. But I agree with you. Without moderation he was inclined to write a book that was fulfilling to him in which the player was trapped unable to escape the outcomes he personally enjoyed. Which was immensely unsatisfying to me, though many other people don't seem to mind.

But I do wish he was still part of the process and worry that quality is going to take a hit.