THE BUZZ: To some, the Gears of War series may just seem like a game where a bunch of dudebros saw apart alien hordes. But to creator Cliff Bleszinski, elements of the series are deeply personal to him.

EGM’s TAKE: In a new interview with the Penny Arcade Report, Blezsinki wonders if the “violence and weight” of the first Gears of War game came from the emotions he had over the failure of his first marriage. He then brings up a more direct connection he has to the series—his father.

Bleszinski notes that he, Gears of War 2 Senior Gameplay Designer Lee Perry, and Epic Games Director of Production Rod Ferguson all lost their fathers when they were young. For Bleszinski, that wish to be re-united with his dad no doubt explains the storyline elements of Marcus Fenix believing his father to be dead, only to find out later that he’s still alive.

In speaking about how personal it was for him to work on the Gears series, Bleszinski does have at least one regret: That the games turned out to be more macho fantasy than he had originally planned on.

“Gears was always meant to be a lot more Band of Brothers than Predator, and that’s one of the things that, in hindsight, if I could go back and change I would. The characters didn’t need to be huge, although it turned out to be an iconic thing,” Bleszinski told the PA Report.

“But a little bit of the heart got lost in that process. And then it became a negative stereotype in this generation. I want to be smarter about that in the future.”

For the full-length discussion with Cliff Bleszinski about his personal journey working on the Gears of War franchise, click the link below.

Source: The Penny Arcade Report