Indie Game Developer's Podcast Digest
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9 comments:
Yeah, that interview was pretty short, but I'm always happy to discuss issues on my blog. Or, you can contact me at the address on my site and I'll discuss issues as I have time. Thanks for the overview of the podcasts, makes it easier to pick and choose the interesting ones.
And, yes, finishing a game is the most important thing. The problem is that sometimes things just don't work out. For example, a vital team member leaves, or your technology doesn't work out, etc. But, having a finished game is infinitely better than having only part of a game to show for your efforts.
Have fun!
Thanks a bunch for sharing! I won't find time to listen to them all soon, so this is very valuable.
Actually I'm not finished reading but this
you should always finish your games, even if you begin to hate them mid-development.
is something I really need to read/hear right now - not that I'm currently working on any games, but I'm in a contract work I started to hate. Realizing that finishing in itself is an accomplishment and lesson for myself (screw the client!) should make my working situation a bit more bearable.
Of course I should finish Gravity too. This blog is a good motivator.
hi kryst,
first of all a big thanks for you sharing this. i could never listen to all of them - probably because i dislike some of their games. but i really love to read how you think about it and what things you want to point out.
now some comments on some things you wrote:
>> Nothing beats a finished product
of course did i read this. i still believe in my starter, finisher idea - i will try to explain how i see it on tuesday night when we will visit you in cologne.
let's see and wait what will happen with my "finished product" mayanova: http://www.gameprogramming.de/renkel/portfolio/index.php?pic=2007__mayanova-level1e.jpg
... or better: when it will be complete / finished =)
>> "Heart" beats Innovation
yeah, that pretty much sums a lot about "nextgen" consoles up. and i think it is as true at it is simple. take this, and you understand the true meaning of "heart beats innovation" (atleast in marketing terms): http://www.honda.co.uk/civic/ (if it doesn't work in firefox or its probably because of flash. try to watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s22N8ZLPEaY)
btw: one should book honda's great advertising agency - probably it does deals for tiny companies, too. =)
>> Aggressive Games Interview
> "I've never seen anything like that."
> "I can't believe it's a game."
> "I can't believe how fun it is."
i like the first and the thrid rule, but i - honestly - never heard anybody say the second one. probably some stupid folks saying this about nextgen 3d graphics, but not in any broader meaning.
>> VGSmart Interview
> His observation is that although the first game might be not successful, the real payoff comes eventually if you continue doing games. Quitting means you discard that value.
i don't think that this is somethign special for me, i would say it's obvious. but having read a lot of posts in the well known indiegamer forums in the last 3 years, i have also read from / about a whole bunch of people that seem to quit right after the first (childish) steps. for me it is obvious that no "king of popular commerce" ruling this world is unreachable better than us peasants, but that they are just ruling the world because of them sticking stubborn to their work.
>> Squashy Software Interviews
i read a lot from anthony on forums and always had the feeling he is a great guy, that thinks a bit the way i think.
now reading all your comments about his interviews, i even feel more the way that he is really doing the things right. poor that he had so much struggle with the platypus license being used for psp without any monetary gain for him (atleast i understood it this way).
>> Last Day of Work Interview
i like your comments about money and risk. it's exactly the way is started thinking a while ago and more and more see it as a positive, probably fun way to do games in the future. to create games somewhere between lowest-budget-crazy-shit-with-highest-risk and AAA-boredom must be a good way to invest money and is also a great way to have a fullfilling way of living / working.
>> Mystery Studio Interview
> His final remark is the biggest obstacles are sometimes in your own mind so it is better not to worry too much and just try it. His experience was generally that everything he thought would be difficult went easier then anticipated.
i hadn't expected that last point and would argue against it - but in connection to the "biggest obstacles are in your own mind" it makes so SO SO much sense. great. really - if i only knew how to solve this HUGE bunch of problems "only" in my mind. remembers me of this true joke: somebody asking on how to compete with all those ideas you allways have in your mind while developing a game as an indie. how to cope with all the distractions. and one of my favourite posts their simplay answering the name of a andepressiva psychopharmacy pill. a joke on the one hand - until later in the thread he tells that he really takes it / took it and it helps / helped him quite a lot. wow - made me think sad thoughts for quite some time.
>> Braid Developer Interview
>Although I haven't played Braid yet, it sounds fascinating...
as far as i remember, (nerly) nobody has played it yet :)
so far my 2 cents on your comments on interviews from a quarter of this planet =)
daniel
one last addition:
>> Toribash
as far as i can tell from the video - it looks like it's about decapitating? i guess whatever the visual demonstration, or idea on paper, there couldn't be a topic i would dislike much more =0)
D
I don't quite understand what you mean by showing the Honda commercial. As I see it, it has litte to do with what I ment with Heart beats innovation. Maybe you could explain.
I think the second rule from the "Agressive Games" Interview is actually the most exciting one. The other two are rather obvious. I wrote about it in my Brain Age article.
Indeed, the thing with Squashy Games is SUCH a shame. I recently played Platypus and it TOTALLY rocked my world. Just stunning!
As far as I understand it, Toribash is a Turn-Based fighting game where you kinda set exactly the way the individual limbs of your character move. It's a mixture of a turn-based game and an animation program. The videos you see are the results of those turn-based confrontations.
Ooops, I didn't mean the Brain Age article but the Tone Rebellion article. Or actually, the comment on that artcle. Arggh, here it goes:
If you want to adress new customers, don't even think about such things as them going in a store and skimming through names and pictures. People, who don't play games simply don't consider playing a game, they will never set foot in a games store. Even if they did, they would be instantly driven away by the intimidating atmosphere. Imagine your parents in a local EB Games, they would be lost and confused. You have think about how to meet such customers somewhere else. At a theater, in a books store, in a museum, while waiting for a train, etc.. What you want to achieve is a situation where they wouldn't realize that they are about to play a computer game. You have to challenge their views and prejudices of what a computer game is.
honda ad: well, it doesn't show anything of the car. you hardly see it in the whole commercial. but it tells emotions, the ad is made with so much "heart", that the watcher may (should :) think: if they make that car with the same heart, i'll go and buy it. and frankly: most people don't go that far and think reflective about such ads. it just works: they see it and think: wow, what a lovely car - without having seen anything about it =)
second agressive rule: i knew that you like it, but i only said: i have never seen that happen. i know that it is something that should happen and i can believe how my parents could've said it about brain age or something similiar (they could say it about wii fit someday). but actually: they didn't - any nobody else did so to. but i think that is okay, because it is the feeling people have about those games - not the over reacting expressions that count, atleast that is what i believe.
Argh, so many feelings. Maybe you should talk to Julia. It seems like there is not enough outlet for all those feelings of yours ;-)
Seriously, feelings are nice but that doesn't really say anything for me. It is especially annoying how they are so damn over-emphasized in the English speaking culture. This kind of emphasis of feelings often comes with this annoying separation between logical arguments you can talk about on the one side and feeling on the other side. As if feelings were something cannot be discussed. Oh yeah and feelings always come from nowhere, no one seems to care to explain them or even question them.
Anyways, I'm sure you like the Honda commercial and I like it too. I like the way the car looks even more. But it is actually quite the opposite of what I think "Heart" means in this case. You see, if the car was made with "Heart", they wouldn't need that kind of commercial to make people feel like it was so.
And even worse: the commercial is quite "slick". You know, it's easy to grasp, there is nothing about it you could object to. It couldn't be interpreted in a way which would make the car look negative. It basically says nothing.
For me, the most important part of the "Heart" argument is to find out what a big company COULDN'T do exactly BECAUSE it is a big company. For example, because they would be too afraid. So for me, a car with Heart would be:
This, or this, or this or maybe at least this but ESPECIALLY this ;-)
Oh, and I totally forgot this one
And the coolest thing about it is that it fits the innovation rules:
"I've never seen anything like that."
"I can't believe it's a car."
"I can't believe how fun it is."
:-)
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