Sunday, June 30, 2013
News::Evoland review: We've come a long way, baby [SideQuesting]
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News::Cover Orange 2 Review | STP
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News::Leisure Suit Larry: Reloaded Interview With Al Lowe and Paul Trowe
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News::RPG Site - Zack's Best of E3 2013 Awards
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News::Quitting your job to create an RPG Interview with Disastercakes Mike Gale about Soul Saga
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News::Fist Puncher Livestream Replay
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News::Ex-Rare dev explains culture clash with Microsoft
Nyamyam studio co-founder Phil Tossell has seen the peak of Rare's golden age as well as its devolution into just another cog in the Microsoft machine. He joined Rare to work on Diddy Kong Racing, became lead programmer on Star Fox Adventures, moved onto Kameo: Elements of Power, then left the company after serving as the gameplay director on Kinect Sports.
Today, he and two other former Rare staffers, Jennifer Schneidereit and Ryo Agarie, are hard at work on Tengami , a pop-up book adventure scheduled for Wii U, PC, Mac, and iPad. While speaking to Nintendo Enthusiast about this new venture, Tossell recounted how the Rare atmosphere started to change following the acquisition by Microsoft.
"Rare was also a close knit family and so it was something of a shock to suddenly become part of such a huge organisation as Microsoft," Tossell recalled. "There was a severe culture clash which perhaps didn't become apparent at first as Microsoft mostly allowed us to continue as we had always done. However as time passed and there were staff changes at MGS, together with Tim and Chris (Stamper) leaving, the culture changed and it began to feel more Microsoft and less Rare. While Rare continues to put out high quality games, for me it lost some of the spark that had made the company special."
Read more...
via destructoid http://www.destructoid.com/ex-rare-dev-explains-culture-clash-with-microsoft-257292.phtml
News::RockPaperShotgun.com Road Worriers: Ocean City Racing - $5 Indie Open World Driving Game
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News::Mortal Kombat II SNES Mod for Doom - New Footage Released, 80% Complete
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News::OCEAN CITY RACING Is $3.99 For the Weekend on Desura | Open World Driving UE3 Game
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News::FIFA 13 Goals of the Week Round 30
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News::Nine games that'll make you want to be always-online
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News::Get Into Games profile: Plymouth University
When Elite creator David Braben and other luminaries lamented a general skills gap between videogame courses and industry requirements, Plymouth University responded in style. It launched a BSc (Hons) in Computing & Games Development, created an in-house studio and forged direct links to industry to ensure the programme produced skilled, creative developers. Here, course creator Dan Livingstone explains how Plymouth aims to ensure students are kept up to date while future-proofing their skillset.
Why choose Plymouth?
Our university has invested heavily in new buildings and facilities on the main campus. We have five-star research groups contributing specialist modules to our undergraduate programmes and we have a reputation for enterprise and supporting student initiatives. We have an in-house development team, the Interactive Systems Studio, which is active in the indie scene through developer meet-ups, game jams and exhibitions. We also develop products using the tools and methodologies we teach our students. We know what it takes to take a project from an initial concept to a viable product and all the stages in between.
What can students expect from your core degree?
We offer a BSc (Hons) in Computing And Games Development, a full-time course over three or four years with either a paid summer internship or a one-year paid industrial placement before entering the final year. We also accept direct entry into our final year for students with strong programming ability and a games-related portfolio. Our USP is that we preach what we practice and practise what we preach. We generate small studios, startups and indie developers with highly transferable skills for new and emerging games-related sectors, from small indie releases to serious games, simulation and training.
What other courses do you offer?
As a School of Computing and Mathematics we also have a BSc (Hons) Computer Science degree with which we share some core programming modules. We also have courses in Information Security, Networking, Robotics and so on.
How do you respond to such a fast-changing industry?
In many cases, [formal education] moves far too slowly. And numerous courses jump on the bandwagon seeing an opportunity to boost student numbers, but fail to understand this fast-evolving sector. That’s why our course is structured with a balance of core programming modules delivered by Computer Science specialists and development workshops featuring guest input from industry veterans and our in-house team who are active in the sector. We’re building products for internal and external clients using the tools and services currently used in the industry. Our first indie release for iOS is due later this year and features an original core mechanic, a strong graphical style leveraging Unity for the base engine, Scaleform for UI and Articy:Draft to structure and balance game elements and pivotal tracker.
Do you think students should focus on technical or creative skills?
It’s a symbiotic relationship. I like to think we generate creative developers who have a technical edge, but understand the complexities of making a great product. They will have tried their hand at every role involved in making a game, from concept art, modelling, gameplay and level design to programming, debugging, testing, quality assurance, project management, client handling, revenue modules and distribution. They respect and value the full team contribution required to make an impact in the sector. In a nutshell, there is a balance of concept, design and implementation with engaging core gameplay and robust efficient code.
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News::Get Into Games: Glasgow Caledonian University
For a long time, it’s seemed that the University of Abertay Dundee has hogged the limelight when it comes to videogame degress. But over on the other side of Scotland, Glasgow Caledonian University offers two design and software-development-focused Computer Game BScs and two BAs – one in 3D Computer Animation and another in Art And Animation. Between them, the four courses cover a broad spectrum of game-making skills, from artistic to technical. There’s also an MA in 3D Design For Virtual Environments which, while not exclusively created for game industry hopefuls, allows modellers to develop their skills for various industries. Course leader Eddie Horn talks us through the changing expectations of game developers.
You have some surprising industry partners, including IBM, Dell Corporation, Royal Bank Of Scotland and the Strathclyde police. Are these the kinds of companies that your videogame students can expect to find placements with?
Although our website lists some of the larger industry partners who are able make long-term commitments, we regularly have students working with smaller studios and companies on a project-by-project basis. But employers are increasingly looking for graduates with good ‘employability skills’. Employers want students who have good communication and interpersonal skills, are able to use their own initiative, are organised and can plan ahead, are good at working under pressure and can work as part of a team. In our experience, large organisations are very good at providing the right environment in which to develop these skills.
How else are employers’ expectations of graduates changing?
Graduates today need to be flexible and adaptable. And that’s particularly important if you end up working in a smaller studio, as you might be expected to pitch in and help with a range of tasks when a deadline is fast approaching. Enthusiasm and a ‘can do’ attitude help, too. More and more, companies need graduates who will hit the ground running and be able to make a significant contribution from day one. We try to provide a flexible learning environment and our courses are constantly evolving. The shift to mobile and indie games still requires the same core and underpinning skills, it’s just in the application of those skills that we’re seeing the major changes.
Are you seeing more female applicants, or is gender inequality still a problem?
Actually, this year we’ve had more applications from girls than boys for the first time, which is encouraging. In general, we’re definitely seeing more applications from female students for our courses, particularly for the 3D Computer Animation and the Art And Animation courses. Obviously, there are a lot more girls playing games now, and they’re definitely starting to seriously consider careers in games.
What do you think is the biggest challenge facing today’s graduates, whatever their gender?
Getting noticed. There are jobs out there for students with the right set of skills, but competition for the top jobs is intense. A good degree coupled with an excellent portfolio is crucial if you want to be able to compete.
What can the city offer those studying at Glasgow Caledonian?
Glasgow is just the right size for a city: not so big it loses its identity, but big enough to have a really vibrant music scene and some great pubs, clubs, restaurants and shops. If you’re feeling adventurous, it’s also a great base for exploring the rest of Scotland, with some of the most dramatic scenery in Europe right on our doorstep. Kayaking, mountaineering, skiing, biking, sailing, even surfing are all possible within a few hours of the city.
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News::Get Into Games profile: Goldsmiths, University of London
The world-famous college that helped launch the careers of artist Damien Hirst, fashion designer Vivienne Westwood and musician Damon Albarn has been making a name for itself in games. Goldsmiths offers an MSc in Computer Games And Entertainment centred on programming, maths, business, physics, animation and AI learning, where teaching is delivered by Sony coder Andy Thomason alongside other professionals and leading academics. The course’s co-founding professors, William Latham and Frederic Fol Leymarie, tell us about the core skills they’re teaching students and their enviable record of getting graduates into industry jobs.
What are Goldsmiths’ key attractions for game students?
William Latham Our programme flows into the industry and focuses on placing students with independent developers and on triple-A projects. It’s the first Masters to be accredited with the Creative Skillset Tick in the Greater London area, due to this commitment to giving our students a launch pad for a successful career. Our lecturers have tens of years of experience in the industry and still practise on current and emerging titles and consoles.
Why is big-budget console development still important for students?
Frederic Fol Leymarie Triple-A development is a bit like classical music, and Unity and WebGL are the emerging artists. Some of the greatest rock groups of our time have been composed of classically trained musicians, and it’s imperative that students are well-versed in triple-A to become industry professionals.
Goldsmiths is famous for its creativity. Would you rate it above technical skill?
FFL It definitely takes a little of both, although it’s much easier to get a job off the back of a solid technical education than from a pure design background. Some of our students come from a design background but learn programming as a way to stand out from the crowd.
What skills should students prioritise?
FFL The core subjects of algorithms, maths and programming are what employers really want to see. If these foundations are there, they will have to spend far less time getting their new recruits up to speed. We encourage our students to demonstrate their creative flair through examples of their coursework too. To gain experience, we hope to place all students in industry for the summer or give them an industry-supervised in-house project.
What are the biggest challenges facing today’s students?
WL The industry is more competitive than ever, with many more students wanting to get into the industry. Graduates are often refused positions due to lack of experience and are left frustrated that they can’t get their foot in the door. To counter this, we offer placements across some of the UK’s most exciting gaming institutes. Students work with their lecturers – who are still working in the industry – to secure work placements and gain valuable experience.
Where have Goldsmiths’ games graduates been employed?
WL We have former students at Sony Worldwide Studios, Supermassive Games, We R interactive and Geomerics. And a few like Simon Grinberg at Dream Farmer who run indie studios as well as stars such as Patricia Afari who makes games for children with autism, to name but a few.
Do you work with firms outside of the game industry?
WL We love game hack events and had a great time working with the world-renowned advertising agency M&C Saatchi, who collaborated with staff and students for a 48-hour event dedicated to making and developing interactive games. M&C Saatchi were impressed by our students’ software engineering skills. Each of the teams showcased original games thinking – despite battling sleep deprivation!
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News::Get Into Games profile: Bournemouth University
That homeward dash when the summer holidays begin might not be quite so urgent if you’re studying at Bournemouth University, what with its seaside location, the temptation of all that ice cream and a sizeable arcade near the waterfront are within easy reach. During term time, however, Bournemouth University offers two BScs: Games Technology and the newly validated Games Programming course as well as an MSc in Computer Games Technology. We caught up with senior lecturer in creative technology Dr Christos Gatzidis to ask about the university’s close ties with industry and how it creates graduates who can be very employable.
The industry keeps evolving at a rapid pace. How is this changing the way you teach students?
Increasingly we’re finding basic business skills are just as important as technical skills, and that’s something we offer on all our courses, from undergraduate to postgraduate. But, of course, it all depends on which area of the industry they wish to work in, whether that is art, level design, programming – they are all vastly different from each other. A good knowledge of C++ and strong maths remain just as essential for programmers, for instance. In short, our courses are specifically designed with employability in mind, and are constantly kept up to date. Moreover, we constantly invest, based on our increasingly growing numbers, back into the course with new equipment and also additional academic staff.
It’s important, then, to keep a close eye on the industry?
As close as we can! We’ve recently had our annual industrial advisory panel, in which companies such as Climax Studios and Havok participated. We use the panel to seek advice and guidance on course structure and content from leading companies in the sector. We have regular guest speakers, too, from companies including the likes of SCEE, Microsoft, Reflections, Criterion and Ninja Theory.
Do your students benefit from any direct industry contact?
We have an industrial placement year, sandwiched between the second and fourth year, that allows students to go out and work for a studio domestically or abroad, or even set one up themselves. It’s an important part of the degree, and we really do see students coming back transformed for their final year.
Do you think it’s harder for students to find a job in the industry today?
There are many challenges. The game industry is hugely competitive and while it’s very rewarding when you eventually land that first job, it can be tough to break in initially – particularly for a young graduate fresh out of university. Combined with the ever-changing nature of the game development business, it can become quite an arduous task – this is why a good education, which is externally facing and driven by employability, is so important.
What about developing for next-generation consoles – how does that affect the learning curve?
Many of the core skills remain unchanged, which reaffirms the approach we’ve always taken. Our courses are quite platform-agnostic as we focus on the core [programming] skills rather than just being a training course. We aim for transferable knowledge throughout. A number of our students had no trouble picking up Unity and completing an entry for this year’s Get Into Games Challenge, despite never having worked with it in the past. That said, we mostly use C++ for programming, while on the engine front we use the Unreal Development Kit quite a bit. Recently, we’ve started exploring the use of CryEngine at postgraduate level. For modelling and animation we use 3D Studio Max, Maya and, in the final year of Games Technology, ZBrush.
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News::Get Into Games profile: Enjmin
South West France’s Enjmin students are passionate about everything from comic books and film-making to sound design and game art. Director Stéphane Natkin is keen to recruit more international learners from countries such as the UK to his two-year Masters in Games And Interactive Media to add to that mix. And there’s a short course in French for those drawn to the idea of studying in picturesque Angoulême but concerned about the language barrier. Here, Natkin explains the ethos of an institution ranked the best games educator in France by industry trade union Syndicat National Du Jeu Vidéo.
How do you see the industry that students hope to join?
The world of games is changing very fast. At the last GDC everybody was talking about freemium and free-to-play, but maybe this trend is already over and triple-A is already over. I used to say that we are at the end of the story of games. Not because videogames are disappearing, but because they will be everywhere on every screen.
How does the Masters degree prepare students for a game industry in flux?
Take, for example, a student interested by sound design with a related undergraduate degree. In their first semester they learn some basics about visuals, game design and programming. In their second semester they will learn about sound in games. Then they work in a team on a project to make something interactive and engaging which needs no explanation. In the second year they get advanced courses in their specialism and take a game from pre-production to prototyping. The Masters ends with a six-month internship: 98 per cent of students go to a game studio – a third at Ubisoft – and two per cent go to a lab and then start a PhD.
How much do students pay?
In France, all the universities are public. If you are under 28 and you have not worked for more than two years, the fees are about 450 per year. Otherwise it costs 5,000.
Tell us about student life in Angoulême.
Angoulême is a historical place not far from Bordeaux and Cognac. It has a pleasant climate. It’s not far from the sea and two-and-a-half hours from Paris by high-speed train. It is the comic-book capital of Europe due to a festival in January. There’s an active cultural life with the music and film festivals. But probably the main point is that you can meet and work with around 800 students coming from art, animation and documentary schools. Next year we will have a huge new building with a lot of technology installed in an old paper mill, along the river Charente. And it’s important to mention that the cost of living is low – you can find a studio for 300 a month, for example. Angoulême is a really good place to spend two years and get a Masters.
It sounds like a great place to study; what’s the story about it also being a romantic one?
Ashley Zeldin and John Nesky from Thatgamecompany met each other at the 2012 LA Global Games Jam. This year they were invited to Enjmin. They stayed for the Games Jam and for the anniversary of their meeting designed a love game. The background of this game is a stylised 2D map of Angoulême.
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via Edge Online http://www.edge-online.com/get-into-games/get-into-games-profile-enjmin/
News::Get Into Games profile: University of Abertay Dundee
Grand Theft Auto and Lemmings creator David Jones tops a list of alumni that means Abertay has plenty of history to shout about. But the university is also investing heavily in the future. Its annual development competition, Dare To Be Digital, culminates in a public event attended by over 10,000 people. And the university’s Prototype Fund, which offers fledging studios a cash injection, has sparked several indie successes. Here, faculty academic director Professor Louis Natanson explains the courses, industry contacts and funding on offer to students.
What courses do you offer to gear up graduates for a career in games?
Our undergraduate courses are BSc Computer Games Technology, BSc Computer Game Applications Development and BA Computer Arts. Our flagship course is the 12-month Professional Masters (MProf) in Games Development, which builds on the same game studio-style learning as Dare To Be Digital. Small teams of programmers, artists and sound engineers work together to make game prototypes to a proper client brief. It’s very challenging, but a safe way for students with a background in arts, general computing or games to learn from experienced industry professionals how development really works.
Dare To Be Digital is a great opportunity for your students.
It’s something unique in education, and in the game industry. Each summer we bring together 15 teams of five students from around the world to build a brand new game in just nine weeks. At the end, they have to put their games on show to the public at our Dare ProtoPlay games festival. Industry experts pick three winners, who become the sole nominees for the BAFTA Ones To Watch Award. It’s an incredible opportunity to meet people in the games industry during the nine weeks, not to mention the prestige of having taken part.
How closely do you work with studios and developers to build your syllabus?
We have an advisory group of game studios and industry experts – including Channel 4, Denki, Rare, Sony, Tag Games and Ubisoft Reflections – who guide all of our courses, which are constantly under review. Since launching the world’s first Computer Games Technology degree with industry input in 1997, the courses have been regularly developed to match the shifts in the industry. We’re also part of the PlayStation First initiative to get dev kits in the hands of students, so they can learn to code on PS3s and Vitas on our courses.
What is the Prototype Fund, and how does it work?
The Prototype Fund offers a route for graduates to springboard into a career by starting their own company, or for existing small games studios to massively reduce the risk of testing out a new game. Getting a £25,000 grant to build a prototype is an incredible boost to attracting extra investment. One of the studios we supported raised £800,000 in private funding after completing their prototype.
Why should students choose Abertay over other universities?
Educationally, Abertay stands out since all of our game art, audio and programming degrees are delivered from the same department – and all these students directly interact with each other. Games companies need graduates that can communicate and work with experts in different areas, and that’s been a key part of our courses from the start. For instance, in their third year all students do a major project responding to a client’s brief. Our strong industry ties and international reputation mean that students regularly work on projects for Disney, Microsoft and Sony, as well as a large number of Dundee- and UK-based studios.
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News::Get Into Games profile: New York Film Academy
With twin courses running in New York and Los Angeles, New York Film Academy (NYFA) places its students in two of the world’s major development and cultural hotspots. But it goes much further than that, inviting professional coders to work with teams of aspiring developers. NYFA’s courses are brand new and guided by a strong focus on game design that champions a ‘playcentric’ approach. Here, course architect and veteran developer Chris Swain, who set up EA’s Game Innovation Lab, explains NYFA’s offer.
You do things a little differently at NYFA. How does it all work?
The core course is Game Studio. Students take it each semester and must work as a team to deliver a working digital game both times. This class is exciting because each semester the student is running his own studio with classmates. The student gets mentorship and instruction from faculty members who are top-tier professional game developers. We provide each studio of three or four students with a professional programmer as a teaching assistant and technical team member.
Tell us about the ‘playcentric’ approach that informs the courses.
This is a method developed over the past 15 years and is expressed in the book I co-authored, Game Design Workshop. Playcentric design is taught across the curriculum and involves three aspects. Firstly, the student will understand fundamental theory so they can deconstruct any game experience into formal, dramatic and dynamic systems and learn how to interrelate the three. Secondly, they learn the core development process, picking up skills of game prototyping, playtesting, iteration, presentation and collaboration. The third principle is ‘practise, practise, practise’. All students will prototype multiple games hands-on, regardless of technical skills.
How do you go about preparing industry-ready graduates?
It is imperative that a graduate have solid exposure to both the technical and creative. Students should be aware that the industry is schizophrenic when it comes to entry-level hiring. By that I mean studios say they want to hire tomorrow’s creative leaders but the skills most likely to land a student their first job are technical. So our curriculum provides enough hard skill technical exposure to programming, art and Agile tools so they can get in the door. And the curriculum also provides the deeper, soft skills of creative leadership and playcentric design.
You mention creative leadership. Are you looking to create fast-track development stars?
Inside triple-A game studios the age at which a person is first able to successfully lead a big project – such as Bioshock Infinite – is 32 to 37. That’s because it takes a long time to get exposed to all of the things you need – technical, creative and business – to be competent at the top. Students who get a complete education in games and lots of real exposure while in school – like the curriculum I described above – have an advantage from the start. A goal is for developers to be able to get to that top position earlier in their career – say in their mid to late 20s.
How do you prepare students for next-generation technology?
Our student studios will be able to make awesome play experiences that run on a platform of their choosing – including next-generation consoles such as PS4 and devices such as Google Glass. That said, those projects are probably not going to push the technical boundaries of a given platform. Doing so would require a full engineering infrastructure and curriculum and detract from our mission.
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News::Get Into Games profile: Somerset College
Somerset College is based near the centre of Taunton and has a history reaching back as far as 1856, when it was known as the School Of Art And Science. It currently offers a two-year foundation degree in Computer Games Technology that can be topped up to a BSc (Hons) by staying on for a third year. The course covers a broad range of disciplines including 3D modelling, animation and character rigging, audio production and design. As a Peter Jones Enterprise Academy, Somerset College can provide expert help for students looking to set up their own businesses. Curriculum area manager Sam Batten talks up the importance of self-promotion.
How can graduates stand out from the competition today?
We support our students in the development of their entrepreneurial skills, portfolio presentation and networking skills. With 25 per cent of the games workforce [being employed] on a freelance basis, it’s key that students know how to promote themselves, showcase their skills and use social media to promote themselves, as well as develop and maintain contacts within the industry.
Why did you decide to split your degree into foundation and top-up years?
Flexibility. You might want to take up employment or undertake an internship at the end of your foundation studies, and this way you can. And it’s worth mentioning that students also have the option of achieving their degree on a part-time basis.
Your course covers a great many areas of study – is that a challenge?
With our programmes, we aim to develop both the technical and artistic skills of our students. And with such major growth occurring in the industry, particularly in the mobile, indie and small studio pathways, we strive to ensure that our learners have a robust skillset which meets both their career aspirations and the needs of [the] creative media sector. All of our students undertake work placements, which helps enhance their employability, and they create their own games, too – this year our students have been working on a game with the British Red Cross as well as Somerset Wildlife. We also have excellent employer links and a programme of guest speakers.
Other than studying their chosen field, how else should students prepare themselves for the industry?
It’s really important to keep yourself up to date with what’s happening in the industry, which is currently in very exciting times. You need to be aware of what job roles are out there and understand how the industry and the game development process works. To be truly successful, you need to be proactive, seek opportunities and not get disheartened if things don’t go to plan. Every experience that you have provides something to learn from.
From your annual intakes, can you see any evidence of the industry’s gender bias evening out?
We’re pleased to report a year-on-year increase of female game developers, which is fantastic, and a development we are excited to shout about! We have both female and male lecturing staff on our games programmes, too, so we hope that this serves as an attractive [advantage] to potential applicants.
How do you promote the south west of England, whose game dev scene isn’t as high-profile as, say, London’s?
The south west has a great number of small indie games companies as well as being a fantastic location to learn, with excellent transport links to cities such as Bristol, Bath, Exeter and Plymouth. We attract students locally, regionally and nationally and they all enjoy their time at Somerset College and make the most of what the location can offer. We have a real community feel and students feel respected and looked after.
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News::Get Into Games 2013: what are the challenges facing graduates as they come into an industry in transition?
Today’s graduates are faced with an uncommonly steep learning curve. Coming into an industry in flux, as it heaves itself from one generation to the next, throws up all manner of additional considerations, problems to solve and, perhaps most pressingly of all, decisions to make. After all, where in this rapidly expanding machine do you hope to find purchase? And where do you want to end up?
“There is a huge disadvantage in the fact that you have new technology to master and utilise, as well as new player expectations that can turn the perception of quality on its head,” warns Niklas Fegraeus, lead designer at Battlefield studio DICE. “It’s a new creative territory you need to map, and doing so successfully requires great risk and effort.”
Fortunately, he is quick to soften the blow. “On the other hand, the opportunity provided by a generation shift can be the greatest advantage imaginable, which, if [well] utilised, can make you a vital contributor to the future of gaming.”
Crucially, there are more opportunities now than ever before, because while there’s a significantly higher barrier to entry when it comes to securing your dream job in your favourite major studio, there are also many more routes into the world of game development than there ever used to be.
“Things are more segmented than they were in the past,” says Pauline Jacquey, managing director of Ubisoft Reflections. “It used to be core/casual/kids, but there are more ecosystems now. Today, [the shape of that ecosystem] is more driven by distribution channels than the target audience: there are the big triple-A console games that only a few publishers can afford; the creative indie games that have been made possible by things like the App Store, Steam and crowdfunding; the opportunistic social and free-to-play games benefiting from the openness of the Internet; and some niche hardcore and high-quality social games.”
Jacquey’s list seems extensive, but it covers the vast diversity of today’s videogames in only broad strokes, each category being home to all manner of sub-groups, combinations and mutations. And the task of creating them all requires the combined efforts of not only designers, programmers and musicians, but also HR and management, QA, and more recently roles such as community managers, server administrators, lighting experts, business analysts, economists and even experts in ergonomics. It’s a dizzying territory to explore, but it’s also one driven by the passion of those who define its borders.
“If you want to make games – and it’s what your heart wants – you’ll make them out of cereal boxes and soap if you need to,” reassures John Baez, president and co-founder of Battleblock Theater studio The Behemoth.
Alien Hominid, from The Behemoth.
Assuming you still haven’t finished that box of cornflakes, though, what other tools are at your disposal? One of the most obvious starting points today is Unity3D, a development environment and engine that’s continually gaining in functionality and popularity. It provides the option of creating games through a menu-driven interface or full-on programming environment, the Asset Store provides pre-made 3D models and plugins (not to mention a potential source of revenue for creators), and you can export your code to almost any format you can think of. All this, and the basic package is entirely free.
And there are less powerful, but still free and popular, alternatives such as YoYoGames’ GameMaker, which is now in its eighth iteration; PyGame, which will help you learn to program in Python; or, for the complete beginner, Flash game creator Sploder.
While Unity will provide you with excellent experience – indeed, many indie developers and larger studios now use Unity to produce all or part of their games – traditionally used art packages such as 3DS Max, Maya and Photoshop are still the mainstays in most major studios. And knowledge of C++ and C# will still prove invaluable, whether you’re a programmer or not. High-end PCs and next-gen consoles have both the memory and processing power to handle much more detailed environments and character models, so digital art-creation software like ZBrush and Mudbox is becoming increasingly important. And don’t forget that many studios license engines and tools like Crytek’s CryEngine 3 or Epic’s Unreal Engine 3, both of which can be downloaded at no cost for non-commercial use.
But a technical mastery of your tools isn’t necessarily the most important thing. “Software knowledge is good, of course, but it’s also something you can train quite quickly,” says Fegraeus. “Learning new software is actually unavoidable in today’s triple-A landscape, where custom software is part of almost any development process. The important thing is to have a master’s eye for quality and detail. You need to have an edge, to be amazing at something. You need to have a strong talent that makes people go ‘wow’ when they see what you can do.”
Simon Flesser, one half of Beat Sneak Bandit and Year Walk creator Simogo, agrees. “I think more all-round skills are preferable, rather than knowing specific software. For example, knowing your way around the basics of film editing or motion graphics is definitely a plus to create good proof of concepts. But unique, out-of-the-box thinking is more important than amazing skills. Skills can always be developed, but that ‘feel’ [for making games], that’s hard to come across.”
Simogo is a portmanteau of the names of its two founders, Simon Flesser and Magnus ‘Gordon’ Gardeback.
Historically, there has been an inherent disconnect between the fast-moving game industry’s requirements and more formally structured education’s ability to provide for it. But, as you’ll see over the following pages, there are many universities today that are working hard to remain reactive, and relevant, to the realities of modern game production, offering a broad range of game design and programming courses. Do developers think it’s enough?
“I think education’s closing the gap, especially now that the industry is maturing and you can have people with decades of experience sharing their knowledge,” says Fegraeus. “It’s still a difficult issue, though, since things are still moving forward so fast – especially in terms of technology and team sizes. The other really important point is that game development is a work of passion, and education constantly needs to compete with passionate individuals who spend their free time teaching themselves, developing extremely deep skills within their field. So far, a great portion of game developers [began their careers by] spending time passionately modding or coding on their own without any game-related education. I believe that this is changing.”
Jacquey points to what she sees as a global, and combined, effort from game companies, government and universities and other schools to further refine those relationships. Ubisoft Reflections has close links with a number of universities, including Teesside and home of Dare To Be Digital, Abertay. The studio is also currently working on a government-supported initiative that aims to link its internal “expert training programmes” with wider education. But there are still some skills graduates aren’t bringing with them to their first jobs, foremost among which is source control (also sometimes known as version control or revision control), a method of keeping track of changes made to code and documents.
“That’s one field that’s not taught at all in universities, but that is used by 100 per cent of a dev team,” says Jacquey. “We use [software called] Perforce at Ubisoft, and if applicants arrived with a good knowledge of [that program], it would definitely give them a head start.”
Though you may have got the impression that every role in the game industry is oversubscribed, that’s rarely actually the case. Right now, our interviewees variously cite a lack of programmers, UI (user interface) artists and programmers, ergonomists and SFX artists. Naturally, the categories in such a list ebb and flow continuously.
But assuming you’ve got a knack for game or asset creation, and you’re able to handle the relevant tools, there are still other considerations to take into account if you intend to start your own studio or singlehandedly code The Next Big Thing on iOS. Flesser reveals that, as a small studio, only half of Simogo’s time is spent actually making games. Without an admin department, someone has to get through those emails and tax returns.
Funding a game is a more significant hurdle than keeping on top of admin, of course. There are many options for doing so, but one method that can’t be ignored today is crowdfunding, which has risen to prominence thanks to the high-profile success of projects on sites such as Kickstarter and Indiegogo. Crowdfunding, in combination with the similarly democratising effect of digital distribution, has allowed the riskier and idiosyncratic ideas associated with smaller projects to flourish.
Niklas Fegraeus, lead designer at DICE.
“It enables people who dream of making games to have more viable options when trying to realise their dreams,” says Fegraeus. “Regardless of whether you want to become the new Kojima or the new Notch, there’s now a visible path to that goal.”
It’s an intoxicating idea, but, as Flesser warns, it could be worth gaining some experience before you try to become the next Phil Fish. “[Crowdfunding] has created this notion of ‘everyone can do it’. While that’s true to some extent, and it’s certainly a great mindset to have, a lot of really great creators got their experience from the traditional industry.
“No matter how much you study, there’s really nothing like hands-on experience. And, honestly, working for The Man for a few years will probably be a great way to see how you would do things differently. Try to see that those early years with art directors, producers and suits breathing down your neck as espionage!”
But is indie and mainstream development really as polarised as it used to be? It’s increasingly difficult to define what indie really means nowadays, in a world where Kickstarter continues to fund startups and vanity projects without discrimination, scalable tools like Unity3D are used by individuals and teams alike, and budgets for downloadable games – mobile or otherwise – soar.
“Since the industry has not agreed on what is ‘indie’ or not, it’s a difficult one,” says The Behemoth co-founder and art director Dan Paladin. “If we were to enter the IGF again, I think there’d be some people raising an eyebrow. And if Double Fine enters, is that OK? What about if Valve enters? All of these companies are independent, but which ones are ‘indie’? All? None? Some? If the company has over ten employees, is it no longer ‘indie’? What’s the budget cutoff before you’re not indie any more? What sorts of funding or partnerships are OK?”
“I think it’s all a bit fuzzy,” says Flesser. “The word ‘indie’ is used so broadly that I don’t even know what it means. Some people talk of it as a sort of ‘indie spirit’, while others see it as being financially independent. But, again, I think it’s more important to have ideas people – people who are just generally creative – if you’re a small company rather than a bigger studio.”
Dear Esther.
Fegraeus is less sure that the definitions have shifted to any great extent, but worries that attitudes towards the two camps have. He laments what he sees as a widening cultural divide reminiscent of that seen in the movie industry, where big-budget productions are sometimes looked upon with no small amount of disdain by the self-proclaimed sophisticate indie scene. While the majority of players are probably isolated from such prejudice – we can’t imagine many gamers snubbing Battlefield 3 just because they’ve recently played Dear Esther – it may well affect new developers’ aspirations.
“I personally hope this has a very limited effect on people looking to break into the industry,” Fegraeus says, “as I can’t see these judgmental attitudes as anything but bad.”
But whether you’re an auteur exploring the breakdown of a relationship through the medium of platforming or an artist creating the metallic texture for a bullet in the latest blockbuster FPS, you’re still following your passion and making a game. And that, after all, is why you’re reading this article. So, does the added complexity of development on next-generation PCs and console hardware, and the increasingly competitive jobs market, mean that it’s harder than ever before to bag that dream job in the game industry? Or does such a diverse spectrum of roles and ways to make games actually mean it’s now easier?
“I think it’s easier,” says Fegraeus. “By that I don’t mean it’s easy – far from it – but considering the constant growth of the industry as a whole, there are simply more options and opportunities than before. It’s an extremely competitive space, though, as evidenced by all the heartbreaking stories of studio shutdowns and commercial failures that happen quite regularly. There’s a saying that ‘you’re only as good as your last title’, and this is very true. It’s particularly difficult to survive on old merits in the game industry, and you need to constantly push yourself in order to stay relevant and successful.”
Jacquey: “Well, I probably wouldn’t have become a producer at 23 if I [started today rather than] in 1997. But back then, there was little support because we were all working out what it takes to make great games. There’s much more support now – teams are more structured and when you start, you have a manager. Young team members get constant feedback and training, too. So I would say it’s easier to work and feel supported, but today people usually follow more structured career paths than 15 years ago.”
Baez has one final thought on the matter. “For super-creative people who have always wanted to be in the industry and worked hard to get there, it’s probably easier!” he says. “For people who want to be in the industry because they think it might be a fun thing to do versus working at local grocery store, it’ll probably be tougher than before!”
The post Get Into Games 2013: what are the challenges facing graduates as they come into an industry in transition? appeared first on Edge Online.
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