A Little Homage to the Wilhelm Scream and to Skyrim

I got a few chuckles from the latest meme surrounding Skyrim dialog.  I thought I would add something to the interwebs.

Culture Clash - Alaskan State Patrol vs. Taiwanese Tourists

So I am watching National Geographic Channel the other day in Taiwan, and I had a major LOL moment. I was watching the show about Alaska's State Troopers, and they had a story about chasing down a car that wouldn't pull over. The troopers had their lights on and were trying to get the car to stop. The car wasn't trying to run away, it just wouldn't stop.

When the car finally did stop, the cops all had their guns drawn and yelled at the occupants to get out of the car. Upon exit they were instructed to put their hands on their heads, etc. - standard stuff. But their first clue should have been they didn't speak much English. It was a family of Taiwanese in Alaska on vacation.

For anyone who lives in Taiwan, you can understand exactly what happened. In Taiwan, for some inexplicable reason, the cops drive around town with their lights on. They just drive around at normal speed, but they rarely turn their lights off. While I have yet to get a logical answer as to why they do this, it is assumed they do this to deter the criminal element. Um, like if the lights aren't a warning and the bad guys would just stop what they are doing until the cops pass by :-p

Anyway, these poor Taiwanese tourists didn't understand that in the US, when you see the lights you'd better pull over. They are used to the Taiwan way, which is just to pay no attention (unless the siren comes on). So it's easily understood why they didn't bother pulling over.

Suffice to say that was the chuckle for the day...

Silent Hill 8 E3 2010 Trailer

While a little late getting to my blog, I wanted to share with you some footage from our upcoming game Silent Hill 8 published by Konami.  While a work in progress it's easy to see how well things are coming along.  Great job guys!

What Eric's Playing

Anyone who has checked out my blog has probably noticed a list of game on the right side of the site.  This is my "What Eric's Playing" list.  I started to compile the list sometime after I started this blog, so obviously it's not my entire history of games played, but it at least gives you a snapshot of what I have been playing for the last couple of years.

I believe anyone in the industry should be playing games.  I've heard a number of times how people "don't have time to play", or "nothing interests me", or worse yet "I play games all day at work, when I come home I don't want to play anymore".  While it's easy to understand that life happens and things can get in the way of a good gaming session, I will never understand someone who is a responsible party in the industry can't find time to enjoy games for game's sake.

This is tantamount to someone in the fashion industry not wearing fashionable clothes, or someone who makes movies for a living and doesn't watch movies.  I am not suggesting that plumbers plumb on their days off, or a truck driver who wants to drive just for fun.  We are in a creative industry, one that is market driven, and what we do has to be relevant to people you may not fully understand or relate to.  We must play games to understand them.  We have to play games to know what may be fun.  Of course it's better if you can actually enjoy yourself while you are playing, but at the very least I believe it's important to examine games systematically so you can understand what may make them work or fail in the marketplace.

Playing games, especially English language games, isn't as easy as one may think while living in Asia.  Some locations aren't too bad - I found it easy to find the latest games in the Philippines and Singapore.  It's great that the new releases come out roughly the same time as they do in the US, and the prices are competitive, if not a little cheaper in some instances.  Living in Taiwan, Korea, Hong Kong, or China is problematic though.  The games are localized for the market, and that doesn't include English.  Thank goodness for Amazon.

I offer my games list here as a way of not only seeing what I am playing, but also what interests me personally.  You can see my family game inclinations from some of the games on my list, but you can see the more hard core games for after-hours play.  Yes, there are a few work games in there, and a few that I selected because I thought they were important enough to examine from a market perspective.  But I will continue to love my personal game time as I love the industry and it's extremely exciting to be developing entertainment like this.

Here's a New Aragorn's Quest Video - More Gameplay :-)

Congrats to the entire team at Headstrong and Kuju Manila for their efforts in putting together this increadible game!

Happy Moon/Mid-Autumn Festival!

To everyone in Taiwan, China, or of Chinese ancestry, Happy Moon/Mid-Autumn Festival!

If you are unfamiliar with this holiday, a little primer is HERE.

Enjoy :-)

Some More Aragorn's Quest Video Goodness

Here are some behind-the-scenes videos on the voice over work for Lord of the Rings: Aragorn's Quest.  John-Rhys Davies and Sean Astin lend there voices to the game as viewed in this interview.  Enjoy :-)

Lord of the Rings: Aragorn's Quest (NDS/PS2/PS/Wii) - Launch Trailer

Here is yet another game we helped to develop.  It'll be out Sept 19th!  Enjoy :-)

Burn Zombie Burn (PC/Steam) - Launch Trailer

Here's another game our studio helped to develop.  Enjoy :-)

Top Gun (PSN) - Launch Trailer

Here's the launch trailer for a game our studio helped to develop.  Enjoy :-)

Formula for Naming Games in Taiwan

I've noticed a great number of things about games and gamers here in Asia, but one thing is clear - if you want a successful game in Taiwan, naming it is easy.

Step 1 - take any combination of characters that discribe emporers, princes, princesses, dynastic period, etc, and add the word "ONLINE".

Step 2 - there is no step 2.

(Note: hot girls certainly add to the effect, but they are more the exception rather than the rule in commercials - unless you are promoting a dancing/friendship game where being cute helps.  Typically the commericals will consisist of pretty nice rendered cut scenes with a few seconds of pretty low-res in-game MMO footage).

Designing Characters - the Square Enix Way...

Although posted a few years back, I was recalling some of the nuances of developing art in Asia.  While Japanese companies like Square Enix have this method down pat, other regional countries tend to emulated the styles (if not preferences) in their art as well.

The original article is posted HERE (warning: wear a flame retardant suit if you wish to post there.  Obviously the humor was lost on many of those who replied).

Beyond the chuckle (truth) factor for those of use tasked with design art in Asia, the reality is that one must understand the target audience to make games that are readily accepted beyond the country from which you are making it.  This applies not only to art, but game design as well.

Overused and Trendy Words

Those of you who know me realize that I am prone to the occasional rant. I've avoided doing so here as I thought I would keep this blog relatively uncluttered. But every once in a while I get a little perturbed when I see things that seem to occur out of fashion or trendiness. I am speaking here of the overuse in the selection of certain words, to the point in which they become annoying.

Possibly you have noticed this too. A media outlet will start to use a word over and over. Culturally the word seems to pick up steam in terms of its use, to the point of being used to exhaustion. The writer seems to inject the word inappropriately, or even writes their headlines with the sole purpose of using the word. If you are a voracious reader like I am, you tend to notice patterns in language. And and if you do it long enough, you can see some words fall in and out of favor.

I am not talking about certain fashionable words, such as "eco-friendly", or "green". Those topics tend to populate the news these days, and as such we need language to describe them. And I am not talking about cliches such as "think outside the box". They can be annoying to, but I guess as a former management consultant I have used my share. I am talking here about the use of written words for the sake of the word only.

So this is my list. It is by no means exhaustive, but I may come back from time to time and update with more words I see being overused in the media:

• "Row" - I am talking about the definition of "noisy dispute or quarrel; commotion" (see defintion #3). News editors love to use this in a headline, such as "Mike Jagger in a Row with Keith Richards". I am guessing that editors love this word because of its economical size, but it's just odd they want to use a word that falls outside the common spoken vernacular. CNN online would regularly use this one, and sometimes I could spot it in different headlines over the same week.
• "Cover" - this is a word where I started to notice this trend. Although apparently the word was originally coined in the 60s, it didn't fall into prominence until the 90s. It continues to be overused to this day. This band does a cover of that band's songs. Bleh.
• "Re-imagine" or "Reboot" - most commonly associated with movie properties that have lost their way, these words have become synonymous with big budget Hollywood studios giving way too much control to producres and directors who have no appreciation with their source material. Sometimes having the ability to change something doesn't necessarily mean you should (Barbara Broccoli and JJ Abrams I hope you are listening!).

Perils of Localization

Thought I would pass on a humorous (but stranglely true) comic that was posted over at Nerfnow.com.

1GB Fiber for $26?? Sheesh...

In Hong Kong right now.... Surfing the net. An article catches my eye...

Over at Tom's Hardware they have a new article "Who has the Fastest, Cheapest Internet in the World"

Included in that article are reference that further caught my eye because I am here in Hong Kong - City Telecom is apparently offering 1GB broadband for $26/month.

Although I am enjoying my 10MB (99.98% uptime!!) broadband in Taiwan, I certainly would enjoy taking a look at 1GB, even just for a while ;-)

Circus Games / Funfair Party Commericals

I was recently searching the 'net and found some ads of Circus Games / Funfair Party - made by Kuju Manila.  Some were produced for the web, while others actualy made it to the TV as full blown commericals.

In the one above the video of Circus Games is about half-way through.

This is a TV commercial that originally aired in the UK.

Major DOH! Moment... :-(

I had a major DOH! moment yesterday. I found out my Zune 16GB had the glass cracked pretty significantly. I know exactly what happened - I had put the player in my briefcase along with my netbook, and then took the briefcase out for a few hours. Even though I had not really jostled the briefcase around, I guess the corner of the netbook was able to connect with the plastic screen of the Zune. Ouch.

Unfortunately it appears the Microsoft does not repair this item any more. With the release of the Zune HD this smaller form factor isn't being made anymore, and all the previous Generation 2 players are drying up at retail. I really think that's a bad move, as this smaller size is really appealing to those wanting something they can easily carry and tuck away. I used it a lot when I am running - the larger HDs are just too big for that...

Anyway, I'm lucky that the player still works :-p I'll just have to live with my stupidity until the glass falls off or Microsoft gets wise and produces a form factor you can carry in the palm of your hand.

Update (04-24-10) Props to Microsoft. While cosmetically the player is thrashed, my Doh! moment hasn't affected the player one bit. Still waiting for MS to come out with a smaller form factor in their digital music player line of products...

Creating A Game Development Industry from the Ground Up

I was going through some of my files and I ran across this presentation. I originally gave this at the Games Convention Asia in September 2007, but the material is still quite current and relevant. The presentation illustrates some of our discoveries as well as relays to other burgeoning game industries and culture what may be required to start one down the right path.



I'd enjoy hearing comments from those of you with similar experiences or those of you who have questions regarding the state of game development in the Philippines or Asia Pacific. Enjoy!


Note: the presentation was written during the Matahari Studio days - prior to the Kuju acqusition.

Industry Insider - Version 2.5

What Does It Really Take…?

by Eric Marlow

I have always been interested in responding to questions from those of you who read my column. I received an email recently from a reader wanting to know more about getting into game development, and what he needed to do to demonstrate his capabilities. I was encouraged by this email in that one of the first things you can do to start your game career is to take it upon yourself to ask the question “what does it really take to get me in the door of a game development company”.

By asking this question, you set yourself down the road of discovery. But obviously asking the question is just the first step. Any further steps along this road will require an extreme amount of passion and perseverance. While it’s true for any career, it’s exceedingly true for game development - you must demonstrate your value by doing more than just attending courses and expecting a job to be handed to you. It just doesn’t work that way in the real world.

The real world is full of hustle, research, passion, knowledge, and maturity. Without these qualities you won’t get very far.

So in practical terms, what does this mean if you are considering a career in game development? Partly it depends on where you are in your career right now. If you are in high school or just starting college, the biggest thing you can do is to seek out courses that will provide you with the raw knowledge of the tools and techniques of game development. Artists can take multimedia, animation and/or CG courses. Programmers can take programming languages such as C++, C#, and possibly Java. As you move forward in your college curriculum, look for courses that allow you to put all the pieces together, such as game development or game design. Finishing off your college years can be topped off by offering a thesis on a game development-related subject.

If you are a career shifter and want to consider game development now, the process is not so straight-forward. While much credit can be given to those who have already started to establish a solid career in a similar but related field (business programming, architecture, or possibly television/films) you will have to do some work on your own – either look for university courses in game development or do a lot of self-study by joining internet game development groups, or even possibly the local chapter of the International Game Developers Association (IDGA) at www.idga.org.

But the biggest thing that anyone can do is to develop a portfolio. There is no greater demonstration of capabilities and your willingness to overcome what you may not have had the opportunity to learn in school or on another job. This is your one big chance to show off your stuff. If you are an artist, try to come up with a reel that shows off your best talent. Be it animation, 3D models, or even 2D texturing, all are appropriate for a demo reel. Concentrate on your strengths – not everyone can be an animator. Show what went into the creation process as part of your reel – any concept drawings, and pay particular attention to how many polygons are included in the model. Show any unwrapped textures as well, as well as the UV maps too.

If you are a programmer, then build your demo game. I would suggest using a free game engine and start from there, but if you are feeling particularly sporty you can build your renderer from the ground up. Don’t worry too much about “programmer art”. If you have a helpful artist friend, then bonus! But most savvy companies can look past the lack of artistic content to the gist of gameplay and code.

And if you fancy yourself to be a game designer, then go out and BUILD SOME LEVELS! There are a number of ways to show off your design talent, but there is no better way than to have something interactive to show off during your job interviews. Last month’s insider talked a lot about game design, so pick up a copy of the previous issue and get to it!

I can’t stress strongly enough that it will be unlikely that you would be considered for a position in a game company without some level of investment on your part. Investing in yourself is certainly the best investment you can make, so go forth and demonstrate!

Eric Marlow is President and Studio Head for Kuju Manila, Inc. Please feel free to drop an email with any questions you may have. Space permitting we’ll answer your questions in upcoming editions. You can reach him at theinsider@octobereighty.com. Game On!

Industry Insider - Edition 2.4

How to Be a Game Designer

by Eric Marlow

Becoming a game designer in a proper game company is one of the most elusive positions ever created. Very few universities offer game design curricula, and most are located overseas. Few game designers are hired strait out of college. And determining what makes a good game designer is quite subjective. While a number of rules can be laid out (see The Inspiracy) , much of what is considered game design is artistic in nature, and after all - beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

First things first: game development is not game design. Game development, or as it’s sometimes called “game production”, seem to be the all-inclusive words these days for anything to do with the creation of games. Certainly game design is a part of game development. But making games also includes art, coding, management, QA, localization, and a host of other areas suited to specific platform requirements. And game design is not just simply creating in-game characters. Game characters may be the sexy part of game design, but when you think about how much goes into a game these days, you realize that the characters make up only a small part of any game world.

While there may be several definitions, game design (as described by a recent article by Michael Dawson) can be thought of simply as:

• Mechanics - rules and procedures; when followed, they produce what most people call "gameplay"
• Story - dramatic elements that usually provide a rationale for the mechanics, but are not part of the mechanics themselves
• Aesthetics - visual, aural, and tactile manifestations of a game; what you see, hear, and touch

So in learning the craft of game design, how does one go about educating one’s self if there are no established courses in school? Well, let’s get one thing strait – even if you were to take game design from a well-regarded university like Full Sail or Digipen, you will still need to do a tremendous amount of self-study. You must be MOTIVATED to dive into the creation of your own games, and this will require you to just start learning the craft by experimentation.

Have you ever played a board game? I am sure at some point you’ve played Monopoly, Trivial Pursuit, or maybe even Dungeons and Dragons. Each of these games has rules, some of which you might like to modify. Simply put – take a game that you already know something about and modify it. Monopoly has been redone so many times – a quick check of Hasbro’s website show at least 42 version of Monopoly – and those are the ones still in production! Maybe you can make a Philippines or Manila-specific version of Monopoly? If you did, how would you customize the game for the local market? I call the Jeepney!

Once you’ve got the hang of a paper-based or board game, then I would suggest you move to the digital world. Try to create a level in your favorite computer game. Most popular first person shooters and even some real time strategy games have either in-game world building tools, or 3rd party level builders. Some games like Roller Coaster Tycoon or Little Big Planet on the PS/3 have in-game level building tools and you can even upload your creations to share with your friends.

When you jump into game design in this way you start to see how tough, but how rewarding game design is. As soon as you and your friends start to play your creations you will find out very quickly what works and what doesn’t.

Eric Marlow is President and Studio Head for Kuju Manila, Inc. Please feel free to drop an email with any questions you may have. Space permitting we’ll answer your questions in upcoming editions. You can reach him at theinsider@octobereighty.com. Game On!