Starter Pack Spring 2023

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Starter Pack

Tech Titans

There’s an endless number of games out there. What sets them apart?

Retro to Recent

Showing the popularity shifts in games throughout the years.

The Underworld

What lies in the Underworld of video games?

It’s about speedrunning.

(pg 16)

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of game

production

There’s A LOT that goes into making a game!

Speedrunning
Spring 2023
CHECKPOINTS T ech Titans ........ 4 Production ........ 22 H istory ......... 10 Speedrunning ....... 16 The Underworld ...... 28 Intro ........... 1 Outro .......... 34

Tech Titans Tech Titans

very single video game started out as an idea. It could’ve been a design for a char acter, a story, a puzzle, or even a vast world to explore. Big or small, every single game you’ve ever laid your eyes on was derived from at least one “lightbulb moment” that soon blossomed into a string of complex interactions between the hundreds of lines of code meticulously typed out to serve as a single small part in the giant apparatus that is a video game.

If you’re a small developer, the ideas are the easy part. The real challenge comes with getting your name out into a world filled to the very brim with the twenty-fourth unnecessary edition of a sports game. There are of course many things that go into the development other than ideas; you’ve got sound design, artwork, advertising, and of course programming.

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Nintendo’s latest home console: the Nintendo Switch. Courtesy of pxfuel. The legendary Wii has stood the test of time and is still a household name today.

If even one of these components goes awry, then the entire game could potentially

time on a worthwhile gaming experience, but some of these games can go under the radar. So, what sets blockbuster hits apart from the rest of the herd?

Development plays one of the most important roles in deciding if a game will sink or swim. Someone who can work well in a team and can bring something valuable to the table is someone who is setting themselves up for success.

Jim Butcher, who works as a technical lead for Blizzard had this to say about the subject: “there has to be some level of digging in and

figuring out for yourself, but at the same time, if you never jump for help, you don’t benefit from other people’s experience. A good engineer practices a little bit of both and consistently evaluates what the right balance of those things is.” Butcher thinks that if you can find that sweet spot while working with a team, you will be a better worker. And in turn, a better developer.

how did they get this popular? Well, it’s a huge compilation of many different cogs and gears that all go into making the perfect game. And who’s behind those cogs and gears? The developers and software engineers that work tirelessly

Thousands of developers work hard to make sure that you spend money and

Get Inspired!

Establish a recognizable style for your game to be popular and well known. That style can be in the form of writing, gameplay, or visuals. Billy, an employee at GameStop says that “a lot of games will take the safe direction just because it’s stable, it’s a lot easier to make a profit if

“If you never jump for help, you don’t benefit from other people’s experience.”
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Jim Butcher
Hogwarts Legacy is a widley popular triple a title based around the popular Harry Potter book series. Courtesy of Trusted Reviews. The towering PS5 is one of the most powerful consoles to date.

people buy your game because it’s like another game.”

Inspiration is everywhere, and it isn’t a bad idea to learn from the success of past games to fuel your own creative endeavors. It creates a bit of familiarity and can make it easier for players to get into your game and start having fun as soon as possible. It isn’t a bad thing and can even make development easier and more enjoyable. Just be careful not to cross the line between inspiration and plagiarism!

A lot of risks go into creating a game, and often those risks can be alleviated by taking different mechanics from other games. Billy said that “so many games are similar to Dark Souls today. Dark Souls when it started was a very unsafe route, and now because of its success, other companies are copying it.” Dark Souls is a game that came out in 2011 and has since

revolutionized the way that video games look and how they are played. Billy also commented on a recent hit, Hogwarts Legacy, a game that is based off of the famous Harry Potter book series. He said that it “has been described as having a very Souls-inspired combat.” Even twelve years after the release of Dark Souls, it is still impacting games made today.

Game mechanics are a great way for your game to be

recognizable, and another thing that can help to boost your brand is establishing some strong intellectual property (usually shortened to just IP). Think about how easy it is to identify different game mascots like Sonic, Pikachu, Link, or Mario!

Social Platforms and Livestreams

With a nearly infinite amount of games out there, it can be hard to get your game in the public eye. Luckily, the internet can help to mitigate this.

As more and more people start to see and play a game, more and more people talk about it- creating a strong online and offline community among the player base. Jason Boulette, an experienced gamer, says that people love to be part of a community. He says that games “create a cadence by which there’s a shared experience.

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The latest dive in to the magical world of Pokémon took us to the Paldea region in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Courtesy of Trusted Reviews. Microsoft’s XBox has become a staple of the gaming world.

Games are very good at creating those shared experiences.”

As the player base begins to build up, those players start making all sorts of internet discourse about the game. According to Boulette, “Once they start talking about it, they create content about it. Once you create content about it, it gets out in the world. And if you can get those two things to work in unison, you’ve got something on your hands.”

Video games have become a core part of the modern world, that much is simply undeniable. Some have created entire industries, others have filled just

a small niche and are loved by a small community.

In just about every school, you can find someone who knows everything there is to know about a specific video game. Video games can reach very large audiences and bring large groups together to celebrate something they love. They can define an entire generation, and they will always have a very special place in fans’ hearts.

“What made Stray, at least to me, interesting, was that it was simple. It wasn’t a complicated game, it was relatively short. It puts you in the perspective of a cat in a way that I’ve never had a game do.”

Jason Boulette
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Elden Ring is a massive open-world role playing game made by the developers of Dark Souls Courtesy of TrustedReviews.
Clash of Nintendo Switch Steam Pokemon Sword and Shield 25 million Th e Legend of Zelda: Breath of th e Wild 29 milli on An im al Crossing: N ew Horizon s 4 1 milli on Supe r Smas h Bros . Ultamite 30 milli on Mari o Kart 8 Deluxe 52 million Counter Strik e: Glob al Offensi ve 40 milli on DOTA 2 16 4 milli on 70 milli on Ap ex Legends 25 million Dest iny 2 42 milli on
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#1 the Consoles Imag es from: nintendo. com, store.playstation.c om , xb ox.com , cdn.cloudßare.steams tatic.com, steamdb.inf o, origin. com Data from: thegame r.com. ieee. org, weplayholding.c om, dotespor ts.com, hea dphone sa ddic t.com, nintendo. co.jp, ventur ebea t.com, theverge.com, forums. terraria.org, busine ssofapps.c om PlayStai on Xbox 23 8 millio n 16 0 millio n 70 milli on Re d Dead Re demption II 50 million Terraria 44 milli on Fort ni te 40 0 milli on 9 Ever wondered which current hits have the most sales? Or which platforms have all the smashing successes? If so, this helpful infographic will certainly be worth your time! 8

What were the top games throughout the decades?

1990

Continuing the Super Mario Saga, Nintendo released SuperMario64 in 1996! Mario finds himself transported through a painting! Within, he sees that Bowser is planning to take over the Mushroom kingdom. Mario must recover the “Power Stars” to save everyone.

Super Mario 64.

Portal

In 2007, the world was in awe when Valve released their newest game: “Portal,” onto their gaming platform, Steam. Portal’s use of witty humor, realistic physics, and portals. had audiences captivated by this immersive world, and it quickly shot up in popularity.

Retro to Recent 1970 2000

Fortnite
image from Epic Games, Mario 64’ image from Nintendo. info from Wheel Jacks Lab, LibGuids, Guardianvv, PAst3, GUN
Mario from SuperMario64 Courtesy of Nintendo
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Space Invaders

Spaceinvaderswas the first Shoot em’ game to strike the world! Created in 1978 by Tomohiro Nishikado, Space Invaders was the first fixed shooting game, and paved the way for the “shoot em’” game genre.

Super Mario Bros.

Relseased in 1985, SuperMarioBros . was Nintendo’s debute into the gaming world. After monsters attacked the mushroom kingdom, Mario embarks on a quest to defeat the trecherous koopa - hoping to save the Mushroom kingdom and its people.

Fortnite

Fortnite is a popular battle royal game that Epic Games released in 2017. It skyrocketed towards a younger demographic and kids everywhere have probably heard of it. Fortnite doesnt really follow a storyline, but has a ‘Save the World’ mode, where you and your companions fight zombies

2010

1970
1980
Chug Jug from Fortnite Courtesy of Epic Games 10

Is this Upgrade?an

How Games have changed, and how they are going to change in the future

Videogames have integrated themselves into our lives, whether you have a friend who plays, or you yourself play, almost everyone has heard of video games. Famous companies like Blizzard, Sega, Epic Games, and Nintendo have skyrocketed in the gaming world, and smaller indie game companies are slowly rising to the top. With so many different views, it’s hard to keep track of what everyone is thinking, and what ideas they have. So, let’s break it down - what is everyone thinking? And what do they see in the light at the end of the tunnel?

“The Office” of San Monica Studios Courtesy by Saint Monica Studios 11

What’s the Standard?

Videogames are a marriage of coding and visuals. Without a good art team, the game won’t be visually appealing to look at. Without a good storyline, the game can be boring to play, and without well written code the mechanics won’t work and will limit the experience. Games are expensive to make. According to Vickie Smith, a video game designer at Saint Monica studios. “a triple A game is usually more expensive than making a blockbuster movie. We’re talking about $200-$300 million.” That’s a lot of money,

especially if companies are willing to gamble by making a new storyline or concept that may not be well received by audiences. Gamer extraordinaire Jesus Zamora says: “I lean towards the game with more depth or lore even if it comes at a loss for graphics.” Everyone’s preferences are different, but players tend to prefer games with an immersive storyline, rather than some animated pictures with very little plot. The “perfect game” is a tangled web of lines, all blurred together, but graphics and plot require a very clear balancing act

Is New Really Better?

With so many new players entering everyday, companies are rushing to create games that will make a big impact in a short amount of time.. However, it seems that this approach may be jeopardizing the quality of the gameplay. Many recent games have become“pay to play,” where you have to make ingame purchases to have the skill and equipment to be successful in the game. This strategy has recently become popular amongst many gaming companies.

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However, it’s not like we can blame the companies. “Video games take a lot of money to make,” says puzzle developer Vickie Smith, “Companies have to make that money back somehow”. The solution to this? Charge your players money! Unfortunate-

appealing more. We could feel the passion in the game. So, it felt like everything was kind of made by a gamer or gamer.” In other words, a game made by a gamer for a gamer. Older games can still hold a strong sense of nostalgia throughout the community, and games that took time and love to create were the building blocks of big immersive communities where many people could share their passions.

ly, these games tend to lose sight of a good storyline in favor of a money maker. They use pretty visuals to lure an audience in, but don’t follow up with fun gameplay or an engaging plot. Chase Eldwolth feels that older games had a lot more personality to them “I felt like most games that I played, Minecraft is a great example, felt like they were

Some of the most iconic games in history that have a large fanbase stem from a giant franchise that companies build off of. Sometimes, people will play games from franchises that they enjoyed as a kid. It gives players a nostalgic feeling to play these games, but also progresses the storyline so that it’s engaging for newer generations.

What’s to come, and whats set in stone?

It’s no secret that technology has made big strides in the past few years, and

now with expanding screens, games are also set on a path to discover the unknown. With new platforms like Augmented reality and Virtual reality allowing a user to immerse themselves in the world of the game. Virtual Reality, although not perfect, has opened up a new way to share games with others. Already, companies are jumping at the opportunity to make a name for themselves in this new domain, but it’s not like the new wave of VR will eradicate traditional games forever.

Gaming platforms are iconic, and will always bring the user a sense of nostalgia. Some people just prefer those consols, as they are easier for that person to use. VR Offers a new approach to games, but it won’t be replacing our favorite games any time soon.

“You feel more like a commodity rather than an audience.”
- Chase Eldwolth
Puzzle designer Vickie Smith in Japan.
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Photo by Vickie Smith

“it’s very difficult sometimes for people, even if they’ve made a good game mechanic and a good story, to get it out there and get it selling unless you have really flashy graphics or some hook to get people.”

The Closing

Veteran gamers may prefer the old clunky machines in the dark corners of your local arcade, but people just being introduced to gaming may like the new flashy visuals. The community will always hold games dear to their hearts. With companies rushing to make cash grabs to sustain themselves, its easy to overshadow the hidden gems that make gaming worthwhile. While some may argue this approach ruins

gaming, “Games are always going to be evolving.” says Vickie Smith, and we’ve just barely scratched the surface of what’s to come..

Vickie Smith
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Majong’s Minecraft “Neather” Update Courtesy of Walmart

SpeedRun-0-1

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his is it. The final challenge. You’ve been playing the game for hours now, but this is finally your chance to make it. You leap across the enemies and dash past any obstacles in your way. You go through so fast it almost seems inhuman. You’ve somehow made it to the final boss, it’s only a matter of seconds now. You make a mad dash for the finish line, and… You’ve done it. Somehow, you’ve gotten yourself a world record.

This is the life of a speedrunner.

Speedrunning, put simply, is the act of completing a game as fast as possible. Runners of a certain game will compete with each other for the fastest time, and the best of the best will attempt to earn the ultimate goal: A world record. Getting a world record not only signifies your skill, it cements your place in history as one of the greatest. This feat is not without its struggles, however, as to

become good enough to ever dream of getting a world record, you must dedicate yourself to the game. The near sisyphean task of playing until perfection is unwavering in its dificulty, and yet so undoubtedly alluring in its rewards. Thus, it’s no wonder why speedrunning’s popularity has skyrocketed the last few years – a daunting task leads to a grand champion.

Speedrunning originated with the dawn of video games, as players ran through them as fast as possible to compete for bragging rights. As technology further developed, internet forums and message boards began popping up, allowing speedrunners to discuss new times and strategies. This caused a boom in speedrunning’s community, as it introduced speedrunning to a whole new generation eager to try it out. Recording runs also became common, giving an easy way to verify and document new times. These videos spread far and wide throughout the early internet, because frankly, the strategies look

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really cool. As niche speedrunning communities grew into larger ones, so did the internet at large. With the introduction of video sharing websites like Youtube or Twitch, It’s no shock that speedrun recordings spread both further and farther than ever before. And, it was easier for anyone to go out and submit a run, with forums that can automatically rank and compare the latest times. Moreso than ever before, people were getting interested in speedrunning; and players were more

than willing to give the public what they wanted. To achieve perfection, you must know every nook and cranny in a game. The best speedrunners utilize whatever glitches available to gain a lead, and for heavily optimized games, this often leads to a series of difficult glitches you must perform in a row – any wrong move ruining a run. These pixel-perfect gauntlets are strung togeth-

This quest for perfection is something that both drives and haunts players. Even just finding a “perfect run” is a challenge, as countless hours must be spent optimizing until every last millisecond is shaved off. Not to mention how precise the tricks are, putting into question if they are even humanly possible in the first place. Some tricks are referred to as “pixel-perfect”, meaning that there’s almost no room for error! Even a perfect time is agreed upon, then completing it is a years long endeavor that players must face. They complete run after run after run, most not making it past the first few levels in a given game. But, the few runs that do are truly mesmerizing.

er by their thriving communities, with people studying and experimenting on the game for potential new strategies. In this sense, games are like a puzzle that must be solved. Hundreds of hours of work from people all over the world are put into a game for the sole purpose of gaining a world record, with the best speedrun representing the culmination of all that effort.

Imagine this: For the first time in hours, you’ve gotten every single difficult glitch in a row. Now, you’re on a world record pace. You feel your hands begin to sweat. Your thumbs begin to ache with each new button press. The sounds around you fall silent as you focus on the buzzing CRT television. The pressure builds with each new success – you dodge past

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the enemies, you jump at each new obstacle. Your hands nearly shake, but you must remain focused. Still, and focused, your only thoughts are the game. After a minute, you’ve made it to the final challenge. Your fingers move at an almost inhuman speed, this is what you’ve spent countless hours practicing for. You jump for the finish line, and you jump up from your chair in excitement. You have just gotten yourself a world record, and your name will go down in gaming history.

The sheer amount of anxiety when performing a run like this cannot be understated. When you’re in the midst of it, the air

around you feels electric. When you’re finished, a warm wave of serenity flows over you from head to toe. The feeling is unmatched, and any speedrun will gaurentee you there’s nothing quite like it. For that reason, that sense of accomplishment, speedrunning will always be around in some form or another. Whether

it be between friends or champions, it is breathtaking to not only to partake in, but to simply watch as well. The want to overcome such a daunting challenge is innately human, and so it is no wonder why speedrunning is so wildly popular today –for it shows that even sisyphus can reach the top of the cruelest mountain.

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Kosmik Notable speedrunner and streamer Mike Uyama GDQ Founder and Speedrunner Andrew G
Image courtesy of The Boston Post 5:05 4:58

4:57

4:54

Darbian
Image courtesy of Darbian Images courtesy of Nintendo Inc.

Good The The The Bad Ugly and of Game Production

he process of making video games is a vast jungle of careers, processes, and experiences. You have people who actually work on the code and base of the game, people who manage teams, and people who create artwork. There are also publicity teams, engineering teams, teams testing the products, there’s so much ground to cover that it’s making my head hurt.I’ve interviewed three different people. Patrick Curry, the CEO of a game developing company called FarBridge, Autumn Almeida, a concept artist who also works at FarBridge, and Jeffrey Flangan, an interface designer and animator who works for an eLearning company

A Person in a Robot Suit Graphic by Jeffrey Flanagan
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named Handcrafted Learning. I’m going to dive into each of their experiences in doing what they do, how they got there, and some of their favorite and least favorite things about doing what they love. As a certain famous plumber would say: “Let’s a-go!”

How’d We Get Here?

There are many different paths that can lead into Game Development. Some people start off going straight into game development while others fall into the field with no idea on how they got there. The path to success is always an interesting one, so let’s see a few examples.

Patrick Curry started off working at a number of companies. He’s actually tried leading game production teams before in his 20’s, but none of them quite worked out. So, Patrick decided to work around the industry a bit. He even got to work on a project for the big mouse himself, Disney! Guilty Party was a game that came out in 2010 for the Nintendo Wii. It combined aspects of Clue and Mario Party in a fun puzzle game for friends and family fun! Even Nintendo was impressed with how the game turned out because they let his team come to a few conferences and events. In 2017, Patrick wanted to give creating a game company another shot, which is when he made FarBridge. Six years and several games later he’s the CEO of a successful video game company.

Autumn Almeida is one of the many talented people who works at FarBridge. She recently graduated from the University of Indiana in Bloomington as of 2020. She had big plans to continue training her skills, but it didn’t end up mattering because the world shut down due to COVID-19. She ended up joining FarBridge in July

of 2020 and has been working there ever since. Despite having her original plans thrown out the window, she’s greatly enjoying herself in her position and having a blast with her loving community.

Jeffrey Flanagan is an avid lover of all things animation. He grew up reading comics and watching Disney movies and anime. After graduating from college in 2012, he got the chance to work his dream job: a character animator at Minicore Studios to work on a game they were developing. The game is called The Sun at Night and is a 2d action platformer where you run around a 2-dimensional map and beat up bad guys. Oh! And you get to play as a cute dog! He loved that job because he got to do something that he’s loved his entire life: Animation. A while after that in 2020 he was hired at Handcrafted Learning and began his new journey as an interface designer, and the rest is history.

A Day in the Life of a Game Dev.

Game Development is a very wide field, so obviously people’s days are going to vary based on what they need to get done. Here’s a few examples.

FarBridge doesn’t have an in-person office. It’s a group of people

from multiple time zones working together to make magic happen. Patrick does happen to live near where FarBridge is technically located, in Austin, Texas. The large separation between people means they spend a lot of time on everyone’s favorite platform, ZOOM! Patrick says he spends around 4-5 hours a day talking to various people over ZOOM, whether that be with people from FarBridge or other companies. They spend hours brainstorming ideas, reviewing previous works, and talking about new things they want to try. Some of their meetings are also about problem solving where they talk about problems the team is facing and tackle them head on. When Patrick isn’t ZOOM-ing you can often find him emailing. Most of his time is spent in gmail, emailing various different people from other companies for opportunities to work together. He usually ends with an hour or two a day to do more hands off work. He may be able to write some code or proposals for

“The first word that comes to mind is stressful. Because there’s a lotta responsibility and I’m responsible for the company making money and paying our team and paying bills and that’s a whole lotta responsibility. Some days that feels incredibly difficult.”

new projects. That’s some of the stuff he enjoys the most. And, of course he sneaks in some game-time when no one’s looking. Many of the

A Witch Graphic by Autumn Almeida
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members of FarBridge live in places that aren’t Texas. Autumn is one of these people. She lives in Indiana. She’s a big fan of scheduled days, apparently it’s caused by her #artist status. A normal work day includes waking up and taking her dog, Griffin, on a walk. She starts working around 10:00 and she begins working on a variety of things whether that be stuff she hasn’t finished or prepping for future work. She usually has meetings around 11:00 where she communicates with her team about plans for projects they’re currently working on. She’ll get evaluated on the designs and art she’s created and given tips, critiques, and plans for future designs. Then she eats lunch, maybe walks Griffin again, and continues to work for the rest of the day. Her day usually ends around 6:00, but this isn’t always true. Who knows, it may be another 5:00 AM work day! Keep in mind that these schedules often

“Usually you start with silhouette or gestures and then bring in a few values, cut those in and every once in a while you’ll be chatting with your art lead or your creative director getting feedback.”

Jeffrey likes to start his day bright and early, so he gets up at the crack of dawn to begin a good hard working day! Before he starts work he’ll often read the news, catch up on industry trends, and relax while he waits for the rest of his team to awake from their slumbers. He’ll check emails to see if he’s missed anything from the previous day or if anyone’s emailed him while he’s asleep because his team is spread out across multiple time zones. Then, of course, he gets on a ZOOM call where they discuss the ordinary topics of planning and critiquing. Each day varies from project to project. Sometimes he’ll help his writing team come up with ideas by drawing them out. He meets with different departments and helps develop and change ideas to create the best service for everyone. At the end of every day he checks his emails and threads one more time then signs off for the night.

dreams of many people, but that doesn’t stop those dreams being coated with the stuff of nightmares! Here’s some of people’s least favorite things about game development.

Time management can be a nightmare for most people, Patrick Curry included. One of the many challenges of leading a game company is managing the time you have. Most of his team works from home after their office split apart due to the pandemic. This switch to working at an office to working from home came with some problems. Being able to stay focused and manage your time while also being in a place with thousands of possible distractions is no easy feat. Patrick says he’s been getting better at managing his time when out of office, so that’s a good thing. When you’re in as big of a position as CEO, it can make some of your slip ups even more egregious. It can be scary to try new things sometimes, and mistakes that happen when trying these new things can be the worst. Balancing your intake of completely unfamiliar projects with things you have done before is a very important part of succeeding in whatever you do. As a CEO it’s extra important to manage this along with your time to make sure that you and your team are on the road to victory!

revolve around projects, so depending on the project her schedule may look totally different. Sleep might not always be an option.

Uh-oh, Something Went Wrong!

Game design might seem like some magical job where you get to make beautiful creations everyday. WELL IT’S NOT! Things crash all the time! Game development may be the

Whenever you’re working in any sort of creative work, you’re

An Elf and her Eels Graphic by Autumn Almeida Patrick Curry at the Ausrin Forum on Technology and Society Courtesy of Patrick Curry
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Autumn Almeida

bound to get some sort of creative criticism. While this criticism usually comes from a genuine want for you to improve, that doesn’t mean these criticisms can’t still hurt. Learning to not take criticism personally is something we all must face, and it’s a problem that Jeffrey had to learn over time. At first, it was a lot harder to handle criticisms from those above him, but overtime he learned it was because his coworkers actually want him to get better.

Conclusion

There are many different adventures when it comes to game development. The adventures along the way, the good and the bad, help shape the wonderful developers that work at these studios today. While not everything is sunshine and rainbows, it’s still a really fun journey to embark on. I’d like to thank Patrick Curry, Autumn Almeida, and Jeffrey Flanagan for allowing me to talk about them. That’s all folks!

“it’s okay to not get married to your work because typically it’ll change the next day or the next meeting but y’know again it’s not personal it’s just people trying to help and guide it in the right direction”

A Landscape of a Storefront Graphic by Jeffrey Flanagan Griffin the Good Dog Courtesy of Autumn Almeida
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Jeffrey Flanagan

What Character Are You? What Character Are You?

INTRO: START!
Willow Cherry Cookie Tails Steve
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Basil Flick Opal GLaDOS 26
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The Underworld The Underworld

What lies in the Underworld of Video Games?

ideo games. According to google, they’re games played by electronically manipulating images produced by a computer program on a television screen or other display screen. Behind this definition you can find with a quick search are millions of stories unraveled by an abundance of people. However, some of the makers of these stories don’t have the resources that major companies have. Here, the question on why indie games are so beloved is brought to light. When indie companies aren’t held back by the bureaucracy and supervisors a large company has, they go all out and create something breathtaking. They can take risks, try new things out, and they can bring creativity. People go crazy for these unique ideas brought to the table by Indie developers. That’s why they love The Underworld of video games. Making an indie game is hard work, especially as a company with a team of fourteen. Astrid

Refstrup, CEO, Game-Director, and Co-Writer for Triple Topping games originally didn’t have her sights set on making a gaming company. But when she started, she was encouraged by others to go with the flow at her studio in Copenhagen, Denmark. “In the beginning we wanted to do free-to-play because everybody said that was the way to make a good business.” Astrid

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explained. “But I soon realized that we hated it. We hated the kind of games you could do with free-to-play, and at some point we just started to make things we love.” That’s the beauty of creation (especially when you’re

in charge). She mentions later on that game are transparency, structure, and building trust; especially with her team. Other things that are crucial are asking questions, LOTS of questions, and having passion. When one is brought down by the weight and size of their project, or the expectations from others, it takes a lot to keep going. For example, Triple Topping’s most recent project was the game Dead Pets Unleashed. After being asked about her inspirations Astrid mentions, “A lot of things that go on in Dead Pets. What I added into the stories, I made from my own anger. Anger in

Astrid Refstrup headshot, graphic courtesy of Triple Topping
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spite of our size in general, I think.” Inspiration is a spectrum across the board. The anger, the crying, the laughter, the everything-that-comes-with-life is different for everyone. Inspiration can be found in a flower, the splinter from yesterday, or even the corner of a closet. From childhood, where Astrid herself played games on her Amiga, to Triple Topping slowly building up with every new project; the payoff of it all is worth more than enough.

A Different Dimension

Aside from programming and writing, there’s another pivotal role in the production of a game: The art. Art has its own way of telling the story. Looking back on games that have made a huge cultural impact, it’s always the characters and visual world building immersed in people’s

minds. The artistry of these stems from other artists, CG art, and other building blocks found in games. When asked about what motivates him, 3D modeler and senior character artist Christian Gallego stated, “Definitely other artists work and definitely work from the top studios. I find that stuff to be very inspirational. I find websites

where artists share their work to be very inspirational. It’s really just another artist’s work. I see

other people doing amazing stuff and I’m like “Oh my god, I want to learn that.” or “I want to see how they do it.” or if I would approach it in the same manner. There’s so many questions that you could ask from it.” He finds a lot of importance in analyzing the works of others to improve. Especially studying artists who have classes on their techniques and process. Gallego also feels as if he is competing with younger artists more than his peers: “The

Characters from Dead Pets Unleashed, drawing courtesy of Triple Topping
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competition is higher, so you have to be incredibly awesome and above all of the people who have nothing better to do other than sit and draw. All day long, 12 hours a day, non stop. Because, they’re staying with their parents, because they don’t have kids, because they don’t play games, they don’t have boyfriends or girlfriends, because they have all the time in the world. I have to com with stuff like that.

more than anything, it makes games cool as hell.

Finish Line

Indie games were previously celebrated within smaller groups, and now they’re getting more attention than ever before.

Imem that everyday. I have to com - pete with people like you all the time.” An artist could improve dramatically if they paid attention to advice from mentors or senior artists rather than improve on their own, he explains. “The mind and the eyes, it’s a computer. The more you input into them, the bigger your reference files get. The bigger they get, the more things you can pull from.” Art is one of the main supports for a game. It brings the game to life. When an artist brings a creative vision to a story that enhances it, it changes the concept of a game completely. And

3D model head by Christian Gallego
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Sunny from Omori

Mass R Mass

Relay: Game Genres

Relay: Game Genres

ASF by Hero Calkins

Calkins

11.1% Simulation

7.4% Puzzles/RPG/Visual Novel

14.8% Horror/Survi val

I set up a survey put out v as many people as possi ble based on one thing:game genres. 27 opeplereplied to my survey, and a lot of occured bet w eenthe smaller catagoriesw hilethelarger ies ones had aanbundance of peoplefor one rgen e. Inthe pe f end, rstategy and shoote rs rategy won by quite a bit.

3.7% Sports/Fighting/ ActionAdventure

7.4% Open wo rld/ Rhy thm

22.2% Strategy/Shoote rs

ero Ca H by AS ASF He l ns er Her r alki s y lk b o k ro Calkins Hero by o
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to possi i to of ties

smaller of

Majority of the survey’s taker s chose thei r genre because It gave them a sense of escapi sm, freedom and satisfaction. Of ten times, games are r ewar di ng when you’re a LASA student finally done wi t h your home work. On the other hand, 9t h grader Carly Gonzalez l ikes simul ations because t hey “are of ten real i stic, l ike the Sims.” However, everyone has t hei r own prefere nces i n the end. 48.1% sai d t hey game frequentl y, and 25.9% sai d t hey play

Majority of the survey’s taker s chose thei r genre because It gave them a sense of escapi sm, freedom and satisfaction. Of ten times, games are r ewar di ng when you’re a LASA student finall y done wi t h your home work. On the other hand, 9t h grader Carly Gonzalez likes simul ations because t hey “are of ten real i stic, l ike t he Sims.” However, everyone has t hei r own preferences i n the end. 48.1% said t hey game frequentl y, and 25.9% said t hey play

Majority of t he survey’s taker s chose t hei r genre because It gave t hem a sense of escapi sm, freedom and satisfaction. Of ten times, games are r ewar di ng when you’re a LASA student finally done wi t h your home work. On t he other hand, 9t h grader Carl y Gonzalez likes simulations because t hey “are of ten real istic, l ike t he Sims.” However, everyone has t hei r own preferences i n t he end. 48.1% said t hey game frequentl y, and 25.9% said t hey play

Majority of t he survey’s taker s chose t hei r genre because It gave t hem a sense of escapi sm, freedom and satisfaction. Of ten times, games are r ewar di ng when you’re a LASA student finall y done wi t h your home work. On t he other hand, 9t h grader Carl y Gonzalez likes simulations because t hey “are of ten real istic, l ike t he Sims.” However, everyone has t hei r own preferences i n t he end. 48.1% said t hey game frequentl y, and 25.9% sai d t hey play

Indie games frequentl y. The mai n takeaway I got from t hi s was t hat t here i s no one way to game.

Indie games frequentl y. The mai n takeaway I got from t hi s was t hat t here i s no one way to game.

“Iget toexplore rpa ts ofthe world and experiencethings I only get toexperience in thegame. I also l ove h avingfree will in agame, it makes it a lot mo re fun!”

-Marley Ruiz (9 th grade, likes Open rwoldgames.)

-Marley Ruiz (9 th grade, likes Open rwoldgames.) wo ldg s.)

I ndie games frequentl y. The main takeaways I got from t hi s was t hat t here i s no one way to game.

I ndie games frequentl y. The main takeaways I got from t hi s was t hat t here i s no one way to game.

“I get to explore e rpa ts ofthe world and pa experiencethings I only expe get to experience in thegame. I also l ove h avingfree the me e ree will in agame, it makes it a esma lot mo re fun!”

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Credits Credits

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