Switched Video: Peter Molyneux and Gaming From (and for) the Heart

Fresh off the plane from the Game Developer's Conference in San Francisco, Peter Molyneux sat down, er, took a walk with Switched at South by Southwest in Austin to chat about the roles of emotion, morality, and a sense of touch in gaming. With news of 'Fable 3,' the latest installment of his adventure-based RPG series, Molyneux was brimming with thoughts on the PlayStation Move, social gaming, and how his influence has affected the way in which designers create choice-based games.

For those living under a gaming rock for the past 15 years, Molyneux founded both Bullfrog Studios and Lionhead, and helmed groundbreaking games like 'Populous,' 'Black and White' and 'Dungeon Keeper.' Arguably the inventor of many genres (like the God game, and morality-based game), Molyneux is usually mentioned as a part of the great triad including Sid Meier and Will Wright -- part of the generation that revolutionized how gamers interact with games.

Molyneux answered some tough questions about Project Natal, and talked about Milo, his interactive A.I. that was demonstrated last year. He also addressed questions about 'Fable 2,' and about what to expect in the new game, in which the narrative is only halfway over when the 'evil' is defeated. Later, we stopped by his talk at the conference, titled, "The Emotion Engine: Can a Video Game Speak to the Heart?" Watch the interview for more, but we'll give you a hint: Molyneux answers with an emphatic "Yes."

Tags: features, peter molyneux, PeterMolyneux, switchedvideo, sxsw, sxsw2010, the emotion engine, TheEmotionEngine, top