THE MASS RE-EMERGING OF THE BEDROOM CODER
This is part two in a series of articles exploring experiments and enablers aiming to improve the creative climate in game development for current and new talents alike. This month, we look at software tools and industry moves which focus on facilitating the independent visionary. [You can read part one here.]
It's tougher than ever to break into video games. Of course there are exceptions, but they are very rare indeed compared to the movie and music businesses.
In movies, some have competed commercially with just a handy camcorder, editing software, and a few friends who can act (remember "Blair Witch" and "Clerks"?). In music, a mic, a keyboard, and some recording software is all that's ever really needed to create a hit.
In games, life got a little more complex for aspiring game creators after the bedroom coder days and thus garage developers almost completely disappeared throughout the late '90s and early '00s, with new ideas coming almost entirely from commercial developers and publishers.
Fortunately, in the last few years, garage developers have been making somewhat of a low-key resurgence. In 2004, The Behemoth brought their Flash-based "Alien Hominid" game to consoles and are now building "Castle Crashers" and an update of "Alien Hominid" for Xbox Live Arcade.
Introversion Software, the guys behind "Darwinia"(winner of several awards at the Independent Games Festival 2006), have seen enough success to carry on making games as a small independent team who admirably won't settle for any "publishers f**king their games up." Their next project is "Subversion" and will be developed " in the full glare of the general gaming public."
Unfortunately, much as the quality of the game design is likely to be high, it's unlikely these games will be huge, commercially competitive titles, bar perhaps "Castle Crashers," thanks to the Xbox Live Arcade service being such a great platform for selling small-budget games.
Part of the reason for this is simply that games are still largely a technology arms race. Innovation is key, but without technology, some ideas just can't come to life. When the technology to realize ambitious new ideas becomes just plain inaccessible to laymen, the ideas pool becomes limited. Equally sad is that concepts coming from capable independent developers are automatically heavily restricted in scope and don't reach further than the elitist gaming audience. It's still a valid audience and one that can bring financial success, but it's an initially limiting one and it can often paint your further efforts as niche and untouchable to shortsighted publishing execs if you ever feel the need to seek a bigger deal.
Fortunately, accessible technologies are becoming more widely available.
Just last month, Torque released its beta release of Torque X -- a GUI game-development environment that non-programmers can use to prototype gameplay concepts.
This wouldn't be big news if not for the fact they're integrating it with Microsoft's XNA platform, which is the backbone of the critically and commercial success that is the previously referenced Xbox Live Arcade.
The engine itself is praised for being great at realising 2-D gameplay concepts and it's definitely a step in the right direction for attracting new talent and ideas, particularly as Microsoft asserts that it wishes XNA to be "A Youtube for games."
Of course, GUI game design software is not a new thing, but integration into something commercial and widely accessible is. Widely praised tools like Virtools and Unity rely on Web-player technology to reach audiences, despite the engines being perfectly capable of outputting current-gen game technology (which they also do, by the way).
The latest version of Virtools, for instance, can output to PC, Mac, Web Browser plugins, PSP, and Xbox. They're also working on a Next-Gen version. Meanwhile, Unity can boast published games on both Mac and PC, as well as Web browsers, while being equipped with the highly regarded AGEIA physics engine.
So how good are these software tools?
Well, both have been used to create low-budget published professional game software, in the entertainment, serious games, and marketing sectors. Games developed in these platforms have been published by UbiSoft, Atari, and Warner Brothers on console, PC, and Web platforms. On top of that, a few years back, I interviewed Greg Tavarres, a technology lead at Sony Japan, and his comment about Virtools was this: "One of our designers convinced management to give him a month to play with it. In that month, he was able to create an entire level for a character action game on his own."
He added that "this designer had his character walking around, he had animals you could hop on and ride, he had three or four kinds of enemies you could interact with, he had non-player characters you could recruit and command to do various things. He had several game setups, cliffs you could climb, moving platforms, all kinds of stuff -- and he had done all of this without any programming experience in a single month."
Call me optimistic, but that sounds mighty promising. With the IGF winners behind "Narbacular Drop" being plucked by Valve to build the much-awaited "Portal Half Life 2" add-on and Xbox Live Arcade shooting to be a YouTube for games with the software tools being placed to make it happen, it looks like it'll be a promising next few years for the aspiring independent creative in the world of commercial video games. Stay tuned.
>> The Mass Re-Emerging Of The Bedroom Coder
In the last few years,garage developers have been making somewhat of a low-key resurgence.
>> Wii Ambitions At Buena Vista Games
Disney's Buena Vista Games named Scott Novis VP and general manager of its new Fall Line studio.
>> Rob Pardo On The WoW Factor
As Blizzard's VP of game design, Rob Pardo is the man ultimately responsible for making "World of Warcraft" happen.
>> Brainstorming At A Video Game "Think Tank"
Developers gathered to identify workable solutions for what stops effective game design from happening.
>> Video Games That Watch Back
New techniques allow developers to watch gamers who are playing online.
>> Next
Year, GDC will be a Really Big Shew
A post-mortem on E3's
downsizing and how it may or may not affect GDC 2007.
>> Giving
the Power Back to the Artists
Chris Bateman, founder of Fantasy
Labs, discusses his experiment with alternate game development business
models.
>> Casual
Games Biz Poised for Growth Despite Non-Paying Customers
Paul
Hyman talks with PopCap Games founder Jason Kapalka about the future of
casual games.
>> A Healthy
Approach to Game Development
A perspective on virtual education and
training through games.
>> Next-Gen
Clarity: Courtesy of the Tokyo Games Show
The lastest from Tokyo
on the upcoming Wii and PS3 launches.
>> Massive
Activity in Massive Multiplayer Games
Industry insiders comment on
the proliferation of MMOG's.
>> New Tech
Stretches Game Writing Tasks
A commentary on the growth of
professional writing and dialogue in games.
>>
'License-itis' Picking Up Steam
Industry perspectives on licensing
and future game development.
>> EA's New
MMOG-Meister
Paul Hyman talks with Mark Jacobs, founder and CEO of
Mythic Entertainment, on their acquisition by EA and the broader MMOG
market.
>> Cadillac
Guns Xbox 360's Ad Engine
A preview of the current and likely
future of advertising in games.
>> With
Episodic Gaming, Everything Old is New Again
Industry insiders
comment on the resurgence of episodic gaming via digital distribution
>> E3
Wrap-up
Highlights and impressions from E3 2006
>> 3D
Realms' Scott Miller on the Value of Original IP
A commentary on
the pros and cons of developing original versus licensed IP
>> E3 2007:
Deals ... Or No Deals?
Tips on landing a development deal and
planning for E3 2007
>> Looking
to E3...and the
Big three!
A preview of what to expect from
Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo at this year's E3
>> IGF Keeps
Indie Spirit Alive In Game Industry
A prospectus on the independent
games market
>> Developer
Spotlight: Incognito Studios
Paul Hyman talks with Incognito’s
technical director, Randy Zorko about the PS3 and their upcoming launch
title, Warhawk
>> Game
Start-Ups confident
despite turbulent times
How new start ups
foresee dealing with the increasing costs and challenges of next gen game
development
>> Used
Games a Boon and Bane for Industry
A perspective on the thriving
used game market and its impact on publishers
>> Mobile
Gaming Gets Big!
A commentary on EA's impact in the mobile gaming
market via its acquisition of Jamdat.
>>
Electronic Boogaloo
A perspective on the growth and influence of
hip-hop in games.
>> Industry
Recognizing "Write Stuff"
A commentary on the evolution and
importance of writing in games
>> Q&A:
Shiny Entertainment's David Perry
Paul Hyman speaks candidly with
David Perry about games and Hollywood.
>> A Chat
with Naughty Dog...
Naughty Dog's advice on
next gen game
console development
>> MMOG
Publishers...
A commentary on the evolution of MMPOG revenue
models
>> Dealing
with Crunch Time! Industry veterans Graeme Bayless and Daron Stinnett
comment on how to handle crunch times
>> Sponsors
Go Ape for Advergames
A perspective on the rapid evolution of
advertising in games
>> Help us
Help You!
How to maximize success in working with recruiters
>> Videogame
Sequels Heat Up Winter Selling Season
A rundown on the major
publishers' hottest titles for the upcoming Christmas season
>> The
Convergence of Films & Games: A Staffing Dilemma
DAM speaks
out on staffing solutions for next generation game development
>> AI: The
Smart Way To Go
Paul Hyman discusses the future of AI in games with
John Funge, Co-Founder of IKuni
>> Blackley:
Game Makers Should Call The Shots
CAA's perspective on the
convergence of games and film
>> Behind the
Games
DAM Speaks out on the importance of human capital in the
games industry
>> Plan to
buy an Xbox?...
Paul Hyman discusses the dilemma of which new
console hardware to purchase
>> Content is
Still King
A synopsis on the importance of killer content for the
next generation consoles
