Gears of War: the surprising intelligence of gaming’s macho answer to Star Wars With its dystopian sci-fi settings, gruesome violence and gruff space marine characters that exude machismo, Gears of War is often referred […]

With its dystopian sci-fi settings, gruesome violence and gruff space marine characters that exude machismo, Gears of War is often referred to as the ‘jock’ of the gaming world.

But the monstrously successful shooter series also boasts surprising levels of depth and intelligence, and has proven hugely influential.

Ten years on from its first instalment, those who created it explain why it’s gaming’s equivalent to Star Wars.

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Building a mega franchise

Gears of War series Genre: Third-person shooter Developers: Epic Games (2006-2013), The Coalition (2015-) Platforms: Xbox 360, Xbox One, PC First release: Gears of War (2006) Latest release: Gears of War 4 (2016) Series sales to date: 24.3 million

Launched in late 2005, the Xbox 360 console heralded a technological leap in video games, and it was clear Microsoft wanted a big new franchise that could be exclusive to the console to boost sales.

Step forward Gears of War.

Before Gears, developer Epic Games was known for its successful Unreal Tournament games: fast-paced shooters that pitted teams of players against each other across large battlegrounds.

But as Lee Perry, lead level designer on Gears of War recalls, “they hit a big reset button” when they turned to this new series, moving from traditional-looking soldiers to more of a sci-fi concept.

“We were just trying our best to work on cool things that felt unique to us,” says Perry, “but we were really nervous about many facets of the game.

“We really didn’t know we had a huge thing on our hands until showing at GDC [the annual Game Developers’ Conference].

“Seeing people’s reactions to what we were showing was the first time it really felt like we were on to something.”

The ‘macho’ aesthetic

Applauded for its graphical fidelity and cinematic gameplay, Gears became a hit with shooter fans and critics.

But its almost absurdly ‘butch’ persona, featuring cartoonish, muscular characters with gruff voices, has invited ridicule from some quarters ever since.

Perry says there was method in the macho madness.

“Our bulky armour and huge characters were crazy unique at the time, and gave us a really distinctive look.

“You knew when you saw a Gears character what game they were from, and that’s an incredibly difficult art direction task.

“It kept the violence from being so disturbing [too]. Nobody really takes it seriously when a guy with arms like whole hams chainsaws someone in half. It’s completely over the top and disarming.”

Brains over brawn?

Gears Of War in sales Gears of War (2006) – 6.1 million Gears of War 2 (2008) – 6.8 million Gears of War 3 (2011) – 6.2 million Gears of War: Judgement (2013) – 1.6 million Gears of War 4 (2016) – 600,000 in first week

Although Gears’ brash personality singled it out, there were subtleties at play under its exterior too.

A cover-based game, it had you approaching battlefields tactically. And its core mechanics have been widely copied in countless third-person shooters ever since.

“It had this surface layer of meat-head appeal,” notes Perry, “but under that was gameplay depth and tactical decision making that was deceptively thoughtful.

“Very few games had a real concept or benefit to flanking an opponent in an intelligent way, and we loved that so much about the games.”

‘The softer moments were a big deal for us’

It’s not just the gameplay that has more than you’d expect, either.

For the Gears sequels, story discussions started early in development, and an emphasis was placed on emotional depth.

Novelist Joshua Ortega served as a writer on Gears of War 2, and has helped create many of the spin-off comic books.

“We were dealing with the question of ‘can video games make you cry?’ around that time”, says Ortega.

“We loved the medium, so it was an ‘it’s art!’ response for me. Video games can make you feel.”

A harrowing moment between one of the game’s lead characters and his wife in Gears of War 2 is a standout scene.

Ortega describes it as “brutal art – very true and honest for the war-time conditions of Gears.”

Perry adds that these moments became increasingly central to the developer’s goals.

“These softer moments were a big deal for us.

“You can’t just have a single tone for the whole game. Walking muscle bags shouting ‘wrarrgh!’ or trying to be funny the whole time just gets old, quick.”

Gears today

Ten years on, Gears of War 4 has just been released, with a new band of ragtag characters and a tonal shift towards the slightly less gritty.

It still packs a gory punch – but could this slight change of tone be key to keeping Gears relevant?

“The goal of Gears has always been to reach everyone,” says Ortega. “Male, female, multicultural… everyone.

“Gears, like a Star Wars or Star Trek franchise, is meant for all. It is one of the things that makes it great.”