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I Can’t Really Talk About It
By Corvus | August 15, 2008
…but when has that ever stopped me before? If you see a ^ mark after a sentence or phrase, it means I’m being vague for reasons of my NDA.
I’m pretty excited about my upcoming project with PoBros Inc. While we wait for the publisher to blot their drool stains off the contract and get it back to us, we’ve been having a lot of conversations about our expectations for the game–particularly regarding the role of writing and interstitial static screens and their usefulness in advancing the plot. There are various “rules” about writing for casual game cut scenes such as–cut the text in half, and cut it in half again. I get that the point of this rule is to force the designers to put as much information into the visuals as they can, but from what I’ve seen, it just results in awkward and unnatural sounding dialog. So we’ve agreed to follow this rule instead: Every line of dialog must stand up to the question, “How can we do that with game mechanics or visuals instead?” If the answer is undeniably, “We can’t,” then we ask, “Do we really need it?” Then only if the answer is a resounding, “Yes,” do we keep it.
Notice the inclusion of the term “game mechanics” in this approach. Rather than simply pack plot details into cut scene visuals, we’re going to first try and move them into the gameplay itself. Now, we’re working with a pretty conventional style of casual game^, but rather than assume we’re limited to the same expression of the gameplay we’ve seen in other games of the same type, we’re going to try and elevate them into something more expressive, more crucial to the player’s sense of the story.
There are a few other reasons I’m excited as well. This is the first project in which I’ve had direct influence over the game’s direction from the ground up. The core game mechanic itself was settled upon^, but the story suggested to me was open for a complete overhaul and I gave it one^–elevating it (I hope) out of the mundane into something “with legs” as they say. The second point of excitement is that the game has a female lead. True, Alice’s Magical Mahjong had a female lead, and the contract I’m just finishing up with them^ has a female lead–but this is the first title where I’ve been responsible for defining the lead’s past, present, and future. I am hopeful, given the publisher involved ^, and the level of trust the brothers (yes, the PoBros are actually brothers) and I have established, to keep her as a strong female character throughout, without relying on any of the cliche traps some casual games do.
The third shiver up my spine is that the word “sequel” has evidently been bandied about during contract negotiations. This, based primarily on a short demo we put together to show at Casual Connect. The thought that I may be creating a character and world that we can explore over multiple games is very humbling and inspiring.
Finally, I’m not just filling the role of writer on this game, but producer as well. Based upon my work and commitment level on the last contract ^, I was retroactively given a producer credit. But it is this title, which I am helping shape all aspects of, it is this title that I feel will earn me my producer bragging rights. With this title under my belt, I am confident that I will be able to successfully expand my current list of services and move my career to the next level.
Tagged:projects, storytelling, video games. | 4 Comments »
August 15th, 2008 at 3:15 pm
congratulations! that sounds like an exciting project!
August 15th, 2008 at 3:51 pm
It’s great to have a project that you’re passionate about, best of luck!
August 15th, 2008 at 5:52 pm
That sounds really cool, I wish you luck as well.
August 16th, 2008 at 7:33 am
Thanks, folks!