Moon Studios CEO Thomas Mahler described the writing in BioWare’s recently released Dragon Age: The Veilguard as “infantile and terrible.”
A screenshot from No Rest for the Wicked (2024), Moon Studios GmbH
In a recent post to X, Mahler, who is currently developing No Rest for the Wicked, wrote, “I grew up in the 80s – even as a young boy back then, I always thought TV shows were low-effort trash. Because every show back then was trying to be as politically correct as possible. Every show was about happy families, always trying to paint a perfect picture, always being careful not to talk about anything that could be in the slightest controversial.”
“Then the Simpsons and Fresh Prince of Bel Air dropped and that stuff suddenly felt radical because every now and then the writers on these shows dared to approach subjects that were real. And whenever they tried that, it resulted in episodes that were memorable – I’d like to think it’s because the writers managed to put some of their own experiences in there,” he continued.
“Then, in the late 90s, The Sopranos dropped and suddenly it was clear that TV shows didn’t have to be trash,” he stated. “That the episodic format could actually be used to give even more insight into characters, their trials and tribulations, etc. And it kept going from that point on – We saw more and more TV shows that delivered excellent drama, like The Wire, Breaking Bad, etc., etc.”
A screenshot from No Rest for the Wicked (2024), Moon Studios GmbH
He then turned his attention to Dragon Age: The Veilguard and video games, “Looking at games now, it’s clear to see that we’re apparently moving back to the stone age of political correctness. I just watched a Dragon Age playthrough and it’s quite unfathomable how infantile and terrible the writing is. Everything feels sanitized and dehumanized.”
“I don’t know why we’re suddenly thinking that this is okay. Your job as a writer is to write about things that are heartfelt, interesting and true, to draw people into that world that you created and if this is the best that you can come up with, you shouldn’t be a writer in the first place,” he asserted.
A screenshot from Dragon Age: The Veilguard (2024), BioWare
“I hate to sound so harsh because I’m sure these people had the best intentions in mind, but this is what happens when art is created by amateurs, when we have to walk on eggshells and don’t dare to approach difficult subjects – you end up with a bland and bad product instead of art,” he continued.
“Always approach writing from a human angle first, draw from your own experiences and dare to approach subjects that might seem risky – because often magic happens when we’re okay with making ourselves vulnerable,” Mahler concluded.
I grew up in the 80s – even as a young boy back then, I always thought TV shows were low-effort trash.
Because every show back then was trying to be as politically correct as possible. Every show was about happy families, always trying to paint a perfect picture, always being…
— thomasmahler (@thomasmahler) November 2, 2024
Mahler is not the only one to criticize the game’s dialogue and writing. X user Cyael put together a compilation of scenes from the game describing it as “cringe” and “garbage.”
If woke grifters gaslight implying Gamers are sexist, racist or transphobes – This Dragon Age Veilguard Cringe Compilation indicates the real issue. 1 word : Activists. Queer “Valid” or nah, we could always define woke. They can’t define escape entertainment. This is Garbage. pic.twitter.com/KEo5BkfURj
— Cyael (@Cyael) November 4, 2024
Streamer Asmongold also shared his thoughts about the game’s story saying, “Personally, as somebody who came into the game, like I’ve never played Dragon Age before, this is my first game in the series, I thought it sucked.”
He added, “It wasn’t bad. So it wasn’t terrible, but it just kind of is not really that good.” Later in the video, he also stated, “I don’t like the dialogue at all.”
