Showing posts with label game designer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label game designer. Show all posts

29 June 2014

Game designer: Chris Roberts

He has returned! 
Legendary game designer Chris Roberts, author of Wing Commander series came back with new great idea of MMO space simulator. For more than a year this massive project has been building up and growing in followers. In this interview Mr. Roberts talks about his path in game design, occasional film director roles, his burnout and current return to the stage with Star Citizen. Chris Roberts was always a designer with both vision, technical expertise and eye for commercial success. Star citizen is not yet complete, but already making profit, and it is the most successful crowd-funded game of all time with more than $1,6 million raised. (those charities must be green with envy).

Welcome back, Chris! Please, do take our money!   
Video length: 29 min


Game Designer: Sid Meier

Few people in game industry need an additional presentation. Sid Meier is definitely one of them. In this interview for Rev3Games youtube channel he talks about his humble beginnings and current plans. Despite being world know creator he is surprisingly modest and honest about himself.

Video length: 26 min 



16 May 2013

Path to glory of Game Designer

I have a confession to make. I believed that becoming game designer is similar to becoming a pop star. Not because you automatically become rich, famous and can pull any Blondie with your picture in latest gaming magazine. But because you have a chance to become one of the few whose job is to do something they love.

I've been following Jake Thorton's blog  for some time now, as well as pushing my research of game rules and game designers. He wrote quite brilliant descriptions on game design ABC as well as some hidden psychological obstacles in this creative process. Perhaps Murder Your Darlings  is one my favorites. 

However more I look at the industry the more down-to-earth my point of view becomes. There are loads of gifted people, there are hundreds of already tested and played game systems. Those few giants who manged to build their name thanks to GW or Boardgame geek website are few, and they are hardly rich and famous of this world. The amount of rules, both fan-made and pro-made is demonstrated here: http://www.freewargamesrules.co.uk/

Number of companies that started their journey to success in gaming industry is growing day by day, as well as number of gonners from this business. In short, its a highly competitive area, with quite limited demand and unpredictable return of time and money investment. So where do the game designer finds his employment and becomes one of those geeky icons? What paths takes those people to the cave full of glory and riches? How does one makes it from humble dreamer of fan of certain game to next Father-of-all-gaming? 

1. Servant of Evil Mega-Corporation. 
Yes, my friends. You have to get a job in the Mega-Corporation which has been on this market before you were born. You have to sell your creative soul for their dirty money, crawl through the rank of other puny mortals, get to design studio and then do their marketing department bidding. Then you can quit, tell the whole world about unjust and greedy MegaCorp and how you fought for your creative freedom. Now you have some street-cred, as well as backing of well respected experience in the business. If you are lucky enough to save some of your creative soul you may even start freelancing and blogging. Thus you ultimately become the Master of Rules and Dice for all those puny mortals who did not get the job or were born too late.   
2. Street Fighter.
Those chaps like the thrill of one-shot assignments. The started somewhere in the shed of their house, torturing their pets, friends and family members with their incredible inventions. They don't really care about money, they love the thrill of pulling off next big thing, making this idea work in someones plan. Street Fighters are always waiting  to be carried away by next Big Idea or paycheck from next employment. There is many of them, few want fame, but most hunger for achievement. When occasionally their Idea takes over the world they become the Masters of Rules and their blog so far visited by robots and occasional friend rival major news channel. In the end, your portfolio is stained with blood of your Achievements, which makes any Servant of MegaCorps shiver from envy. But forget about safe pension if you take this path. 

3. Empire Builder. 
As game designers they are not exactly in the same league as most. Empire Builders take theirs or someone else idea and make it profitable. If they are lucky enough, their Empire will grow into Mega Corporation, if not they at least make enough money to break even. With the arrival of Kickstarter and Lulu there will be more and more of them, less adventurous but practical, calculating and dream-driven at the same time. The Universes and Galaxies they spawn will hardly be totally new and incredible, but they will sell. Then with addition of zombies, superheros, starfleets, comic books and growing fan base they will make someone rich. Empire Builder may not have the creative energy, but they will have the Endurance. Few of the Servants and Street Fighters would  understand this path, for it takes the game out of pocket reality into the real world around us.     

4. Universal Soldier.  
The choice made those who took this path was simple: career. Universal Soldier studies his craft in University, makes first games or programs as part of group assignment, graduates (or not in some cases), but his skill is good enough for immediate employment. As they progress, Universal Soldiers pick up extra programming languages, side skills, and connections within industry. One company is not different from another but pay is better and free pool is there. You have seen them on numerous promotional videos as part of highly creative group of people who are so happy to do their job and bring you the next big thing. Sometimes Universal Soldiers appear next to the Masters of Rules providing necessary fire support on topics of technical issues and patches. The most ambitious ones even take the role of Leading Game Designer and thanks to marketing bombardment are counted as Masters of Rules. 

5. Prophet of Game.
There are people who don't create game - they give birth to entire Universes. Prophets usually are great writers, directors and thinkers. Their reflection on the world around us are melted into the text and then into the game. Those creation are then visited by countless day dreamers and they make it grow and evolve. Prophets may not be great on writing the rules but those rules make sense thanks to meaning put into them and narrative supporting it.  But as soon as money rolls in every Prophet faces a great challenge: the sale must go on. If that would be a Daniela Steel, this question would not be even asked, if that would be Andzei Sapkowski or Frank Herbert I'd struggle to define the answer. Unlike anyone else in this business, Prophet of Game does not create the game itself, he catches the essence of our desires and gives it a form which could be translated  into game by others. How to become one? Just be one and let the Universe decide whether you are Prophet of Regret or Prophet of Truth.         


Yours,
Mark-Paul Severn.

22 March 2013

Game designer: Richard “Lord British” Garriott


It is a rare chance when hero of your story can describe both his past achievements and current mega-project in a matter of 5 minutes. So, let me introduce you to Lord Richard "British" Garriot, author and designer of mother of all Massive Online Role Play Games - ULTIMA. On the other note, in preparation to his new project "Shroud of the Avatar", he released a controversial statement that, I quote:
"I think most game designers really just suck, and I think there's a reason why. It's really hard to go to school to be a good designer. If you're not a good artist and not a good programmer, but you still like games, you become a designer, if you follow me. You get into Q&A and often design..."

Ironically I found his interview with PC Gamer  just after I posted about job in InnoGames and got all philosophical about my career prospects. Thank you, Mr. Garriot, now I know that I suck, and I will dedicate the rest of my life to proving you wrong. However, man with his achievements can allow himself a bit of honest arrogance, especially if he's actually got quite a point there:
“And the most valuable part of creating a game is the design, which the programmers are technically executing. And they’d be happy to just execute some of them. But in my mind, most artists and programmers are just as much of gamers as the designers, and I usually find in my history that the artists and programmers are, in fact, as good of designers as the designers. They’re often better, because they understand the technology or the art.“So we’re leaning on a lot of designers who get that job because they’re not qualified for the other jobs, rather than that they are really strongly qualified as a designer. It’s really hard to go to school to be a good designer."       

Really? Most of game designers have not got a schools of game design to attend! They learn from films, writing, programming, world creating, modding other games, stealing ideas and mad sleepless trips on LSD and alcohol just to get things done by the deadline. Do I even have mention the strain of mundane life, bills, children and social obligations?

"I really push my team on how to make a scenario map. How do you really think about the whole thing holistically, to go, ‘yeah, it’s fine to wander through and kill a few things and get a treasure at the end, but why? What’s your motivation for being into it? What are the side stories? If you have these characters in there, what were their lives before they showed up on this map? If you didn’t think of one, go back. Do it again. I want you to know it.’”

Frankly, it would a blessing to work under him. Lord Garriot is a visionary and demands others to have or share vision with him. But in most cases game designer is facing a unrecognizable mumble of subconsciousness  describing how cool this game should be. Now we hire you to make something out this mumble and let us make loads of money. If you don't make it by next Friday it will be your fault and we would have to find someone cheaper to do the job. 

Game designers, IMHO have two distinct categories: the Digger and THE Architect. 

Digger does the dirty work: maps, individual quests, parts ans concepts. All those skills could be learned and practiced.

The Architect runs around with a majestic vision (as Mr. Garriot for example), he is GOD, he sees every detail, every strain of game DNA, he knows where player is going to do, how and why he will do it and what he will feel inside of his doomed soul. The Architect demands from the poor Digger to rise to his level o thinking, without the pay rise. Can those skills be learned? No. It's a talent. So I suck again. And if you read this so far, so do you.      

In conclusion, check his video on Kickstarter, there the majestic Lord Garriot describes what he has done and what he is going to do with the newly acquired $1 million. In short, he will make a most brilliant MMORPG game ever. I wounder if he is going to space again? Just to make sure that we all, you know ... 



7 February 2013

Designing the game is not an 8 hour job

I have stumbled on this article while googleing. It struck me with something both 
honest and gruesome so I took it for my blog as a note to self. Original is here
http://boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/13867/designing-the-game-is-not-8-hours-job  
 
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I don't know how other designers work. I don't know if I am a freak among designers or I am a clasical example. But I want to tell you how it looks. How it looked with Robinson. I spent last year on the Island. Really...

*


For me 2012 was year of Robinson Crusoe because for the last 12 months I only read adventure books. I really mean it. I read a lot of Julius Verne novels. I read all novels I could find about castaways. I read all books about survival I could find. I read also comic books and I – certainly – watched all movies I could find that were about deserted Island or castaways.

I read about tens of ways of making fire. I read about building shelter from almost nothing. I read how to find water, I read how to find north without compas, I read everything I could. I am – with no doubt – one of the most educated persons on this planet... in terms of castaways...

If, by any chance, you are on the deserted Island, just call me. I will teach you how to survive. You don't need to worry.


*


For me 2012 was year of Robinson Crusoe because every single weekend of this year I had prototype of the game set up in our living room. Our home was literally paralyzed by Robinson. The game is big, it covered nearly whole table in our living room (I have to say – we have a big table). Because of Robinson we had mess on that table for every single weekend of 2012. I played it all the time, every single weekend, I drove my wife crazy with this tokens, cards, notes, dice with all that stuff that was living with us this year.

It was like part of our furniture. We had sofa, we had table, we had chairs and we had Robinson. It was part of our everyday life.


*


2012 was year of Robinson Crusoe for my whole family. Kids have grown – it is a year of time! - and they saw and hear all the time about Robinson. They discovered this story. They played prototype with me. They played live Robinson all the time. They built real shelter in our garden (ok, I helped them a little), they spent countless hours in our garden hunting imaginary beasts, strengthening the roof or searching for treasures. With no doubt, if in 20 years I ask my kids about summer 2012, they will tell 'It was time of Robinson'.


*


2012 was year of Robinson Crusoe because it really touched our every day life. We spent holidays this year by the sea and of course I had Robinson with me. Game was with us all the time. Sometimes it touched our life in a funny way. I remember one Sunday few weeks ago. I was a little bit late for a dinner, I entered the room, all kids were already eating and there was no plate for me on the table. I asked: 'Hey, what about me? I don't eat?!'

And I heared answer from 10 years old Nina: 'You know, it is like in Robinson. There is never enought food... Today you get 2 wounds'

Woow. That was accurate...


*

Next week I am in Essen. My adventure with Robinson ends. I finally leave the Island. I am finally free. I spent here whole year of my life. It was great but that's enough. It is time for you to visit the Island. I strongly recommend it. This is a great adventure.

7 January 2013

Game designer: Ville "Burger" Vuorella

I am not even going to pretend to impartial: thanks to Ville Vuorella I've realized that i can create and design games and that no matter how weird idea there is, it might have a chance. 

To my readers of coarse it's probably irrelevant, but wait. Ville "Burger" Vourella is the man who wrote STALKER role play game based on original novel by Strugatski brothers. The amount and quality of work put in that book is astonishing. 

Ville "Burger" VuorellaVille Vuorella has been designing games for more than 8 years (full-time). He holds a English Philology degree with Games Research & Design and Academic Entrepreneurship as second specialization achieved in University of Helsinki. In addition he posses variety of skills and studies outside of ordinary curriculum, but very useful for the designers flow of art and craft, like Archeology, Medieval Irish and British studies. He also has EU Specialist Certificate in Game Scriptwriting. Vuorella has been not only game designer, but also an IT consultant and game design lecturer.

Though during his career (up to current moment) he has not worked (yet, i hope) on multimillion projects but he retains individuality and thoughtful approach to his work. One of the cornerstones of his work is a well structured design documents and concepts, which allows player to immerse into the game-world without the fear of being disrupted by the glitch or inconsistency.     
 
I'll just point out some of the 25+ games he was working on:

Stalker RPG, - a single serious RPG on stalker universe, complete with 5 Zones and unique game system. (https://www.facebook.com/StalkerRPG) 

 Burnout, Mobile phone game, for the company called Electronic Arts 


Need for Speed: Carbon, mobile phones version.

Crown of Byzantium: a MMO games based around combat achievements not pig farming. Unfortunately by the time of writing this words game ceased to be. 

HAX: MMO-cyberpunk game of freelance hackers (coming soon).
http://www.haxgame.com/en/


Vuorella's full CV in blog format could be found here: 
http://www.burgergames.com/notes/summer11.htm#220611
What's more important for me as an aspiring game designer is his blog, and honesty Ville is writing about creative process, his ups and downs and life as freelancer. I have never met him or visited his lessons, despite living in Helsinki for some time, but I cant stress enough how important and influential his working notes were for me while I was trying to understand how and why RPG systems work, and how to reach a certain understanding of what you creating. Again, I'm being personal and affectionate, but it's my blog, after all. 

Most creators and designers rightfully hide the workflow or kitchen of creation, Vuorella is not an exception, but the detailzation, thoughtfulness and openness of stuff he puts on his game-related part of the blog http://www.burgergames.com/notes/content.htm is really under appreciated.  

Last but not least, there is a healthy portion humor, rudeness and self-depreciation which only truly strong characters may allow themselves without the fear of being mocked. So that is my first entry of important game designers: Ville Vuorella. 

Thank you for reading.

  


            

Game designer.

Human perception is a strange thing, we love stories and things which resonate with our emotions, but rarely we care about who created this story we just consumed. Unless this person have created numerous stories or something which became a main stream of our culture. Cinematography is perhaps one of the biggest examples of that, James Cameron received a PhD degree in oceanology for his work on Titanic, but what most of us care is poor chap played by Leonardo di Caprio and tragic love story between him and redhead.
   
Most people who like games are no exception. Who created Doom? Quake? Starcraft? Total War? Dungeons and Dragons? Warhammer? Axis and Allies? Settlers? Panzer General? Need For Speed? Tetris? Minesweeper? (I am going a bit over the top with some games). 

Civilization series are probably the lucky ones: they proudly carry name of Sid Meier who actually wrote and designed only first game. But thanks to his marketing department his name became well-known, and In a way a mark of quality. 

In posts labeled Game Designer I will try to look at some inspirational figures in game desing, their careers and lifepaths, probably to justify my own dreams and avoid anonymity of Wikipedia, and acknowledge people who's games made an impact on my perception and flow of ideas.

Sincerely, yours
Mark.