How and Why I Got Into Games

          When I played my first video game, I was likely three or four. It might have been the first Super Mario Bros., but I have vague memories of it. They just seemed like board games, but with a TV, a gray box, a horizontal remote, and a bunch of wires. To me, it was just another toy. But then, I got a PS One for my ninth birthday. It was this small, white box that had a different kind of controller and buttons than the Nintendo Entertainment System. I had two games for a while: Crash Bandicoot 2 and Spyro the Dragon. Games became more interesting then, but I wasn’t exactly passionate about them… until I was given a game by my cousin. It was called Final Fantasy IX and I had never seen anything like it. 

          With other games, you had this world to explore or levels to complete. Your goal was to get gems, punch baddies, save some princess, or whatever. They were all these “Do ‘A’ to get to ‘B’, and then you get ‘C’” kind of games. Final Fantasy was different; it started with a movie. I watched the short FMV sequence that showed highlights of the games cinematic cutscenes, then the main menu appeared, all whilst this tune played: 

          It was all jaw dropping to me at the time. Instinctively, I hit the X button to start a new game. Another one of those movies played. I watched the entire thing in awe, then the movie ended with a transition into the actual game. I was controlling a humanoid character with a monkey tail. He had his own dialogue via text box. After clicking through it a couple of times, he lights a match and I move him to the center of the room. Immediately I notice a “!” mark. I click X to see what happens and light the lamp in the center of the room. The room fills with light and a voice calls out from another room. I get this prompt to enter a name for the character I’m controlling. Technically I could change it to anything, but I wanted to keep the default name: Zidane. 

          The source of the voice reveals itself to be one of several people who enter the room and salute Zidane. Seems like they’re a gang. One of them asks where the boss is. At that moment, some guy with a dragon head shows up and attacks. It is here I’m introduced to how the combat system works. You wait until a little blue bar fills up, then select a command and act. It didn’t take long to defeat this uninvited foe. Turns out it was the boss who got his head stuck in a dragon mask.

          From then on, the plot carried the narrative and I was hooked. I met many likeable characters, befriended some Moogles, fought deadly beasts, and even learned defeat at the hands of Gizamaluke. It would be several years before I tried the game again. This time I got past Gizamaluke and continued the story. Unfortunately, the fourth disc was corrupt and I could not finish the game without it freezing on me. I was nine years old when I first played the game and I didn’t finish it until I was eighteen. But ever since that first time playing, I’ve wondered how to create something like this.

          This was the game that made me want to make stories. Other games were about gameplay, but this one was about the narrative. Books were fun to read and movies were great to watch, but the medium that is video games convinced me that this was my favorite way to experience a story. Regarding the title of this article, I suppose playing Final Fantasy IX was the “how I got into games”. But what is the “why”?

          I got into games because I wanted to build stories, craft worlds, and impress people like how I was impressed with Final Fantasy. However, I met a lot of criticism along the way of getting here. I don’t mean bad feedback for games I’ve made (I haven’t exactly made a lot as of this article). I mean peers and adults saying that it isn’t worth it. “There’s no money in it.” “It’s highly competitive.” “Games are for kids anyways.” “You would be better off with a real job.” 

          First off, I’m not looking to get rich or successful. I just want to be fulfilled. As for competition, there are a bunch of people like myself who want to make their own games, but how many of them will actually get to do that? I might not even be able to. The closest I may come is to working on assets or playtesting. We all have these ideas of the perfect something, but that may never ever come into existence. I’m surprisingly okay with having some of my lofty and ambitious ideals stay as thoughts in my head because they sound pretty good in there anyways. Third, games are not just for kids; they’re beneficial to everybody. They fulfil certain needs in various players. The games I play have me either feeling really powerful and accomplished or useful to the team I’m playing with. And for those who say I should get a real job, making games is strenuous! You’ve got to make sure the design is worth implementing, ensure the aesthetics look appealing, and fix and tweak everything so the game doesn’t break when it’s shown to the public. How is that NOT a real job?

          But there’s other things that make me interested in games. The storytelling is the biggest part, but I could also be part of this team of developers making inspiring products. Maybe I’m making games that convey a message or make you think. Games are becoming more than entertainment; they’re starting to reach the state of being an artform. I’d like to see them reach this milestone, but I’m also fine with making and playing games meant solely for fun. As for the industry itself, I get the impression that they don’t need any professional game designers at the moment.

Because of that, my interests started to drift towards non-digital games. I even started contemplating other industries simply because of the possibility that I could enjoy it (voice-acting, music and sound, animation, special effects, UI design, it’s seemingly endless!) And yet, you can’t exactly be in all of those fields. You have to start somewhere, ideally with something you are most interested in. For me, it’s game design and narrative. The other fields could be hobbies I pick up, or they could turn into some kind of calling. A friend of mine once told me this: “Even if you don’t know what to do, do something.” I may not get the perfect job, but I will follow his advice. I WILL do something.

          To all of you reading this (especially students just getting into this program), really think about why you want to do this. You might have your eyes set on creating concept art, but why specifically that? Is it because you have some good drawing skills and making pictures all day is an easy way to success? Is it to reach a level of fame and reputation? Do you hope to change the industry in some way? You might see it as a way to make an easy living and will work extremely hard to make it happen. Creating anything takes a lot of energy out of you and leaves you too tired to do anything else. Are you willing to sacrifice that lost time and energy for this career path? Perhaps, but lots of folks want to do concept art for similar reasons. Then again, I’m not you. Your reasons could be vastly different from anyone I’ve met so far. 

          If you have your eyes set on a goal, remind yourself of why you’re doing it. Once you have a solid reason, the “how to” part will become trivial. You will figure out how you’re going to do it. I wanted to write articles for this blog because I wanted to contribute to an organization. To pass on some information gathered from observation and some experience. I also wanted to see if others would have their own viewpoints and opinions. With all of those reasons, I have little trouble coming up with topics every week to write. The “how to” was solved. If I lose the “why”, I’ll never write again. I want to create, analyze, write, and play games. It brings me joy and fulfillment to do all of those things despite how arduous it is. 

What is it you want to do? Why? How will you pull that off? Take as much time as you need. The world won’t end just because you haven’t made a decision or picked a path. Enjoy what you do now, but know why you’re doing it at all.

April Analysis: Night in the Woods

          A friend told me about this one. It’s rather unique in terms of aesthetics and gameplay. Night in the Woods can be best described as a platformer with narrative elements and various mini-games. The game doesn’t fit in as well as other games in the platformer genre as it has a specific feel about it. The way the narrative pans out makes it seem like a “slice of life” type of experience. I’ve never seen a game do something like this. Night in the Woods is definitely interesting to look at and play despite the gameplay not being incredibly fun or exciting. So why make a game that isn’t meant to be fun?

          Many games in the past have opted to make their design less focused on gameplay and more on narrative. The mechanics merely supplement the story in those kinds of games. Night in the Woods has a big focus on narrative, especially in character arcs. The player controls a cat named Mae. She’s coming home from college to live with her parents. Mae spends the rest of her time reconnecting with past friends, learning about the changes in her town, and occasionally doing some bad things. Over time she learns of her friends’ issues and gradually opens up about her own. At the same time, something ominous is happening in her town and it’s up to her and her allies to find out what. The game starts on the evening of Mae’s return to town in a bus station.

The first area is meant to show the player that they can interact with the environment if certain icons are displayed (such as an eye or an arm and paw) and they can move on a 2D plane as well as jump. There’s some dialogue between her and the janitor fixing the door. He says he will finish by the time Mae gets him a soda from the vending machine. This introduces puzzle elements into the game, albeit with a simple solution. Players are now aware of controls and how the game will play out mechanically, but not narratively.

          Overall mechanics are simple: characters can move left or right, jumping is possible, interaction is done via hitting the Action button and works whenever an icon is present over Mae, and all of these are used to do puzzles here and there. Jumping is the most useful ability as it lets you get to higher places. The most notable feature of jumping is the High Jump. To do this, you must jump consecutively three times whilst moving. Think of it as running, jumping once, a second time, and on the third leap you reach twice the height of a normal jump. Knowing this is essential to reaching the tallest buildings in the town where certain NPCs can be found and spoken to.

          The most engaging part of the game is character dialogue. Reading what everyone has to say makes the world more interesting as it fills you in on what kind of lives the people are living. There’s one person you can speak to who returns your warm greeting with sad news: he just lost his job. You can cheer him up with one of two dialogue options, though they have little effect on how the game plays out. Later you see the same person working in a hardware store.

          There’s no voice acting in the game other than a few sounds from characters jumping or doing other actions that might elicit some noise. It may be odd to bring up, but I have to mention it because it’s intentional. The game is meant to have a quiet and calm feel to it. Voices would likely cause some unnecessary noise. Reading dialogue is akin to reading a book where the voices play out in your head. This tone really sets the mood for a relaxing play session. It also makes the scary moments exceptionally frightening as they feel more loud. 

Sound and music plays a big effect on mood in this game. In the dreams that Mae has, the music feels like it’s deep in the background. When Mae finds the towers with the people playing instruments, they add in their own music to make the dream seem more active. When all four are found, you have a symphony of sound going through the dream. It all comes to a halt when Mae reaches the start of her dream again and sees some unspeakable horror mysteriously appear. The music changes to something disruptive and shocking. What was once a pleasant dream has now become a night terror. 

Religion is prominent in this game. What is the meaning of life? Sometimes that question is only answered through religious teachings. With faith, one can find simple answers for complicated questions. In other cases, a more complex explanation based on tangible evidence is more believable. The game takes a neutral stance on existentialism. There could be a God or maybe there isn’t. It never says for sure. Just like with the Black Goat the cult sacrifices people to. The good things happening to the town being may be pure coincidence or there really is a demon down in the mines that grants fortune when fed, giving the town it’s prosperity. The dreams Mae has could either be the Black Goat communicating with her or just normal dreams that try to tell her things. Again, the game is intentionally ambiguous with these questions.

Night in the Woods teaches valuable lessons about life in general. It does so through character interaction and dialogue. For example, we find out that Bea’s mother is dead and as a result, her father goes into a depression and starts drinking heavily. To support both herself and her dad, Bea takes over the hardware store and gives up her dream of going to college. It’s a lesson in making sacrifices for those you care about. She still hates her situation, but she deals with it. Later, you meet a crazy old possum lady who asks you to fix her furnace. She locks you in the basement when Mae and Bea come to fix her furnace. Fortunately, you can escape by beating up the furnace and she lets you out. This shows the kind of people you may encounter in daily life, some being pretty normal and others being psychotic. You must learn to deal with them appropriately. The game’s ultimate lesson is this: You’re problems pale in comparison to the rest of the world. You will encounter experiences good and bad and they’ll shape your life forever. It isn’t the end if something goes wrong; you’ll be fine.

This is a game worth looking at for studying character storylines and a little bit of worldbuilding. It’s also useful in knowing how to incorporate a message via an artform. That’s what I’d like to see more games do: communicate a message with their medium that’s more than just entertaining, but thought provoking. These “slice of life” style of games are likely going to increase in popularity. Games where there’s no apparent end goal, but the experience is enjoyable and soothing to the player. At the same time, life lessons are taught via gameplay and character interaction. I expect to see more games like this in the future.

Open World Done Right

Breath of the Wild launched recently. I haven’t had a chance to try it out, but it looks amazing in terms of aesthetics and gameplay. Judging by video footage, it seems to have nailed the formula for open world exploration. There’s many things to explore and players have incentive to discover. It’s been quite some time since I’ve seen a game do open world gameplay so well. How did they do it? 

Start with a premise of some kind. Regardless of setting, some antagonistic force threatens the peace of the realm or something like that. Warlock, the Malevolent, as we will call it, is infesting the lands with his armies. This gives the world conflict for the player to deal with. Now that we have a premise, the player knows what their ultimate goal is: get rid of Warlock. If the goal is as simple as that, why not storm his castle and kill him now? That would be ill advised for a new player.

Let players have access to the end of the game. It lets them get a feel for what to expect from their enemy. They may go boldly charging the darkened castle when a guardian looks down at the player and stomps them into the ground. Clearly, the player is not ready to fight the antagonist. They must grow stronger and master the mechanics and systems before they can face the end boss, a final test of their understanding of the game itself.

Begrudgingly, the player will run around looking for easier challenges. Some of Warlock’s minor forces are seen in the open field. Players can take them out with no trouble and learn a few basic mechanics. Later they may find a town being attacked by stronger enemies. The townspeople could use a hero to help them. The player lends a hand, saves the town, and earns a nice reward in the form of an equipment upgrade. They learn about exploration, quests, and reward systems. Now they have a method of getting stronger. Still, it’s best if they don’t fight Warlock right now. They’ve got a long ways to go and much to learn about the world. Players now have a reason to look for other places that need their help.

As they explore, players run into NPCs who need help or side quests that involve a small narrative. These narratives can either affect the game or just the game world. If it affects the game, this means that completing this quest rewards something that makes the player stronger or weakens the enemy somehow. Maybe minions of Warlock the Malevolent won’t kick the player’s ass so hard this time. If it affects the game world, this means the lore changes in some way. The player learns something about the world and grows to care for it more deeply. This is good for character development and agency. Both of these outcomes can occur at the same time. Player learns of Warlock’s latest scheme to corrupt the water source for a large city causing a plague. Upon cleansing the plague, the player is given a new weapon. Now the player has a reason to hate the villain more, but also grows more powerful in the process.

What happens in the world when the player isn’t around? It goes on without them. Whenever the player is off looking for new places to discover and puzzles to solve, the world should be able to operate independently of the player’s actions. It should still be affected by what the player does, but it shouldn’t need the player to feel bad about not saving anyone. Imagine if every town was under attack by the forces of evil. Some might can hold their ground, but others would be destroyed. It makes sense to have most towns handle the fighting themselves so the player can wander off without being too concerned about the side quest involved with saving the inhabitants. If they do decide to save the town, keep it saved. It will be a sign of progress in the world and it’s satisfying to look on a map and see how much good you’ve done in the world.

At the end of their journey, players will be ready to take on the ultimate challenge: their original goal of defeating Warlock, the Malevolent. With their knowledge of the game, the lore of the world, and their godly armor and powerful weapons, the player will be ready. It isn’t necessary to have them explore everything in the game world, especially if it’s massive. Have them explore a few critical spots that are not too difficult to find and have them teach essential mechanics that they will need for the final battle. The guardian from before stands no chance against the master player. A last mechanic may be introduced at this time, but it should be brief and interesting; nothing too complex. This serves as a reward for making it this far and should be the most amazing thing your game offers. Now the player will feel like the end boss will be powerless against them. 

So the player has reached the end boss, fought him to the death, and saved the world. Now what? At this point, you can either let them explore everything else they may have missed or give them access to new content. Even though the antagonist is dead, players still may want to explore the rest of the game. It is very possible they didn’t find everything the world has to offer. In the off chance that they have finished all of the content, new areas and quests can be added as a reward for defeating the end boss. It’s always good to give the player more of what they enjoy the most. If the player sees the slaying of the antagonist as the final challenge, they shouldn’t have to feel like they HAVE to explore the endgame content. It should feel like a reward for saving the world that can be indulged in at any time and not an obligation. No one likes being forced to play something they don’t like.

This concludes the formula used to create a satisfying open world exploration game. Of course, this doesn’t cover absolutely everything designers may encounter in creating a game like this, but it does hit on some of the most important points.