Playing Roles and Games
I think it's so cool to be on the other side of video game development. The more I learn, the more enamored I become. And based on my current position at Nayantara, I think if I really pushed I could get a full time job doing this with another game company.
But for me, it's Nayantara all the way. Why just get hired by 'a company' working on 'a game' that I really don't know and can't naturally get excited about? Hrmph.
To be involved in something small is to have an intimate relationship with the developers (no, not that type) that you just won't get anywhere else. It's also another reason to find your niche game and champion the hell out of it. I literally get paid to be a fanboy. There is no greater reward. I am very happy doing what I do. I feel I can bring things to the game that others cannot, whether it be sys and forum administration, web skills, or content creation. These are strengths, and it's nice to flex those muscles, let alone be appreciated by such excellent company.
I'm writing this as I read Casual Games Are Serious Business, from the Hollywood Reporter (as found on A Shareware Life). Basically it entails that web games are big business, and that PopCap is thinking of producing a small RPG that can be played in 15 minute chunks.
I think it's either going to be gangbusters or fail spectacularly. The realist in me doesn't believe a 15 minute RPG can be adequately designed for multiple uses and specific time limits, so I fall in the latter of the opinion categories.
However, contributing my small part to Star Chamber, I think that anything is possible. If they work hard enough at it, it is a possibility. There are many games I never imagined being as fun as they are, such as Bejeweled or Zuma, so it's tough to say what will come out of the PopCap magic factory.
Hmm, let's think about this: 15 minutes. That means no character creation. That also means a very short story. That means a set group of characters whose goals may change and whose plot may have to change even more drastically. The key to small web-based games are replayability. I can play Bejeweled today and get just as much satisfaction as I did years ago. What about this RPG? Will I be playing the same story over and over, or a slight variation?
Can you inhabit the role of a character for 15 minutes and truly feel that the experience was worth the time investment? There is a certain connection made to characters you control in RPGs, and usually that emotional investment is only hardened by hours and hours of playing.
That is why games such as Final Fantasy are so popular. In particular Final Fantasy VII, which I still regard as a masterpiece of game-making. The way they introduce the story, get you involved in the game early, and have you actually affect what is going on is absolutely crucial to making an RPG work. When you try to truncate it, you are either watching/reading too much and not playing enough, which of course will kill any web-based game almost instantly, or have you always involved, and make it as bland as bad oatmeal.
There in lies the balance. Can it be done? Particularly within a 15 minute time limit? With a small download, a great replayability factor, and create the emotional involvement necessary to carry a Role Playing Game?
There-in lies the design question. How they solve it is anyone's guess. Good luck.
But for me, it's Nayantara all the way. Why just get hired by 'a company' working on 'a game' that I really don't know and can't naturally get excited about? Hrmph.
To be involved in something small is to have an intimate relationship with the developers (no, not that type) that you just won't get anywhere else. It's also another reason to find your niche game and champion the hell out of it. I literally get paid to be a fanboy. There is no greater reward. I am very happy doing what I do. I feel I can bring things to the game that others cannot, whether it be sys and forum administration, web skills, or content creation. These are strengths, and it's nice to flex those muscles, let alone be appreciated by such excellent company.
I'm writing this as I read Casual Games Are Serious Business, from the Hollywood Reporter (as found on A Shareware Life). Basically it entails that web games are big business, and that PopCap is thinking of producing a small RPG that can be played in 15 minute chunks.
I think it's either going to be gangbusters or fail spectacularly. The realist in me doesn't believe a 15 minute RPG can be adequately designed for multiple uses and specific time limits, so I fall in the latter of the opinion categories.
However, contributing my small part to Star Chamber, I think that anything is possible. If they work hard enough at it, it is a possibility. There are many games I never imagined being as fun as they are, such as Bejeweled or Zuma, so it's tough to say what will come out of the PopCap magic factory.
Hmm, let's think about this: 15 minutes. That means no character creation. That also means a very short story. That means a set group of characters whose goals may change and whose plot may have to change even more drastically. The key to small web-based games are replayability. I can play Bejeweled today and get just as much satisfaction as I did years ago. What about this RPG? Will I be playing the same story over and over, or a slight variation?
Can you inhabit the role of a character for 15 minutes and truly feel that the experience was worth the time investment? There is a certain connection made to characters you control in RPGs, and usually that emotional investment is only hardened by hours and hours of playing.
That is why games such as Final Fantasy are so popular. In particular Final Fantasy VII, which I still regard as a masterpiece of game-making. The way they introduce the story, get you involved in the game early, and have you actually affect what is going on is absolutely crucial to making an RPG work. When you try to truncate it, you are either watching/reading too much and not playing enough, which of course will kill any web-based game almost instantly, or have you always involved, and make it as bland as bad oatmeal.
There in lies the balance. Can it be done? Particularly within a 15 minute time limit? With a small download, a great replayability factor, and create the emotional involvement necessary to carry a Role Playing Game?
There-in lies the design question. How they solve it is anyone's guess. Good luck.
1 Comments:
gangbusters indeed.
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