Matthew Ford speaks about the Developer Commentary feature

[chronovore]

Portal in-game commentary praised:

The blurbs are voiced by various members of the development team, including those who are not particularly effective speakers. However, that’s not the point; the authenticity is enchanting. Also, this brings me to the main reason I extoll the idea of an in-game commentary besides value to the player: this is a fantastic way to reward and motivate a development team. If I am given a soapbox in which I can tell the game’s most rabid fans how this bit I made is clever, I am psyched. It’s every bit as motivating and celebrated as a fat bonus check. My generation X is driven by a sense of purpose and peer appreciation just as much as money and title, so like good game credits times a thousand, a spot of game commentary serves as a great reward to the team’s key people.

I predict that in-game commentary as seen in the brilliant Portal will become more and more common, and that’s a great thing. It will further legitimize games as an art form, expose fans and would-be developers to the craft, add even more value to a great game, and give game creators an effective and motivating voice.