Gamasutra's Top 20 Game Writers
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"When working with such vast and shambling properties as Dungeons & Dragons or Star Wars, an individual writer's voice could easily get lost behind the accumulated lore that has built up over many years of overlapping narratives.
Chris Avellone neatly dodges that trap by always emphasizing his characters' personalities and relationships over back story.
Avellone also understands that dice rolling is the least interesting aspect of role-playing, and in his work, typical "gameplay" activities are often subordinate to character interactions.
While his upcoming Alpha Protocol will undoubtedly have some entertaining action, the real pleasure in the game will come from getting to know the many personalities inhabiting it."
BioWare's Drew Karpyshyn soon follows:
"Drew Karpyshyn's work on Mass Effect reminds us that well-developed characters are not motivated solely by a collection of personal wants and needs.
They are also moved in subtle ways by the deeper currents of history, faith, and blood.
His efforts at constructing the detailed universe of Mass Effect -- a universe that is larger and more ancient than humanity's experience -- helps us to better identify with our character's struggle for respect as she navigates the densities of its various cultures."
